Water metering causes controversy in council

Plus: $4.7 million to install signage and road pavement markings, $3.5 million to repair street lights and the city launches a coffee table book celebrating Burnaby’s natural beauty

On Monday, Dec. 2, Burnaby City Council held a long discussion about installing water meters in the city. The discussion encompassed issues such as environmental preservation, water resources, climate change, and income inequality. 

A council report accompanying the presentation does not mention a total cost for all meters in the city; however, several council members mentioned totals ranging from $70 million to $250 million for installation. 

“​​To install meters on meter-ready homes is approximately $1,000 per meter installation. With about 5,500 properties in this category, the total estimated cost is $5.5M. This next step will commence in 2025 and be performed by City forces,” the report said. “To install meters on homes with rented secondary suites. This includes associated civil works and restoration. As such, it is estimated that the cost is approximately $2,500 per meter installation. With about 7,400 properties in this category, the total estimated cost is $18.5M. This next step is to also commence in 2025 and be performed by City forces.” 

The report mentions that the city currently pays Metro Vancouver approximately $35 million for water, which is included in residents’ utility bills

“At the moment, 100% of our residential customers are billed based on flat annual charges. We send out utility notices in January, and we have about 100,000+ utility accounts. 2024 brought in just under $49 million of revenue, as the flat annual charges are the single biggest component of our annual revenue. On the industrial, commercial, and institutional side, the majority of our customers are on meters. There’s been around 2,000 metered accounts that make up about $14.7 million in revenue, which is about 23% of our revenue and also about 23% of our water consumption,” said Richard Rowley, the city’s director of finance revenue services.

The report and presentation mention some of the advantages of water metering, such as its ability to help identify leaks and wastage and significantly reduce water consumption. The report also said that installing meters can postpone the need for expensive major infrastructure overhauls.

According to a staff report submitted to council, water meters may help reduce water consumption. Photo: Shutterstock

“We will develop a public communication strategy in 2025. This will focus on promoting the benefits of water metering and setting out what the deployment plan involves. Engineering will initiate phase two of the meter deployments. That’s the meter-ready service connections and the declared secondary suites. At the moment, we’re in phase one, which are the new builds which were effective from July 1, 2024. Staff will return at the tail end of 2026 with our proposed metering strategy for 2027, and they will also return to council a future date for strategy on future phases of water metering deployment,” Rowley said. 

Coun. Pietro Calendino opposed the project, adding that he does not think that Burnaby or Metro Vancouver are in a state of water crisis. 

“I agree that if you put meters, with your electronic systems, you may collect data easier than you do now, but as a councillor and a taxpayer, I question the fact of spending $70 million in installing meters over the next 10 years or so to simply collect data. That’s a very expensive data collection system,” Calendino said. 

Calendino added that while climate change is real, the city still experiences periods of heavy rainfall, such as the recent atmospheric river event. He also said it is not equitable to install meters at the city’s expense and free of charge to the residents of existing homes while charging new developments to install meters. 

However, most of the councillors did not agree with Calendino. 

“I can pretty much guarantee you that in 30 years, we will be having a water crisis, whether we like it or not,” said Coun. Alison Gu. “And considering that water is a fundamental human right and a fundamental human need, I think it is in all of our best interests to make sure that we have enough of it, that we aren’t wasting it, and that we can plan for the future.”

Mayor Mike Hurley spoke in favour of metering, agreeing with Gu that Metro Vancouver is upgrading the Coquitlam watershed due to water availability issues, especially in the summer. Hurley said he was skeptical about all this before learning more about water resources in the Lower Mainland. 

“The reason that Metro Vancouver is going further into the watershed is because we need to supply the water that’s needed if we can have water conservation that will prevent us from having to do that for another 20 years instead of in the next five years. That’s going to cut down a lot of costs,” Hurley said. “One billion litres of water a day we use in the Lower Mainland, and then we send 1.2 billion litres a day to be treated as it leaves our homes and our ground. So we really do need to make big efforts to start conservation.” 

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal opposed the project saying it exacerbates inequality for Burnaby residents. 

“This is not equitable to the people who really need water. Water is essential for life. Water should be free, part of your everyday living in Burnaby, paying taxes,” Dhaliwal said. 

Dhaliwal added that installing the meters may eventually cost the city up to $250 million. He added that the city can save more water by reducing water use in agriculture, gardening activities, and watering the city’s golf courses and lawns. He also suggested investing instead in harvesting rainwater. He added that awareness and education may help reduce water consumption even more than meters. 

City launches Naturally Burnaby book 

Naturally Burnaby coffee table book. Photo: City of Burnaby

During the council meeting, Mayor Hurley announced the launch of a new coffee table book, Naturally Burnaby, just in time for the holidays. 

According to the official description of the book on the city’s website, “Discover the breathtaking beauty of Burnaby with our stunning 96-page photographic coffee table book! Measuring 12” x 10” and featuring a soft cover, this breathtaking new collection showcases the work of professional photographers, local amateurs and dedicated staff.” 

The description also referred to the book as the perfect gift for nature lovers and photography enthusiasts. The book is divided into four sections: waterways, parks, floral displays and gardens, and eco-sculptures. Naturally Burnaby is available for purchase for $25 at various city venues, such as Shadbolt, Burnaby Village Museum, and City Hall. 

During the council meeting, the mayor and council members recognized the photographers who participated in the project.

Council approves $4.7 million to install signage, road pavement markings

During the Dec. 2 meeting, council also approved a $4.7 million contract award to Standard Electric BC Ltd. to install road signs, pavement markings, and related electrical services. 

Dhaliwal asked about the contract and whether this was something new or to supplement the city’s services. 

“We’ve been talking about for a number of years that we wanted to bring much of the electrical work that happens slowly in-house over the years,” Dhaliwal said. 

The city’s chief administrative officer, Leon Gous, responded to Dhaliwal: “We’ve had a really difficult time retaining electricians. “

Gous added that electricians are in such high demand that they are often “stolen” by the private sector, where they get paid much more than the city, which is struggling to compete. 

Council approves $3.5 million for street light maintenance

During the meeting, council also approved a one-year contract extension to Crown Contracting Limited for $3.5 million. 

According to a council report, the city awarded Crown Contracting a $4.5 million contract in 2020 to repair and maintain Burnaby street lights and traffic signals for two years, from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2022. Since then, the contract has been extended twice for a total of $1.5 million.

“No contract value increase was required for 2023 renewal as the contract was underspent in the initial contract term due to some staff resource shortages within the Engineering Department for contract management but have since been resolved. This has led to a higher increase in 2024/2025 contract renewal to complete previous 2023 works,” said the staff report.  

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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