I would like to point out a real problem in Squamish.
I am sure that many communities like Squamish are dealing with the same issue.
A lot of us out in the hinterlands rely on heating oil to heat our homes. Sure, this is old technology and environmentally suspect, but this is a reality where there is no natural gas service and the electrical service to our homes is limited to 60AMPS (or less). So heat pumps are out, even if we could afford it.
The immediate problem is that there is almost no one to service oil furnaces. All the old guys who serviced these units have either passed away, retired or (most recently) disappeared.
So here we are, an oil furnace not working and no one to fix it and the space heaters sending my electrical bills to the point of bankruptcy.
I would encourage any young tradesperson to get their oil furnace ticket and they would be set for life servicing and replacing this old technology for at least another 20 years.
Meanwhile, I am freezing and going broke.
Gerald King
Squamish
Editor’s note: Gerald says he eventually found someone local to fix his furnace.
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