Winnipeg, MB – On Monday, March 10, 2025, the Public Service is presenting two rate reports at the meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Water, Waste and Environment.
2025 to 2027 Revised Sewer Volume Rates
The Public Service is recommending an increase to sewer volume rates in 2025 to 2027 to fund required upgrades at the North End Sewage Treatment Plant (NEWPCC), the City of Winnipeg’s largest, and most complex capital project.
The total cost of these upgrades, consisting of three major projects that will result in an entirely new sewage plant upon completion, is estimated at just over $3 billion.
The upgrades at NEWPCC are required to ensure the City reaches full compliance with its Environmental Act Licence and meet future development growth demands.
Agreements are in place for provincial funding of $264 million and federal funding of $317 million. In November 2024, the Province of Manitoba announced plans to increase contributions by $30 million. Yesterday, the Government of Canada re-pledged $150 million more, after making an initial announcement in December 2024. They also added another $16 million to their commitment. However, those additional amounts don’t have funding agreements and timing finalized yet.
Without additional cost-sharing from other levels of government on this required capital project, the proposed sewer volume rates would increase on average by 35 percent over the three-year period, compared to the currently approved rate schedule that averages eight percent.
For water and sewer services, residential properties with a family of four would see an average net increase of $35 on their quarterly bills in 2025, $109 in 2026, and $85 in 2027.
The City continues to seek additional funding sources to minimize these increases and lower the financial burden placed on current ratepayers as we build a sewer plant that will service Winnipeg for decades to come.
The Public Service’s administrative report is publicly available through the Decision Making Information System (DMIS).
Solid Waste Utility Financial Plan and Rate Model Report
The Public Service is recommending changes to how it funds solid waste services to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Solid Waste Utility and equity among ratepayers.
Before 2024, residential garbage collection was funded by property taxes. Since garbage collection costs are currently not recovered, the Solid Waste Utility has a budgeted deficit of over $28 million in 2025.
As part of the 2024 budget process, City Council directed the Public Service to develop a new, self-supporting Solid Waste Utility model. If approved, this new model will bring financial stability to solid waste services and is projected to eliminate the current deficit by 2028.
The financial plan would introduce a new Waste Management Fee to cover the cost of all solid waste services. This proposed fee would replace the existing Waste Diversion Fee and would be more equitably applied to all customers.
The Waste Management Fee would apply to residential and multi-unit properties, as well as small commercial properties that have requested City cart collection services up to 600L of garbage and recycling service. Multi-unit properties do not currently pay the Waste Diversion Fee.
The proposed Waste Management Fee would, among other things:
- Fund garbage, recycling, and leaf and yard waste collection
- Fund the purchase of green carts
- Eliminate existing fees for the replacement for lost or damaged carts
- Fund various services, including:
- 4R Winnipeg Depots and community recycling depots
- Bulky waste sweeps for arson prevention
- Registered charities that meet certain conditions as well as City-owned community centres and arenas
- Neighbourhood cleanup tipping fees
- Dead animal collection
- Costs to close landfill cells and maintain the closed sites in perpetuity
- Interim financing and deficit recovery
Subject to Council approval, the proposed Waste Management Fee for residential and small commercial properties as well as multi-unit properties will be effective April 1, 2025.
The estimated quarterly bill for residential and small commercial properties would be $63.50 effective April 1, 2025, $66 effective January 1, 2026, and $68.50 effective January 1, 2027.
The estimated quarterly bill for multi-unit properties would be $31.75 per dwelling unit effective April 1, 2025, $33.50 per dwelling unit effective January 1, 2026, and $35.75 per dwelling unit effective January 1, 2027.
The Public Service’s administrative report is publicly available through the Decision Making Information System (DMIS).