Halifax Water applies for general rate increase

The utility is looking for a 3.6 per cent increase for average residential bills starting in September 2022 and April 2023

CityNews Halifax Staff

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Halifax Water has submitted an application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board asking for a general rate increase.

The utility is looking for a 3.6 per cent increase for average residential bills starting in September 2022 and April 2023.

If approved, that would mean the average customer would pay $2.51 more a month this fall, and an additional $2.60 a month next spring.

Halifax Water says the extra cash is needed to deal with “increased operating and capital costs resulting from aging infrastructure, increasingly stringent environmental compliance regulations and growth within the municipality.”

General manager Cathie O’Toole said the utility has reached a “critical point” and the rate increase is required to avoid further operating deficits.

“Our team is acutely aware of the impact that this has on our customers and understand that any increase is unwelcome,” she said in a news release.

“That is why we have worked through numerous financial models to help minimize the impact on customers over the next two years.”

If approved, this would be the first increase in water rates since 2016, and the first increase in stormwater rates since 2017.

“Halifax Water is a municipal utility that operates on a break-even basis, and there is no component of profit built into the rates,” the utility stated.

It added customers and other stakeholders will be able to participate in the regulatory review process.