Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Service Line Warranties of Canada
Councillors want the City of Ottawa to renegotiate its contract with a company offering insurance-like plans for damaged service lines as they demand an end to city-branded mail-outs that have infuriated residents. If that isn't possible, they want the city to break its agreement with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) altogether.
Thousands of property owners in Sudbury will receive letter in the mail this week regarding insurance for water service or sewer septic line. The City of Greater Sudbury has partnered with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to offer insurance. Many homeowners don't realize, depending on where a leak or damage in a line occurs, repair costs could be coming out of resident's pocket if it’s not covered by property insurance.
Ottawa residents can expect letters from Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to reach their mailboxes in the coming weeks. The letters will provide homeowners with detailed information related to the optional and voluntary Service Line Warranties program, including coverage options and the enrollment process for interested residents. Water and sewer/septic service lines, including the stormwater sewer line, connect a homeowner’s property to the City’s water and wastewater systems. Homeowners are responsible for repairs to the portion of the service lines located on their property. If a leak, break or clog occurs in the private portion of these lines, the homeowner is responsible for hiring a plumber and paying any of the associated repair costs.
This summer, letters from Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) will be mailed to residents’ homes giving them the chance to buy into a warranty program that would help with the costs of repairs to underground water and sewer service lines, if the need arises. City of Ottawa staff say the relaunch of an insurance-like pipe protection program will incorporate lessons learned from 2021, when many residents were left confused and angry about the offer of voluntary coverage from a private company with the city’s endorsement.
This summer, letters from Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) will be mailed to residents’ homes giving them the chance to buy into a warranty program that would help with the costs of repairs to underground water and sewer service lines, if the need arises. Homeowners are responsible for a portion of the pipes under their private properties that connect their homes to city-owned water and sewer lines — something many residents aren’t aware of, according to city staff. Drawing attention to this potential drain on homeowners’ wallets is a key argument at the city for its team-up with SLWC.
The city of Port Colborne is partnering with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to help resident homeowners protect themselves from those expected costs. Through the partnership, homeowners in Port Colborne now have access to optional service plans that assist with the cost and management of common plumbing repairs. Specifically, the service plans provide protection for the water and sewer service lines that connect a resident’s home to the cities system.
Durham Regional Council has reversed recent changes, related to the limits of responsibility for repairs on private property related to sanitary sewer service connections within the Sewer User Rate By-law, which came into effect on July 1, 2022. Effective immediately, the Region of Durham will continue to carry out repairs to sanitary sewer service connections, on private residential property to within one metre of the structure, in accordance with By-law #90-2003.
You may soon be getting a letter in your mailbox with Durham Region’s logo on it, advertising an insurance plan for your water and sewer lines. The letter will appear different from other regional correspondence because it is being sent out by Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC), a private company. The program is run by SLWC, with regional approval. It would cover repairs to your home’s service lines, specifically the ones that the region is not responsible for maintaining. You may want to check if your home insurance already covers such repairs. SLWC runs similar programs in tandem with a number of municipalities across Ontario.
Since 2014, over 65 Canadian municipalities have launched partnerships with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to give their residents access to affordable service repair plans for common plumbing emergencies. SLWC is the trusted source of utility line protection programs in Ontario as recognized by the Local Authority Services, part of the Association of Municipalities on Ontario (AMO).
Ottawa city councillors have acknowledged the communication campaign around a partnership with a private company that offers homeowners optional sewer and water line insurance was a disaster, and have taken steps to prevent it from happening again. "There's absolutely no question that the communications rollout was beyond [un]acceptable," Coun. Laura Dudas said at Monday's environment committee meeting. "The lines were blurred between a private entity and the city of Ottawa, and it confused our residents and asked that it put into question their trust in our use of our logo."
A letter arriving in mailboxes with a city of Ottawa logo on it, offering warranty coverage for sewer or water lines is raising questions from some residents. Who is the letter from and do you need warranty coverage? Rick Spring lives in Ottawa's Alta Vista neighbourhood. He received two different letters offering a "Service Line Warranty Plan." One of the letters outline pricing, which caused some concerns. "At first I wondered if it was a scam," said Spring.
A municipal law professor says a private-public partnership between the City of Ottawa and an U.S. home warranty company puts the city at risk of financial liability, and the royalties paid to the city aren't worth it. "If this private partner doesn't do its job properly, the city might end up on the hook for whatever damages they cause or whatever work they haven't done. And that to me as a taxpayer ... concerns me," said Stéphane Émard-Chabot, a former Ottawa city councillor who now teaches municipal law at the University of Ottawa.
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada's director of consumer and industry relations for Ontario, it might not be worth it to sign up for a new, optional sewer and water line warranty program introduced last July by the City of Windsor. "Rather than going out and purchasing another policy, we recommend that consumers, homeowners, contact their own insurance company and see if, A, this coverage is part of their current policy, or, B, can they add it on as an optional coverage," said Pete Karageorgos, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
