BRAMPTON, ON (March 19, 2024) – Starting April 1, 2024, Peel Region water bills will look different and the way the community is charged for water and wastewater will change.
Peel Region completed a multi-year financial planning process that included: reviews of industry best practices, community engagement, an examination into the costs to serve the community and extensive financial analysis. The result is a modernization of the billing process that supports bill predictability, increased customer understanding and equity, including:
- A new rate structure that remains the most affordable in the GTA (30% less than other GTA municipalities)
- A bill forgiveness pilot program to support payment of unexpected higher than normal bills.
- Invoices that are modernized and easier to read.
- An online billing portal to support bill payments and inquiries from any device, 24/7.
Peel continues to research and make recommendations to improve systems, technology, and customer experience.
New rate structure
Starting April 1, instead of a single water consumption charge, customer bills will have two parts: a service delivery charge and a consumption charge. Peel is not collecting more overall revenue. Using a service delivery charge to cover fixed costs means the consumption charge will now be lower.
The service delivery charge supports the more than 80% in fixed costs needed to bring water to homes and businesses and to collect and treat wastewater, such as: staff required to maintain pipes and treatment plants, meter reading and billing costs, chemicals needed to provide clean, safe water, and more.
Water rate charges
Single-unit residential customers will now have a water rate with two levels.
- Basic use rate: less than and equal to 50 cubic metres of water is charged at a lower rate (the lower rate covers some of the day-to-day essential water uses such as cleaning, cooking, washing).
- Higher use rate: water used above 50 cubic metres is charged at a higher rate.
Multi-unit residential customers will continue to have one water rate.
Businesses (industrial, commercial, and institutional) customers will continue to have one water rate.
Wastewater charges
Wastewater billing was also reviewed as part of the financial planning process. Charging for wastewater based on the amount of water used remains the industry standard.
- For single-unit residential and multi-unit residential customers, wastewater will continue to be billed based on 85% of the amount of water used. This represents the typical return flow to the wastewater system from homes.
- For industrial, commercial, and institutional customers, wastewater will continue to be billed based on 100% of water used.
For additional information on the changes, 2024 water and wastewater rates, as well as the programs introduced to support a modernized billing process, visit peelregion.ca/water/billing.
