**** Halifax Water Release
Halifax Water Files General Rate Application with NSRAB
Pending approval, the average water, wastewater and stormwater residential customer would see a monthly increase of approximately $7.68 in 2027/28 and an additional $8.13 in 2028/29
Halifax Water has filed a General Rate Application (GRA) with the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board (NSRAB), seeking approval to increase the average residential bill by 8.4 per cent effective April 1, 2027, and by a further 8.2 per cent effective April 1, 2028. The proposed increases have not been approved and will be reviewed through the NSRAB’s independent public process.
To reduce the customer impact where possible, Halifax Water reviewed its operating and capital assumptions before filing. The application reflects revised forecasts, expected staff vacancies, external funding efforts and shorter-term construction financing where appropriate. It also proposes holding water and wastewater base charges at current levels, with increases applied to consumption and discharge rates.
“Halifax Water understands the impact rate increases have on customers, and we have worked to limit the increase wherever possible. This application reflects a difficult balance: keeping services affordable while managing rising costs, meeting regulatory requirements and renewing critical infrastructure. These investments are needed to continue providing safe, reliable water, wastewater and stormwater services as our region grows,” says Kenda MacKenzie, General Manager and CEO of Halifax Water.
Those pressures include inflation; depleted reserve funds; higher debt and interest costs associated with the capital program; increased depreciation as new infrastructure enters service; salaries and benefits, including workforce growth; and rising costs for treatment chemicals, contract services, software, fleet operations and other supplies.
The application also proposes a temporary deficit-elimination rate rider for water and stormwater customers. For the average residential customer, the rider represents approximately 0.7 percentage points of the proposed 8.4 per cent increase in 2027/28, or about $0.65 per month. In 2028/29, it represents 0.7 percentage points of the proposed 8.2 per cent increase, or an additional $1.44 per month. The rider would appear as a separate charge on customer bills to recover the approved accumulated deficits over no more than five years. It would be reviewed as part of Halifax Water’s next General Rate Application and removed once the approved deficit balance for each service has been recovered.
The NSRAB will independently review the proposed rate increases and deficit elimination rate rider through its public process, and customers and other interested parties will have opportunities to participate before the board decides whether to approve, change or deny the proposals.
For more information about the application and Halifax Water, visit www.halifaxwater.ca or contact the Customer Care Centre at 902-420-9287. Updates are also available through Halifax Water’s social media channels.
