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February 26, 2021

~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~
Water and Sewer Rates Set to Increase March 1, 2021- UPDATED

Sioux Lookout, ON – Residents connected to the Municipal drinking water and sanitary sewer systems in Sioux Lookout will see their water and sewer rates increase on Monday, March 1st. This marks the first rate increase since 2015.

“The new water and sewer rates were approved by Council in February 2020, but with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Council decided to them put on hold,” said Municipal Chief Administrative Officer, Michelle Larose. She added, “The Municipality has several major infrastructure projects starting this year, which are funded by these user fees.”

The projects include expanding the wastewater treatment plan, construction of a third central treatment unit, upgrades to the pumps and forcemain at the Pelican Park Lift Station, and replacing WWII-era watermains and sewermains. Some sections are in poor condition and could fail unexpectedly if not replaced soon. This is in addition to the usual assessments and maintenance work that is required on a regular basis to ensure safe and reliable service to residents.

“We know nobody likes rate increases,” explains Municipal Treasurer, Carly Collins. “But we’ve worked hard to keep our metered water and sewer rates the lowest in Northwestern Ontario. As many residents will know, provincial legislation requires that municipal drinking water and sanitary sewer systems must be funded by those who use such systems, and are not intended to be supported through the tax base.”

Based on an average monthly household water use of 14m³, the increase will amount to about $4.78 per month.

The new Sioux Lookout residential rates are:

  • $42.35 – flat monthly water rate (from $40.33)
  • $38.09 – flat monthly sewer rate (from $36.87)
  • $1.54/m³ – metered water rate (from $1.47/m³)
  • $1.38/m³ – metered sewer rate (from $1.34/m³)

The increase is well below the rate of inflation over the last six years. According to the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, inflation was 11.18%. That’s nearly three times higher than the 4.1% increase coming into effect on March 1st.

Unmetered water rates for residents of Hudson will see an increase of 5%. The monthly flat rate will change from $62.33 to $65.45, or $3.12 per month. The existing Water Treatment Plant Fee of $19.97 per month, specifically allocated to the long-term debt payments associated with the construction of the Hudson Water Treatment Plant, will remain unchanged.

CAO Michelle Larose said, “Our staff have done a fantastic job of keeping our costs low and finding ways to save money,” adding that, “Ensuring our residents have safe and reliable access to water and sewer service while maintaining high standards and keeping costs low is not an easy job.”

Residents of Sioux Lookout will see the new rates take effect on their March utilities (water/sewer) invoices.

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For more information, please contact:
Carly Collins, Treasurer
737-2700 ext. 2232 or [email protected]  

PDF version available to download at link below.

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