Service delivery charge to be added to water bills in Mississauga and Brampton
Published February 7, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Amid rising costs for water and wastewater services, residents will soon see a new charge on their water bill in Peel Region, encompassing Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.
Starting on April 1, your water bill will now include a service delivery charge alongside the consumption charge.
The Region says using a service delivery charge to cover fixed costs will mean lower rates for basic consumption (less than 50 cubic meters of water used during the billing period), while higher rates will be charged for higher water use (above 50 cubic metres of water during the billing period).
Homes that might use more than 50 cubic metres typically include homes with multiple bathrooms, a swimming pool, or a sprinkler system.
Multi-unit residential customers will continue to have one water rate as there are no individual water meters in multi-unit buildings.
“The rate for this customer group falls in the middle of the single-unit residential basic use and higher use rates,” says the Region.
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No changes will go into effect for wastewater billing — wastewater will continue to be billed based on 85% of the amount of water used for single- and multi-unit residences, and 100% of the water used for industrial, commercial, and institutional properties.
The water bill changes come as a result of rising costs to deliver water to homes and businesses. That includes rising costs of energy, labour, and insurance, as well as the cost to maintain infrastructure including water treatment plants and thousands of kilometres of pipes.
Peel’s water and wastewater system is one of the largest in Canada, with a total asset value of $25 billion and serving approximately 1.5 million people in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.
Over the past few years, the Region has been working on a long-term financial plan for the water system in Peel, which included getting feedback from residents to help “keep rates fair while still covering the cost of upkeep.”
“Peel Region reviewed the costs of delivering water and wastewater services to three different customer types: single-unit residential, multi-unit residential and businesses. The goal was to ensure rates are fair and customers are billed based on the cost of providing services to them,” the Region said in a recent statement.
Water billing changes will go into effect starting Monday, April 1.
Residents who need help paying for high water bills can potentially qualify for financial help via Peel Region’s Water Bill Adjustment pilot program.
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