Assess impact of water rate hike on affordability, need for supports: Winnipeg councillor
Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) raised a motion at the city centre committee on Monday asking for city staff to report back on what those impacts could be, and possible support programs for low-income residents who may have difficulty paying the higher rates.
Rollins served as chair of the property and development committee until she resigned from the position shortly before council voted on this year's budget. Among the reasons for her resignation, Rollins said the city administration had not been transparent about what the new rates would be.
"It is just a fact that rent increases in conjunction with rising utility costs," Rollins said in an interview.
The city offers a subsidy program in partnership with the Salvation Army, called the H2O Help to Others Program. The program provided $10,078.71 worth of assistance to 37 accounts in 2023, and $9,857.92 to 36 accounts in 2024, departmental spokesperson Lisa Marquardson wrote in an email.
Earlier this month, water and waste director Tim Shanks said the department had increased the maximum credit available to an individual customer from $400 for a family of four to $550.
"In light of potential impending rate changes upcoming this year, were going to revise it again, obviously," Shanks told the water and waste committee on Feb. 3.
Shanks said the department would also look at expanding the program to include support for other utilities, such as solid waste fees expected to be laid out in the same report.
Rollins says the amount of money given by the program shows a need to better promote it.
"The current program probably needs greater outreach, probably needs greater visibility, and hasn't really been supporting very many residents, let alone with a utility rate hike," she said.
The city faces significant costs for a number of major water and sewer projects, including upgrades to the North End Sewage Treatment Plant, currently pegged at $3 billion.
The city has yet to find a way to pay for the second phase of the plant upgrades, meant to remove biosolids from waste water — a project initially budgeted at nearly $553 million, but now projected to be closer to $912 million.
It has no plans yet to fund the third and final nutrient removal phase.
Council has set a target date of 2045 to reach its goal of capturing 85 per cent of combined sewer overflows, by replacing the city's network that combines household waste and storm water with separate systems, at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion. But city staff have maintained that project could take until 2095 without funding from other levels of government.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement to CBC News that he expects council will have "a thorough discussion" on the impacts of rates and options for funding the next phase of the sewage treatment plant.
"My focus remains on getting the new plant built while keeping water/sewer rates affordable for all Winnipeggers," he said.
Rollins also raised a motion calling for another report on the impact of increased water and sewer rates on businesses, particularly water-intensive industries.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
High cost of dying: Halifax council to vote on increase to cemetery fees
There's a high cost of living in the Halifax Regional Municipality, but for some cemeteries, there could be an uptick to the cost of dying as well. Halifax's staff is recommending council approve an increase to the fees at six municipally run cemeteries to make up for rising expenses. Council will vote on the recommendation at their regular meeting on Tuesday. 'Since the last increase in 2016, cemetery fees have not changed and no longer reflect the cost to provide services,' the motion reads. 'To move HRM's cemetery operations toward cost neutrality, it is necessary to increase burial and service fees. This change would better reflect actual costs and align with rates charged by other municipalities and cemetery operators.' Halifax is responsible for: Fairview Lawn Cemetery on Windsor Street Camp Hill Cemetery on Summer Street Park Avenue Cemetery on Victoria Road Mount Hermon Cemetery on Victoria Road St. Paul's Cemetery on Geary Street St. Peter's Cemetery on Victoria Road The motion says the municipality's expenditure budget for its cemeteries in 2025-2026 is $434,000, but its projected revenues are $296,000, leaving it $138,000 short of reaching cost-neutral operations. The motion recommends increasing the cost of single grave lots from $2,300 to $3,000 and increasing cremation lots from $1,500 to $2,100. It's estimated these two changes alone will bring in $148,500. It also recommends raising the costs of standard interment to $1,300, double depth/vault interment to $1,400 and cremation interment to $700 In total, the fee changes are expected to bring the total revenue of the cemeteries to $433,750, which is in line with their operating costs. 'Support for low-income individuals and families, including military veterans, will continue through HRM's partnerships with the Department of Community Services, Nova Scotia Public Trustee's Office, and the Last Post Fund,' the motion reads. 'The Last Post Fund is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization mandated to provide essential services to Canadian military veterans and their families. HRM and the Fund have a long-standing partnership that ensures veterans receive the dignity and respect they deserve through combined support efforts. 'In addition, there is no impact on any services that have been purchased but not yet delivered.' Along with the increased prices, the motion recommends council make several changes to Bylaw C-700 – Respecting Municipal Cemeteries, including: removing infant burial plots from the bylaw as the municipality doesn't have any available plots, nor does it offer them as separate services introducing additional regulations on the size and placement of markers and monuments increasing the number of cremated remains that can be interred in a casket burial from three to six allowing for companion dogs in cemeteries allowing staff to refuse burials if weather or site conditions pose safety risks The motion says if council does not approve the recommendations on costs, the cemeteries will continue to operate at a deficit and will require an ongoing subsidy from the municipal budget. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
16 hours ago
- CTV News
Transit Windsor expands service with 20,000 hours, more coverage
Transit Windsor is announced major service changes, as part of the council-approved 2025 Transit Windsor Service Plan. Transit Windsor is announced major service changes, as part of the council-approved 2025 Transit Windsor Service Plan. The changes are effective Aug. 31. It includes the addition of 20,000 new service hours, increased frequency and expanded coverage across several high-demand routes. Key service changes include: Launching new service routes to expand network coverage Route 250 (Rhodes/Twin Oaks/ NextStar Industrial) Route 315 (formerly Parent 14) – Route extension Route 205 (formerly Dougall 6) – Route extension Enhancing and renaming service routes to improve reliability and efficiency Route 240 (formerly South Windsor 7) Route 135 (formerly Walkerville 8) The name changes better align with industry principles and best practices observed across other transit systems, ensuring continuity and ease of use for out-of-town visitors. Introducing Sunday service on Route 240 (formerly South Windsor 7) Route 315 (formerly Parent 14) Reducing wait times on Saturdays and Sundays Route 240 (formerly South Windsor 7) – Increased frequency from every 50 minutes to every 30 minutes on Saturdays Route 205 (formerly Dougall 6) – Increased frequency from every 40-to-70 minutes to every 30-to-45 minutes on the weekends Route 135 (formerly Walkerville 8) – Increased frequency from every 70 minutes to every 40 minutes during weekday evenings and weekends Reducing wait times across high-demand corridors on weekdays Route 205 (formerly Dougall 6) – Weekday frequency increased to every 30 minutes with 15-minute service during a.m. and p.m. peak periods Route 135 (formerly Walkerville 8) – Weekday frequency increased to every 20 minutes, previously every 40 minutes Route 315 (formerly Parent 14) – Weekday frequency increased to every 40 minutes, previously every 60-to-70 minutes. Extended service hours added Route 115 (formerly Dominion 5) – Peak weekday frequency increased to every 10-to-15 minutes, previously every 20 minutes Transit also will added 8 permanent full-time driver positions. Introducing new colour-coded numbering route categories to help riders quickly identify route types: Blue – Primary Routes (100 series): Major city-to-city corridors on arterial roads, forming the core transit network. Purple – Secondary Routes (200 series): Connect areas between primary routes, with multiple transfer points. Green – Local Routes (300 series): Connect neighbourhood residents to key destinations to transfer to primary routes. Orange – Express Routes (400 and 500 series): Limited stops for faster travel along major roads. Uses roads with higher speeds to travel across the city. Black – Regional Routes: Service to neighbouring communities. New fully reflective bus stop signage will be installed for simpler navigation. The signs will feature Transit Windsor's new colour-coded route category system, which introduces route name changes using both colours and categories. Open Houses Transit Windsor will host a series of open houses at the Windsor International Transit Terminal, located at 300 Chatham Street West in Windsor to inform riders about upcoming service changes: August 14 and 15, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. August 19 and 20, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Transit Windsor encourages all riders to visit for the full details on service changes and to explore the Interactive Map.
Winnipeg Free Press
20 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The US plans to build a $750M fly factory in Texas to stop a flesh-eating cattle parasite
The U.S. plans to build a $750 million factory in southern Texas to breed billions of sterile flies, ramping up its efforts to keep flesh-eating maggots in Mexico from crossing the border and damaging the American cattle industry. Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hopes to be producing and releasing sterile male New World screwworm flies into the wild within a year from the new factory on Moore Air Base outside Edinburg, Texas, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the border. She also said the USDA plans to deploy $100 million in technology, such as fly traps and lures, and step up border patrols by 'tick riders' mounted on horseback and train dogs to sniff out the parasite. In addition, Rollins said the U.S. border will remain closed to cattle, horse and bison imports from Mexico until the U.S. sees that the pest is being pushed back south toward Panama, where the fly had been contained through late last year through the breeding of sterile flies there. The U.S. has closed its border to those imports three times in the past eight months, the last in July, following a report of an infestation about 370 miles (595 kilometers) from the Texas border. American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause billions of dollars in economic losses and cause already record retail beef prices to rise even more, fueling greater inflation. The parasite also can infest wildlife, household pets and, occasionally, humans. 'Farm security is national security,' Rollins said during a news conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. 'All Americans should be concerned. But it's certainly Texas and our border and livestock producing states that are on the front lines of this every day.' The pest was a problem for the American cattle industry for decades until the U.S. largely eradicated it in the 1970s by breeding and releasing sterile male flies to breed with wild females. It shut down fly factories on U.S. soil afterward. The Mexican cattle industry has been hit hard by infestations and the U.S. closing its border to imports. Mexico's Agriculture ministry said in a statement Friday that Mexico Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary Julio Berdegué Sacristán and Rollins signed a screwworm control action plan. It includes monitoring with fly-attracting traps and establishing that livestock can only be moved within Mexico through government-certified corrals, the statement said. And on the X social media platform, Berdegué said, 'We will continue with conversations that lead to actions that will permit the reopening of livestock exports.' The new fly-breeding factory in Texas would be the first on U.S. soil in decades and represents a ramping up of the USDA's spending on breeding and releasing sterile New World screwworm flies. The sterile males are released in large enough numbers that wild females can't help but mate with them, producing sterile eggs that don't hatch. Eventually, the wild fly population shrinks away because females mate only once in their weekslong lives. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. In June, Rollins announced a plan to convert an existing factory for breeding fruit flies into one for breeding sterile New World Screwworm flies, as well as a plan to build a site, also on the air base near Edinburg, for gathering flies imported from Panama and releasing them from small aircraft. Those projects are expected to cost a total of $29.5 million. The Panama fly factory can breed up to 117 million flies a week, and the new Mexican fly factory is expected to produce up to 100 million more a week. Rollins said the new Texas factory would produce up to 300 million a week. She said President Donald Trump's administration wants to end the U.S. reliance on fly breeding in Mexico and Panama. 'It's a tactical move that ensures we are prepared and not just reactive, which is today what we have really been working through,' Rollins said. ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City contributed reporting.
