Applicants seeking help with water and sewer bills spike

The number of low-income Winnipeg households that receive credits to help pay water and sewer bills could almost triple this year, city staff predicted in a new report Monday.

The report said applicants and total credits approved under the H2O Help to Others Program have increased substantially since council expanded eligibility to more Winnipeggers, including those on employment and income assistance, in December.

“There are a number of changes we made to make it easier (to receive credits), and we increased the amounts customers are entitled to every two years,” said water, waste and environment committee chair Coun. Ross Eadie.

“(The number of applications) is an indicator that people are struggling to afford to pay their water bills. We have a lot of people who live in poverty.”

He said water and sewer rate increases are part of the rise in applications. A typical family of four is expected to pay $44 more in 2026, less than initially projected, to help pay for upgrades to the nearly $3.1-billion north end sewage treatment plant.

The Salvation Army manages the H2O program, which launched in 2017, on the city’s behalf. The report said significantly more customers are contacting the non-profit to ask about their eligibility or to book an appointment to apply in person.

“Specifically, they note that there are a lot more EIA clients applying,” wrote Yvette Cenerini, a manager with the city’s water and waste department.

To be eligible, a resident must have received a water turn-off notice for non-payment.

The report said 27 approved applicants received a total of $11,243.32 in credits under expanded program eligibility between December and February.

By comparison, the program approved 38 applicants and provided $14,502.76 in credits between January and November last year.

‘(The number of applications) is an indicator that people are struggling to afford to pay their water bills.’

The report said 36 applicants received $9,857.92 in credits in 2024, and 38 applicants received $10,348.71 in 2023.

Kristin Marand, a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army’s Prairie division, said the increase reflects recent program changes and “broader pressures” for households.

“The program co-ordinator shared that he has been in contact with more clients in the past four months than he has over the past two years, and has a daily call list of more than 100 people seeking assistance each day,” Marand wrote in an email.

She cited an increase in water and sewer rates, and a new waste management fee, which replaced the waste diversion fee and appeared on water bills, starting last year.

“As a result, more people are feeling the impact on their monthly expenses and are seeking support to keep their water services connected,” Marand wrote.

Many applicants are single parents, newly divorced or separated, or people who recently lost their job.

“These are people who may never have needed emergency utility assistance before, but who are now facing difficult choices as household costs continue to rise,” Marand wrote.

The Salvation Army connects applicants with other programs or supports they may need, including Harvest Manitoba.

The city budgeted $52,000 for the program in 2026. Council will vote Thursday whether to set aside a one-time sum of $1.1 million for utility bill relief, and to freeze water and sewer rates in 2027, but only if the federal and provincial governments confirm their shares of the north end sewage plant’s third and final phase.

Eadie said the city expected newly eligible households to apply for the H2O program when December’s changes took effect, but it didn’t know by how much the number of applications would rise.

“I think we would have seen the same number of applications as we’re seeing now with the loosened (eligibility requirements) if we did that four years ago,” he said.

Last June, council increased the maximum credits to $280 per one-person household (up from $155), and to $580 per household of five or more (up from $400). Council then expanded the eligibility requirements.

An applicant’s total household income must be lower than Statistics Canada’s post-tax low-income cutoff, instead of the pre-tax low-income cutoff.

People who receive EIA are now eligible. The province said the average monthly number of EIA recipients across Manitoba in 2023-24 was 56,642 households and individuals.

Customers can apply for H2O program credits every two years, outside a 24-month period, instead of just once.

Eadie said the city will study ways to further expand eligibility.

Water, waste and environment committee member Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) wants council to explore a “system-level” response, as opposed to “small scale fixes,” to do what it can to help ease cost of living pressures.

“It’s really important that as a city we’re cognizant of affordability and that it’s worsening, and our role in that,” she said.

“It’s really important that as a city we’re cognizant of affordability and that it’s worsening, and our role in that.”

“This report is meant not to be necessarily an economic statement, but it really does validate the concern that there’s growing financial stress in the city, and that it’s not stabilizing.”

Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, applauded council for expanding the program to more households at a time when she said the cost of living is “astronomical.”

“Programs like this that are very clearly directed to lower income folks are needed and need to be expanded,” she said.

“The fact that they took the time and the energy to actually promote it so more people knew about it, I think that’s probably also driving the increase (in applications) as well.”

Brochures were distributed to low-income and vulnerable residents. The Salvation Army promotes the program when people seek help to pay Manitoba Hydro bills, the report said.

People who need more time to pay a City of Winnipeg utility bill can request a payment plan. City spokeswoman Julie Dooley said 964 accounts were set up on plans as of Monday.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca