Written By Olena Riznyk
NORTH MIDDLESEX – Some residents in North Middlesex have noticed lower water bills this year, even though water and wastewater rates increased at the beginning of 2026.
One resident who contacted The Middlesex Banner said her household’s bill had dropped by nearly half. She said neighbours had noticed similar changes, and many people were wondering what caused the decrease.
According to Director of Infrastructure and Operations Sam Shannon, the lower bills are the result of changes to the municipality’s billing structure, not lower water rates. “The rates did increase, but because we changed the billing structure, the average customer’s bill is actually lower,” Shannon said.
He explained that the municipality replaced its previous three-year average billing method with a simpler system. Customers now pay a fixed base charge based on the size of their water meter, along with a charge based on the amount of water they use.
Shannon said the new billing system is easier for residents to understand and more closely reflects actual water use. He said the previous method had become increasingly difficult to administer and was no longer the best fit for the municipality.
The changes followed a comprehensive water and wastewater rate study completed by Watson & Associates. The study examined the long-term costs of operating and maintaining the municipality’s water and wastewater systems, while also looking at how those costs should be shared among customers. The recommendations were later presented to council for approval.
Council approved the updated billing structure and the 2026 water and wastewater rates late last year, with the new system taking effect on January 1.
As part of those changes, council approved a 14% increase to water rates and an 8% increase to wastewater rates. During the discussion, municipal staff said that, despite the rate increases, the revised billing structure was expected to reduce the average customer’s bill because of the new way charges are calculated.
Councillors supported the changes, saying the new approach would make water bills easier to understand and give residents a greater incentive to conserve water because charges are now tied more directly to actual water use rather than historical averages.
While some residents were surprised to see lower bills this year, the municipality says the revised billing structure was designed to create a simpler and fairer system for customers while more closely reflecting actual water use.
