MONTREAL – It looks like Montreal’s demerged cities may have to start paying more for infrastructure on the island, as well as sharing the cost of drinking water based on consumption.
Mayors across greater Montreal reached an agreement that would see 15 cities and towns pay $8 million a year.
Starting in 2017, 15 municipalities will buy water from Montreal based on consumption by the town or city, instead of its assessed property value.
That means water could cost more for some residents on the island.
The City of Montreal supplies drinking water to almost 2 million people.
The problem is some municipalities currently use water meters to monitor how much is used, while others do not, so they are not billed the same way.
Westmount mayor Peter Trent said, due to relatively high property assessments, West Island cities should save money as a result.
How residents end up being billed by those municipalities is up to the individual towns or cities.
“The interesting thing is, this deal essentially says that the water that Montreal produces and delivers to our borders is now going to be delivered operationally on the volume that we use,” said Peter Trent, Westmount mayor.
Some cities and towns may now have to install meters and the cost of of water could fluctuate in the future.