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.
Residential water and sewer bills must increase each of the next four years to keep pace with rising cost pressures. A staff report going to council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) recommends water rates rise 2.5 per cent next year — and anticipate similar increases each of the following three years.
The Town of Mattawa is moving the August water bill to September. Revenue Services Clerk Amy Leclerc noted that without the change, the current by-law could “put undue hardship on the ratepayers,” and “we feel that it’s important to change the final water billing to September.” This past February, council adopted the 2023 water rates with a new by-law, and within that law, the water and wastewater bills for both flat rate bills and metered bills, both share the same deadline – August 31.
In a news release on Monday, the city said “at least 20 years” had passed since the rate structure was last fully reviewed. According to the city, a report found that trucked water and sewer fees only cover 75 percent of the cost to the city. City Hall says the best practice would be to charge 90 to 110 percent of the cost. The 190-page report, conducted by utility rate design consultants InterGroup and billed as only an interim version, recommends phasing in new rates over three years, beginning in January 2024.
Spoiler alert, the rates are rising. Expect to see a 2.1 per cent increase in your water bill throughout the year. This rate hike is identical to last year’s increase which was also 2.1 percent. This is no coincidence, as back in 2019 the town adopted a financial plan, and soon after implemented an asset management plan. These plans outlined strategies for rehabilitating old infrastructure within the municipality, including water and sewer. In 2020, the water financial plan was adopted, which recommended an annual increase in the water levy of 2.1 per cent, and that rate is in place until 2026.
The village commission has recently increased sewer rates, raised taxes and taken steps to collect outstanding revenues and pay outstanding invoices. It has also interviewed a candidate to replace Hudson, who retired as chief administrative officer with Victoria County years ago and only agreed to help out during the transition, and will now make that person an offer, Hudson said. Assuming it is accepted, the candidate will have to give their current employer notice before the position can be filled. While that is going on, the village's accounting firm will be putting together a "compilation agreement" that will provide the village with a "best guess" of the finances for the two missing years, Hudson said.The accountants will also be finishing off financial statements for the last two years, Hudson said. With that done, the village will apply to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for increased water rates to cover a mounting deficit in the water account.
Residents serviced by the Municipality of Victoria County's water utility will likely see an increase in their water rates over the next two years following a decision by Nova Scotia's utility regulator. However, the amount that rates will jump is still uncertain, as the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board wants the municipality to submit a new rate study after the board took measures to insulate customers against significant rate hikes this year.
Fredericton councillors have agreed in principle to hold off on a rate increase to residents' water bills next year, despite concerns that doing so will put the city behind on needed infrastructure upgrades. City treasurer Alicia Keating, who laid out the proposed 2023 water and sewer budget during a meeting Tuesday night, recommended the move. The city has in recent years been hiking water rates annually by about five per cent to help replace underground pipes and other aging infrastructure.
Manitoba's infrastructure minister overruled the advice of his own department to approve a highway access he was warned could increase collisions. A recent briefing note provided to Doyle Piwniuk stressed that adding a new entrance onto 18th Street in the southwest corner of Brandon — one of the city's busiest roads, also known as Highway 10 — would increase the likelihood of accidents and may degrade a wetland. The proposed access also features turning lanes that would be shorter than standard policy.
A new 30-year plan for the Greater Victoria water supply proposes nearly $2 billion in infrastructure spending, including $1 billion for the region's first-ever water filtration plant. The Capital Regional District's (CRD) water experts say a growing population and the impacts of climate change mean they need to access more water, and do more to clean it, before sending it into households. Ted Robbins, the head of integrated water services for the regional district, said while the expense may seem large, these projects are "absolutely necessary for this region, in terms of providing a safe and reliable water supply."
Residents of a northern Manitoba town that have had to boil their water for a decade are now dealing with a whole new set of problems — brown water coming out of their taps. On Monday, people who live in Lynn Lake turned on their taps to see brown water flowing out. The next day, local schools and at least one restaurant closed temporarily because of the water.
Calgary will reintroduce fluoride to its tap water after city council voted overwhelmingly in favour of the change Monday. The vote wasn't close, as 13 members of council voted in favour. Two councillors voted against the motion to reinstate fluoride: Andre Chabot of Ward 10 and Dan McLean of Ward 13. Fluoride was removed following a council decision in 2011. However, Calgarians voted 61.61 per cent in favour of resuming fluoridation in last month's civic election. There was majority support for the move in all 14 of the city's wards.
The City of Winnipeg's public service is recommending a combined 11.6 per cent increase to water and sewer rates over the next four years. A report to the city's water and waste committee says the main driver behind the recommended increase is providing funding for improvements to the city's North End sewage treatment facility and other sewage infrastructure projects. The city faces approximately $1.8 billion in costs to upgrade the treatment plant.
With some of the highest municipal water rates in Canada, a University of Regina (U of R) researcher says the city should start thinking about affordability programs for low-income families. “The international benchmarks tell us we should be in trouble now, because people who are living at the Statistics Canada low-income cut off are already paying more than the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) says they should be paying,” Jim Warren said in an interview Thursday.
