Water, water everywhere, but.
So, another threat to Saint John taxpayers: Cut back on water usage or face higher and higher water bills.
I'm curious. Is it the average homeowners who are using all this water or is it industry; the pulp mill, the oil refinery, etc.?
I suppose it's both. Industry, however, has no reason at all to reduce its consumption of water. It can offset its own water rates by simply adding a few cents to whatever it is producing.
So likely it's going to be the average Joe who is going to bare the brunt of higher rates to pay for the cleanup of Saint John harbour and to keep water and sewerage infrastructure up and running.
What about meters? There is no question that they work.
In Ontario, cities that have installed meters have seen usage drop by 20 to 30 percent.
But what about the added cost and maintenance of those meters?
Who will pay for that? Well, you and I, of course.
Where does our Mayor stand on this?
Last January, he said that he hadn't made up his mind on meters because he hadn't had "a full briefing from staff on how they would work, how much they would cost, and how effective they would be in saving water and taking stress off the system". Hello! Why
>weren't you as interested in a full briefing from staff when you bullied
>council into accepting a 160 million dollar tax giveaway for the Irving LNG terminal?
We wouldn't even be having this debate over water rates if that
money hadn't been slipped to Richie Rich and his family. 160 million
dollars could pay for a Niagara of clean water, some pretty good water pipes and a clean harbour to boot.
The city's top water guy, Paul Groody, says he wants to see ongoing
discussion with citizens during town hall meetings. Now, that's an
innovative approach. Paul, you should have talked to Norm before he rammed the LNG project down our throats -- with no public input at all.
I encourage you to share your feelings more.
I'm surprised too that Groody has so much to say on the water issue when he himself doesn't seem to have all the facts. Don't tell me that our water usage is "significantly" higher than in many other municipalities - tell me exactly how much higher and more importantly, why it is so much higher.
I have a quick shower every morning, flush my toilet a few times a day, do my laundry once a week, drink 4 or 5 glasses of water daily, and use a quart each day for cooking and whatever it takes to wash my dishes or floors.
I suspect Mr. Groody uses about the same, probably more as he has a family.
What are you doing to cut your consumption, water man?
2 comments:
I support water metering for residents and corporations. Even if the city doesn't put them on factories, residents still need to be encouraged to conserve. Even if its unfair and shows a corporate bias, water meters on home is a good idea.
Interesting that there is virtually no way to find that information at their website.
Keep in mind that IF Saint John has higher water uses, there are various reasons for that. Saint John has a lake water source that is among the best in the country, even the continent. If you have lots of water, then obviously you'll use more. I have a feeling Moosehead uses a lot of water.
Plus, go to any major city in the country and you will find water stores all over the place. Southern ontario is the most populous region, but a huge percentage of people don't drink the natural water.
Also, many cities do far more than Saint John to encourage water conservation. Cities provide subsidies for buying low flow toilets, up to one quarter the price. They also subsidize the purchase of rain barrels for gardening at up to three quarters of the price.
Clearly if water is a problem in Saint John then its not because of the citizens.
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