126 People Receive Duplicate Keep the Heat Cheques

The Nova Scotia government will be contacting 126 people who have mistakenly been issued duplicate cheques through the province's Keep the Heat program.

The duplicate cheques were issued this week through Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, which administers the heating assistance program. The department will be contacting the recipients and requesting that they return the duplicate cheques.

In January 2006, the Keep the Heat program implemented a new electronic system to process the cheques. To date, more than 10,000 cheques have been issued. A thorough review of the system indicated that 126 applicants received duplicate cheques. The department regrets the error and inconvenience caused to recipients.

The department is reviewing the electronic system to ensure that duplication does not happen again.

Keep the Heat offers a cash rebate of $250 for eligible applicants who heat their homes with oil or propane. For those who heat with electricity, wood, coal, wood pellets or natural gas, a $100 rebate is available. Applications and more information about Keep the Heat are available at 1-800-670-4357, or at <a href="http://www.gov.ns.ca">www.gov.ns.ca</a .