The official User Fees, Rates and Charges are those attached to the Fees, Rate and Charges 2020 Bylaw (No. 20/030) as approved by Council on Dec. 8, 2020.
View all the user rates for municipal services
Changes to rates for utilities coming Feb. 1, 2021
At the Dec. 8, 2020, Council Meeting, Council approved an update to the Fees, Rate and Charges Bylaw. View the announcement.
Effective Jan.1, 2021, there are updated rates for solid waste services and utilities, such as water and wastewater services. The updated rates for utilities take effect Feb. 1. To help support the community during these uncertain times, rates for other municipal services are remaining the same.
The utility rate changes vary depending on the size of the water meter and between urban, rural and commercial services. All rate changes are captured in the Solid Waste, Water and Wastewater categories included in the rate sheet above.
The adjustments keep rates significantly below provincial averages, help ensure the sustainability of these services and avoid a large one-time rate hike. The changes are also aligned with Council’s commitment to establish a direct cost recovery model for utilities and fiscal responsibility. Utility rates have only been adjusted twice in the past 11 years, with the current rates far below the cost to provide these services and heavily subsidized with tax dollars.
Understanding user fees, rates and charges
To support the services that contribute to quality of life in the region, the municipality depends on revenue from property taxes and user fees, rates and charges. Although municipal services are typically available to everyone, the costs of services are recovered by different forms of revenue that are determined by the type of service.
- Fully Tax Supported – Fire, Police, Roads, Parks
- Partial Tax / Partial User Fee Supported – Transit, Recreational Facilities
- Fully User Fee Supported – Utilities, Licenses
User fees, rates and charges are paid by the residents who directly use and benefit from municipal services that are not fully supported by tax dollars. The types of services that typically charge user fees are:
- General Administrative and Miscellaneous Services
- Animal Control
- Assessment and Taxation
- Emergency Services
- Parks and Roads
- Recreation and Culture
- Licenses
- Transit Services
- Vehicle for Hire
- Planning and Development Services
- Safety Codes Permitting
- Solid Waste
- Water
- Wastewater