Torontonians can expect to see the fees they pay for their water and garbage disposal to go up next year, after council’s executive committee on Tuesday voted in favour of a staff recommendation to hike the rates to cover growing costs.
The staff report recommended raising both the water rate and annual garbage bin cost by 3.75 per cent. This should offset inflationary increases to labour, energy, utilities and materials, staff said.Â
If approved by council next week, starting Jan. 1 the average pc28¹ÙÍøhome with a medium-sized bin will pay $13.44 more each year for waste disposal and $39 more for water, assuming a consumption rate of about 640 litres a day.
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For the average commercial business, which uses 100,000 cubic metres of water yearly, annual water costs will jump $16,940, according to the report.Â
According to a report from city staff, the water rate hike is expected bring in an extra $55.69 million, which will fund pc28¹ÙÍøWater’s “operational and capital program needs” and offset the cost increases for the services from inflation.
Upping the cost for garbage collection should generate $13.4 million for the city, which staff say will be put toward solid waste management division’s operational and capital needs.Â
On the motion to increase garbage rates, the committee also passed an amendment to deliver a “public education campaign” to encourage residents to reduce their garbage bin size to save on costs.Â
Ben Cohen is part of the Star's city hall bureau, based in
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