Water rate hikes draw fire

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Like water gushing from a broken main, Gayla MacMillan, hosed council, Monday evening, with concerns about the two recent rate hikes to water and sewer.
MacMillan expressed concern on several issues, but was most vocal on the latest water and sewer rate increases in Rainy River.
She noted that rate payers have had to face two rate increases in six months and now pay over $240 every three months. "That is higher than many other communities in the region," said MacMillan citing figures for Atikokan, Fort Frances, Barwick and Emo, all of which she said are lower.
Mayor Deb Ewald said it is hard to compare Rainy River to larger towns like Atikokan and Fort Frances but did say our rates are comparable to similar towns.
MacMillan said that the problem of higher rates hits especially hard on lower income home owners and seniors. "I am having trouble making it. I hit the food bank in Fort Frances three times a year and have to make it stretch. You try to live on toast for two weeks (at a time)." She said it means tough choices for seniors... pay the bills or eat. "Many do not know where their next meal will be coming from."
She suggested that the town introduced a tiered rate system, charging for businesses, families of four or more, families of 2-3 and for single person homes with the larger groups paying more.
She said another option would be to install meters and that way those who use more would pay more.
Councillor Gord Armstrong and member of the audience Gerry Jolicouer (a former RR Public Utilities Commissioner) noted that the town looked at meters before and it is not feasible. Mostly because the meters would have to be installed inside a person's home to avoid frozen water lines.
However, Water and Sewer Chair Larry Armstrong said that his committee will revisit the idea of meters and crunch the numbers.
MacMillan said "You have to do something for seniors. I do not want to give up my house. Anything you can do to help would be good."
Mayor Ewald noted that the water and sewer rates do not make the town money. "We were in a deficit position with water and sewer and the government told us we can not be. Also the water and sewer rates are cost recovery." In other words the town does not make a profit on the system.
Councillor Gord Armstrong expressed concern that by creating a tiered system that next month it would be families of four coming to council to complain about their rates going up and seniors rates going down.
MacMillan also expressed frustration over the lack of enforcement in town of local bylaws on a variety of subjects:
•noisy dogs
•dogs running loose
•owners not picking up after dogs
•yards being filled with garbage and the town doing nothing about it.
•illegal parking in handicapped and fire hydrant zones.
"Give me the power and I will do the ticketing and make the town some money!" said MacMillan.
Other business
•Susan Carpenter was sworn in Monday evening as a councillor to replace Brent Anderson who resigned last month.
•Council passed several motions to set the Rainy River Community Trails Project on the path to breaking ground.
The first was to support an application for Local Initiatives Funds in the amount of $3,000 for signage on the new trails.
The next was for signing authority to complete the Ontario Trillium Foundation funding for the project.
The last was to okay the purchase of materials as follows for the trails:
468 cubic yards of granular A gravel at a cost of $6,874.92 from C. Sharp Construction
1,170 cubic yards of gran. B. gravel from C. Sharp Const. at a cost of $8,599.50
180 cubic yards of fine crusher chips from Jack Vandenbrand at a cost of $4,482.00
54 cubic yards of asphalt paving at a cost of $22,547.16.
•Council agreed to purchase a new computer system for the Town Office from Lowerys in Fort Frances at a cost of $5,692 plus taxes.
•Permission for TBaytel to lay a fibre optic cable to Ledcor on Hwy. 11 was granted.
•Council agreed to exchange property with Corrie and Janice Wiersema. The town will give the Wiersemas two lots on Lorena St. and deliver 20 loads of fill to them at no cost to Wiersema in exchange for property at 306 1st St.
•Council awarded a tender to Rainy River Electric-Light (Richard Trenchard) for the installation of power assist doors at the clinic for a cost of $28,890 plus taxes. This project is 100% funded by grant.