Homeowner fee hikes spark call for oversight

A trio of hefty fee hikes is fuelling renewed calls to give a provincial body the power to approve some City of Winnipeg rate changes.

Last week, city council approved major hikes to sewer rates and garbage fees. When combined with this year’s 5.95 per cent property tax hike, a sample home is now set to pay $386.50 more this year.

That fee pileup is triggering calls for the city to seek a provincial change that would see the Public Utilities Board approve some future Winnipeg rates.

“These costs, I believe … should be reviewed in the sense that they may be out of control,” said Winnipeg resident Terry Cooper.

The PUB already sets sewer and water rates for every municipality in Manitoba, except Winnipeg.

Cooper said more oversight of the capital city is needed, especially for the substantial garbage fee hike that will start a transition to fully fund the service through fees, not property taxes.

“In a year where they’re increasing the property tax rate so high … I just find (the city is) really not fully disclosing to people (what’s going on),” he said.

On Thursday, city council cast final votes to raise the annual per-home garbage fee to $254 in 2025 (prorated to $190.50) from $93 and approve a hefty hike to the typical home’s sewer rate of $18.67 per month, which will add up to $168.03 for the remainder of 2025.

Both hikes take effect today.

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Meanwhile, this year’s 5.95 per cent property tax hike, the largest annual increase since the 1990s, will cost owners of a sample single-family home $121 more.

In October, Coun. Russ Wyatt called for the PUB to gain the power to approve Winnipeg water and sewer rates.

On Monday, Wyatt (Transcona) said council’s approval of the latest hike raises a “long overdue” need to increase scrutiny of water and waste spending.

“It would really require the city and, specifically, the department of water and waste, to have to make the case for higher rates. And the PUB has been known, in the past, to knock down rates of utilities (at times),” he said. “I think it would provide financial discipline to an entity that really needs it right now.”

Council’s executive policy committee delayed its vote on that motion in November and is now expected to vote on it in May.

Coun. Jason Schreyer said he also wants to see that change.

“The least we can do is offer another set of eyes and scrutiny to see if … the costs are too high,” said Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan).

The idea of having the PUB make decisions on city water and sewer rates has triggered debate for more than a decade.

Schreyer raised a motion to give the PUB more control over Winnipeg rates back in 2016. He argues the latest hikes leave city fees much less affordable, while added oversight on garbage rates could also help.

“The poorest families in Winnipeg have reduced their water consumption and yet their water rates are going up and up and up.”– Coun. Jason Schreyer

“The poorest families in Winnipeg have reduced their water consumption and yet their water rates are going up and up and up,” said Schreyer.

He voted in favour of the sewer rate hike itself, noting the city must pay for a $3-billion upgrade to the north end sewage treatment plant, among other rising costs.

Coun. Sherri Rollins, who resigned from the executive policy committee in January citing transparency concerns, said the city should reveal more information about the hikes without sacrificing local decision-making control.

“I want to fight for our (City of Winnipeg) charter but I do understand why people would say that they might want the PUB (oversight) because I certainly didn’t find (the latest fee proposals) transparent,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).

The councillor said she’d prefer the city seek PUB reports with non-binding recommendations on municipal rate proposals in the future.

Meanwhile, council’s finance chairman said transferring city utility rate decisions to PUB’s control could make it more expensive and time consuming for the city to change rates, while Winnipeggers could wind up paying more.

“When you look at the capital spending that needs to be done … it’s not unreasonable to expect that (the board would) want to raise the rates faster than we did this year,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan).

Browaty stressed that massive sewage upgrades raised the need for the sewer rate hike.

An emailed statement from Manitoba Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard said Winnipeg’s exemption from PUB oversight is based on “a long standing and historical” decision.

“However, our government is currently looking at a number of ways that we can address affordability concerns from Manitobans. This includes ensuring that municipalities are responsible with rate increases when it comes to public utilities. We are open to exploring options around utilities, for example water, falling under the jurisdiction of the PUB,” Simard said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.