New utility clears big hurdle

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/07/2009 (5926 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s proposed utility has only one more hurdle to clear, but parts of the plan will be rewritten before city council votes on the issue.

On Wednesday, council’s executive policy committee voted unanimously, but somewhat reluctantly, to replace Winnipeg’s water and waste department with a stand-alone agency that will assume responsibility for water, sewer, garbage and recycling services and possibly produce green energy.

The vote took place nine hours into a gruelling, 10-hour meeting at which more than two-dozen utility opponents expressed concerns about the proposal. It calls for a private engineering firm to play a fuzzily defined role in completing up to $1 billion worth of sewage-treatment upgrades and combined-sewer replacements.

Several EPC members expressed concerns of their own. St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel demanded further clarification about the private partnership, while Charleswood Coun. Bill Clement expressed concerns about the possibility of new garbage service fees.

Clement also said he won’t vote for the plan at city council on July 22 unless utility developers back away from one of Mayor Sam Katz’s favourite parts of the proposal: a plan to allow the provincial Public Utilities Board to set water and sewer rates.

"We can’t abdicate those sorts of decisions," said Clement, referring to city council. "If the Public Utilities Board is still part of this, it will be very difficult for me to support."

At least five other city councillors — city hall’s left-leaning unofficial opposition — have already vowed to vote against the proposal, both because of the uncertainty surrounding the private partnership and the potential extension of city sewage-treatment services to neighbouring municipalities.

Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi fears sewage deals with bedroom communities will promote urban sprawl. But the province applauds the idea as a means of providing Winnipeg with more revenue to complete its ongoing $1.8-billion waste water upgrade, while preventing the Doer government from having to order more communities to build new treatment plants of their own.

Over the past 10 days, Katz has come under tremendous pressure from politicians and public servants alike to shepherd the plan through council. On Wednesday, he acknowledged several amendments must be made before July 22, when council meets for the last time before the summer break.

"There’s no doubt there will be some further motions coming forward down the road," he said, declining to be specific. "I still have some homework to do, so I’m not going to do it right now. It’s not a matter of doing a snap, knee-jerk reaction.

"I believe there are some things in the business plan that need clarification."

 

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca