Water and Sewer

[ijmorlan]

We talked (ages ago- and, sorry, I'm for some reason having difficulty quoting posts) a little about the different fee structures in different parts of the Region, with Tom pointing out that Woolwich has a large reserve charge.

I have a property in Kitchener that was recently vacant, and discovered that Kitchener effectively has a reserve charge, too: Kitchener Utilities levies a charge for a "minimum usage" of 3.1 cubic metres, even if less water is used.

This is regressive, though it's so low that it probably only impacts properties vacant for much or all of the billing period, and very few single person households. It is conceivable that a single person in a very small unit would use as little as 3.1 cubic metres a month, though, and that person would be penalized for using that little. His or her extremely modest usage on the basic necessities would be charged a higher rate than someone filling up his hot tub.

Is there a connection fee? Even an unused connection requires maintenance (over time) so it’s entirely reasonable that there be a small fee that is not associated with actual use. Doing it as a minimum is a bit weird but probably doesn’t make a huge difference.