Taxpayers may be on the hook for Winnipeg’s North End Sewage Treatment Centre

Winnipeg taxpayers may be taking a hit to their wallets after city administrators proposed 35 per cent increases to sewer volume rates over the next three years, in order to fund phase three of the multi-billion dollar upgrade to the North End Treatment Centre.

But Winnipeg’s Mayor Scott Gillingham said it’s simply not reasonable.

“That’s a hard ‘no’ for me. This proposal asks Winnipeggers to pay cash for a multi-billion-dollar sewage treatment plant that will serve the city for the next century. It’s like paying cash for a new house you expect to live in for the rest of your life. We need a better approach, one that gets this project done while protecting affordability,” said Gillingham in a statement.

“It’s just another added cost that comes onto us, and we’re just not able to sustain this way of life especially with our wages not going up the same rate of all these extra charges and costs. So yeah, we just can’t afford it,” said a Winnipegger CityNews spoke to.

The rate would see an average net increase of $35 on quarterly bills in 2025, $109 in 2026, and $85 in 2027. In opposition, Mayor Gillingham has proposed an increase of $18.67 per month for the average household in 2025, while deferring the larger rate hike while the city looks for alternative funding from the federal and provincial governments. 

RELATED: Winnipeg gets funding boost for North End Sewage Treatment Plant

“They need to get it done, so any other form, whether it’s donations, whether its federal, anything to help get it done, absolutely, but hiking the costs, increasing it on everyone, it’s not going to be manageable,” said a Winnipegger CityNews spoke to.

“I think that it’s going to be unmanageable, I don’t think people are going to be able to afford it.”

The total cost for the project is around $3 billion. The City has received help from the federal and provincial governments to fund phases one and two. But funding for phase three remains up in the air.

“You know if they don’t get federal funding, and they think they have to increase the sewage and water taxes, then that’s probably what they have to do because the improvements to the sewage and water system are needed,” said a Winnipegger.

Another Winnipegger says, “I think it’s a good idea to upgrade and to you know, fix things up in the city, and we basically have to trust that the city knows what they’re doing.  Hopefully that is the case.”

The City says they are having discussions with all levels of government to discuss potential funding for phase three of the project to keep affordability manageable. The proposed hikes from Public Service will be presented on Monday, March 10^th at a standing policy committee meeting.