The Editor:
Re: 10 per cent hike to sewer rates approved for New West in 2025 (Nov. 25, 2024)
As they say, government giveth and government taketh away.
That’s the only way to describe the news that Mayor Patrick Johnstone and his Community First majority have approved a 61 per cent increase in our sewer rates over the next five years.
This comes on the heels of the federal government announcing working Canadians will be provided with a one-time $250 cheque and a temporary GST holiday on select items.
Whether you agree with Ottawa’s initiative or not, they are at least making an attempt to leave more money in our pockets.
However, the reality is New Westminster taxpayers will get the $250 and many of them will be forced to hand it over to city hall.
It should be noted that seniors and people living with disabilities aren’t even eligible for this one-time federal payment, so will fall even further behind when they get their utility bills.
Worth noting is that a large chunk of the staggering utility fee increase is directly attributed to the Metro Vancouver Wastewater Treatment Plant financing debacle, for which our mayor and former director on Metro Vancouver, has been all but silent in his criticism.
By next spring, city hall will pile on our expenses for what appears to be yet another record annual property tax increase. This in top of the 15 per cent they’ve imposed the last two years alone.
No doubt these funds will be used to pay for a ballooning bureaucracy, unused bike lanes and mushroom walls in Queen's Park.
It’s time city hall pays more attention to bread and butter issues of concern to local ratepayers.
Now more than ever, mayor and council need to sharpen their pencils and make sure every penny is spent properly and accounted for.
- Joanne Folka, New Westminster
