Councillors, homeowners voice concerns about impact of looming garbage, sewer fee hikes, tax increase By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:42 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 10, 2025

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This article was published 10/03/2025 (585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Major sewer and garbage fee hikes are moving forward, following some steps to soften the blow and pleas for more relief.

In January, city council approved a 5.95 per cent property tax hike, the largest annual increase since the 1990s, which will cost owners of a sample single-family home $121 more.

Last week, two more major cost hikes were proposed. One would raise the annual per-home garbage fee from $93 to $254 in 2025 (prorated to $190.50, as it would take effect April 1). And a third change proposes to raise the “typical” home’s sewer rate by as much as $224 this year, also starting April 1.

“Everybody is very concerned. All 16 of us are very concerned about… ability to pay.”–Coun. Ross Eadie

Coun. Ross Eadie, chairman of water and waste, said he’s “sick” about the fact some residents would struggle to afford the combined fee increases this year and all members of council are looking for ways to reduce the impact.

“Everybody is very concerned. All 16 of us are very concerned about… ability to pay,” said Eadie (Mynarski).

The sewer rates proposed by city staff assume the city will receive no additional funding from the provincial and federal governments to support a massive $3.043-billion upgrade to the North End sewage treatment plant.

The three increases were poised to create a combined fee hike of up to $442.50 per sample home this year. On Monday, the water and waste committee approved Mayor Scott Gillingham’s call for a lower sewer rate that would reduce the overall increase to about $386.50.

That sewer rate hike of $18.67 per month, or $168.03 for the rest of 2025, would begin April 1. The committee also rejected a massive multi-year sewer rate hike proposed to add $1,000 to the typical household’s annual bill by 2027, as the mayor had suggested. The move is meant to provide time to seek other funding options, if council approves.

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) voted against the modified sewer rate proposal, arguing consultation has fallen short.

“I do think (hundreds of dollars) for each household is a significant amount. I still think that Winnipeggers deserve the line of sight on that, taken together with the 5.95 per cent (property tax) increase,” said Rollins. “(The sewage upgrade) is a generational project… that deserves a great deal of transparency and good governance.”

Eadie and Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) voted in favour of that change. Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) was absent during the vote.

Eadie said a promised effort to reduce the garbage fee hike still wasn’t ready Monday. He plans to propose lower rates that allow the city to gradually shift from funding garbage collection through tax dollars to having the levy pay for the entire service over the next 10 years. The current proposal would use steeper hikes to achieve that by 2028.

On Monday, the water and waste committee moved the initial garbage fees forward with two key changes, one of which would let business improvement zones get free pickups.

The committee also voted to ask the province to change the city’s charter so it can levy garbage rates that vary by each property’s value in the future, if council approves.

Prior to the votes, a local senior told the Free Press she fears the sudden cost hikes will have a massive impact on her monthly bills and make her home of 25 years far more challenging to maintain.

“It would be quite devastating, really, to my finances. And then, of course, with the unrest and uncertainty with these tariffs… that could add on, as well,” said Brenda Ealing.

“There was always going to be hell to pay at some point. Now, we’re there.”–Coun. Brian Mayes

She said the combined increase is expensive.

“I am on a fixed income… (the changes) just seem like all at once and they’re really large (fees),” said Ealing.

During the meeting, another resident said the initial sewer rate proposal would be unaffordable for many people on low incomes.

“The price shock is just astronomical… the lower-income people can’t take (it),” said Glen Koroluk.

Meanwhile, the committee also called for city staff to study options to phase out multimillion-dollar transfers from water and waste revenues that help balance the city’s general budget each year. Coun. Brian Mayes successfully raised a motion to phase out that dividend over 10 years, starting in 2028.

“This is an attempt to start trying to right the balance…. It was always undermining water and waste. There was always going to be hell to pay at some point. Now, we’re there,” said Mayes.

The city currently plans to drain $42.5 million from water and waste revenues to help fund its broader budget this year.

Any increase to the sewer rate, garbage fee or North End sewage treatment plant budget would require final full council approval.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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