Election Fourm: Rising Utility Costs

Question from the Election Forum:What are your views on the rising cost of utilities — water, sewer, garbage, gas, and power?

Water and Sewer

Our water and wastewater utilities need to pay for themselves — not be subsidized by property taxes.

There are two key reasons for this:

1. Fairness. Many government and community buildings don’t pay property taxes, including churches, community halls, schools, our college, the RCMP detachment, the courthouse, the hospital, and the provincial building. These facilities still use water and wastewater services, and those costs shouldn’t be shifted to taxpayers through subsidies.

2. Regional equity. If we ever move toward regional amalgamation, it’s essential that costs are shared fairly. Rural residents currently pay for their own water and sewer systems, so it would be unfair for them to subsidize municipal systems through taxes.

By keeping utilities fully funded through utility bills, we ensure everyone pays for what they use — whether residential, business, or institutional.

Recent Rate Changes

The Town’s recent updates to water rates were designed to reflect the true operating cost of the utility. That means residents should not see further rate increases beyond those tied to normal inflation.

However, it’s important to understand that the current water and wastewater rates cover only about 25% of our capital replacement costs.

Major projects like the Main Street utility replacement — estimated at $2.7 million — will require council to be creative in finding funding options without putting additional pressure on utility rates.

We’ve also learned how important these systems are beyond daily operations. The insurance industry regularly evaluates our water distribution system, particularly its capacity to support firefighting. If council neglects maintenance, our entire community could face higher insurance premiums as a direct consequence.

There’s also a serious safety dimension. One of the causes of the Walkerton E. coli outbreak was the failure of that community’s council to fund proper maintenance of its chlorination system. That tragic oversight led to the loss of lives. It’s a strong reminder that maintaining our water infrastructure is not optional — it’s a responsibility.

Garbage and Waste Management

As Chair of the Transfer Station Committee, I’ve been working hard to expand the level of service offered at our local transfer station — including introducing proper composting — without increasing costs to residents.

The new garbage bin rollout has already improved worker safety and reduced staff injuries, which saves money over time.

We are currently in the middle of a waste service delivery study to explore new opportunities for cooperation between St. Paul and neighboring communities. The goal is to raise service levels and identify new revenue streams for the Evergreen Waste Management Commission — again, without raising local costs.

The Evergreen Commission continues to be a strong example of what’s possible when municipalities work together: balancing the books, building reserves, and finding efficiencies without raising fees.

There’s much more to share about waste management, but I’ll save that for a future blog.

Natural Gas

One of the last actions of the current council was to pass first reading of a replacement franchise fee agreement with Apex Utilities.

We approved it at the same rate as the past five years — meaning no additional municipal costs will be added to local gas bills.

Power

Council has also been advocating for provincial reforms to the transmission fee structure. Currently, communities within the ATCO distribution system — including St. Paul — pay some of the highest transmission fees in Alberta.

We are calling on the provincial government to adopt a “postal rate” model, so that every household in Alberta pays the same transmission fee, regardless of location.

A single-family home in St. Paul should pay the same transmission costs as one in Lacombe, Edmonton, or Pincher Creek.

If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for these and other changes that help lower power costs for our community and our neighboring ATCO municipalities.

Final Thoughts

Utility costs are one of the most visible and tangible services municipalities provide. My approach is based on fairness, accountability, and long-term sustainability — ensuring that everyone pays their fair share, while councils plan responsibly to protect the next generation from financial and infrastructure burdens.