Water rates to rise for Markham users

yorkregion.com
Nov. 26, 2015
By Amanda Persico

The cost of water is going up.

Markham staff this week proposed a 7.8 per cent increase in water and wastewater rates in 2016, bringing the water and wastewater rate up to $3.5751 per cubic metre from last year’s rate of $3.3154 per cubic metre.

For the average household that uses about 217 cubic metres per year the proposed increase will add about $56 to your annual water bill.

Markham’s proposed 2016 water rate includes a 9 per cent increase from the region as well as the city’s infrastructure and reserve surcharge and annual operation costs.

Last month, the region set its water and wastewater rate increases, which will see a 9 per cent hike each year to 2020.

In 2007, the city approved a water and wastewater infrastructure surcharge that is phased in each year until the 2017 rates.

The region’s portion of the $56 increase is about $48 or about 85 per cent of the total rate increase.

Part of the region’s price goes to purchasing water from Toronto and Peel.

But the issue with buying from neighbours to the south is Toronto is charging higher rates to recoup costs for replacing its aging infrastructure, the city’s environmental services direction Peter Loukes said.

“There is no national policy on water. We don’t even have one at the region,” Councillor Logan Kanapathi said. “The region is a broker. There are too many brokers before the resident turns on the tap.”

Councillor Valerie Burke agreed, arguing there should be more of a breakdown on how the money is spent, especially at the regional level, similar to the property tax brochure that breaks down where funds are spent penny by penny.

For every 1,000 litres - or 1 cubic metre - the city buys from the region, the city sells about 890 litres.

The missing 110 litres are attributed to water loss with about 90 litres lost due to pipe leaks and watermain breaks, about 12.5 litres due to inaccurate water meter readings, 5 litres from pipe flushing and fire fighting and 2.5 litres from water theft.

Councillor Don Hamilton challenged city staff to find further efficiencies to reduce the amount of lost water the city still pays for. “All I see is water going up, up, up each year,” he said.

Water isn’t the only basic utility creeping up in costs, Hamilton added.

City staff compared water rates to other basic costs such as costs for cellphone plans with data, high speed Internet, cable and landlines.

Water and wastewater came in the middle of the pack, with the average family in Markham spending about $676 a year - after the proposed increase.

Councillor Karen Rea took exception to the comparison.

“If I didn’t have any money, I can get rid of my cellphone, landline and cable,” she said. “But you can’t get rid of your water. Everyone needs water.”

If the rates are approved they will take affect April 2016.