Toronto could shut off water to York University’s Keele campus over unpaid bill
The city says there are “significant” arrears on the university’s account, which York disputes.

TheStar.com
March 23, 2018
Jennifer Pagliaro

The city will consider shutting off water to York University’s largest campus after officials say they’ve yet to resolve “significant” unpaid bills.

Other options under city rules, according to a staff report released Friday, include putting the outstanding fees on the university’s property tax account and attempting to collect them through that process, or suing them in court for the costs.

Neither the city nor York would confirm the amount of money at issue.

City lawyers have offered confidential advice to members of council, who must choose how to go about collecting the money they believe is owed. The government management committee will first consider the report on April 3.

York University is one of the city’s largest water consumers, according to a staff report tabled at that committee.

The report says York disputes the “significant arrears,” arguing there were errors in their recorded consumption and that they have paid amounts “in good faith relating to volumes of water which they believe were consumed.” The report doesn’t say how much money is at issue.

“City staff have met with York University staff on numerous occasions to discuss the matter of the outstanding public utility arrears, however, the parties remain at an impasse,” the report reads.

The report lays out the potential options available under the City of Toronto Act.

York University spokesperson Janice Walls said in an email that several years ago “York noticed a significant and unexplained increase in its water bills” of 230 per cent. Though the amount was reduced, the city and the school continue to argue over the calculation of water usage over a 22-month period, she said.

Walls said a third-party expert hired by the school found water flow in one location was “approximately half” of what the city invoiced them for and that three meters had been installed incorrectly by the city, leading to increases in fees.

“York remains committed to working cooperatively with the city to resolve the inaccurate billings,” the email said.

The city charges for water usage using readings electronically transmitted from meters based on actual water usage, city spokesperson Beth Waldman wrote in an email.

Other factors like leaks, unauthorized or unknown uses of water could impact the recorded usage, she said.

“The city acknowledges that turning off water supply to a public institution could result in serious implications for university faculty, staff, students, residents and members of the public,” the email said.

Councillor Paul Ainslie, who chairs the government management committee said the city treats everyone equally when it comes to overdue bills.

“I’m sorry it has come to this,” he said. “Our staff have met numerous times with officials from York University. If the school has infrastructure issues with water pipes on their property, which they own, they should be diligent and fix them in a timely manner. The onus here is on York University.”

York’s sprawling, 457-acre Keele Campus at Steeles Ave. West is a self-contained community with 53,000 students plus faculty. Water mains running a total of 16 kilometres feed into 92 buildings, according to the university’s website.

In the 2013-14 academic year, the campus consumed 236,456 cubic metres of water, according to the school. In 2017, the city’s total water consumption was 318 million cubic metres.

The city reported that the average household consumes around 265 cubic metres.

Council voted in 2016 to have staff identify high-value accounts that are overdue and options to remedy the outstanding bills.