Customers shocked by water and sewer bills face ‘unacceptable’ call wait times to speak with city staff

When her water and sewer bill suddenly tripled, Faye Tardiff says she was quick to report the apparent error.

She then submitted two actual readings to Winnipeg water and waste and emailed the service multiple times. About a month later, with no clear answers, she waited hours on the phone to ensure the charges would be reassessed, Tardiff said.

“I have the luxury of being able to sit on hold on speakerphone for two hours and keep working…. (For) somebody who perhaps works construction, retail or teaching, where you can’t sit on the phone for two hours, how do (they) get this addressed? (And) how many people is the city overbilling like this? This is terrible,” she said.

The ordeal began when the city sent an estimated $1,066 water and sewer bill that notes she did not submit her actual meter reading on time. The amount is significantly higher than her typical quarterly bills, which have been in the $300 range.

“It was definitely unaffordable for me and I have a good-paying job… How do I pay a bill like that and then still be able to continue to pay hydro and heat and (buy) groceries?” she said.

Tardiff says she began calling water and waste’s billing centre last week, waiting 90 minutes on hold Wednesday before the system hung up, then waiting approximately two hours and 15 minutes before finally reaching an operator the following day.

While she stressed the person who answered her call was very polite and helpful and noted an adjusted bill would be on the way, she is concerned about the city’s level of customer service.

Coun. Sherri Rollins said she’s received similar complaints over the past few months.

“It’s really unacceptable,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).

“How many people is the city overbilling like this? This is terrible.”

She said complaints often deal with estimated billing and this year’s substantial hikes to both water-sewer rates and garbage fees, which are collected on the same bill.

On April 1, the typical home’s sewer rate rose $18.67 per month, or $168.03 for the rest of 2025. On the same day, the annual per-home garbage fee soared to $254 (prorated to $190.50) from $93.

Coun. Ross Eadie, chairman of the water and waste committee, said the current wait times are “untenable,” noting some residents have no option but to call about concerns.

“In some of my neighbourhoods, the poverty (rate is such) that people don’t have the internet,” said Eadie (Mynarski).

The average wait time to reach the utility billing centre was 58 minutes in October, up from just under 43 minutes in September.

“So, 58 minutes is terrible, obviously…. We’re having a lot of challenges with call volumes,” said Tim Shanks, the city’s director of water and waste.

Shanks urged customers to use online tools instead of phoning in for help whenever possible, and for all ratepayers to submit their actual water readings on time. The city offers an online web form and automated 24-hour phone line (204-986-4445), where residents can report readings.

Shanks said the billing centre is coping with a staff shortage, noting employees also tend not to stay long in the entry-level positions.

“We’re working on our staffing structure, on different ways… that might keep folks there a little bit longer or incentivize them to stay,” he said.

Shanks agreed the 2025 sewer and garbage fee hikes are also contributing to a surge in billing centre calls.

The city is also exploring artificial intelligence options to decrease email backlogs, such as through automated questions to the sender to gather more information. And the upcoming switch to smart meters will produce automated readings that remove the need for manual ones and estimated bills, Shanks said.

Installation of the new meters is slated to begin next year.

“So, 58 minutes is terrible, obviously…. We’re having a lot of challenges with call volumes.”

Meanwhile, the water and waste committee cast a tied vote Monday on a proposal to raise sewer and water rates again, with the next increase on Jan. 1.

Rollins and Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) voted against the hike, while Eadie and Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) voted in favour.

If city council approves, the annual bill for a sample household of four will increase $44 in 2026 and another $68 the following year.

The tied vote means the matter will move forward to city council with no recommendation.

Rollins said she opposed the hikes due to a lack of assurance the city can bank on its assumption senior governments will provide nearly $1 billion to help fund the third and final phase of a massive North End sewage treatment plant upgrade.

The proposed rates are based on the provincial and federal governments providing a combined $994 million for the third and final phase of the overall $3-billion project, which those governments have not formally committed to do.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga