Halifax Water submits 17.6 per cent rate hike in revised application

Halifax Water is now seeking a 17.6 per cent rate hike.

Halifax Water has submitted a revised rate hike application of 17.6 per cent for next year following a request from the Nova Scotia Regulatory Appeals Board.

Earlier this year, Halifax Water submitted an application that, if approved, would have increased water and wastewater service rates for residents by 15.8 per cent on Jan. 1, 2026 and 17.1 per cent on April 1, 2026.

Last week, the board finished its review of the request and asked for adjustments to the revenue requirements, which were expected to reduce the overall proposed rate hike.

On Tuesday, Halifax Water revealed its revisions, which include a 12.1 per cent increase in January and a 5.5 per cent increase in April.

“Based on the Board’s direction, Halifax Water has removed the $27.2 million required to eliminate the deficit from rates,” a news release from the utility reads. “It has also eliminated more than $19 million in additional costs by adjusting its debt and depreciation levels, a portion of the dividend payment to HRM, and reducing costs for new salaries and estimates for chemicals.”

The hike, which is expected to go into effect next month pending board approval, will be the first rate increase from Halifax Water since April 2023.

In a written statement, Mayor Andy Fillmore, who has called for an audit of Halifax Water, called the revised proposal “still too high.”

“Any significant rate increase during an affordability crisis is unacceptable,” he said. “I remain very concerned that the Board has directed Halifax Water to explore whether HRM taxpayers should absorb the utility’s financial shortfalls.

“As our region grows and demand on core services rises, Halifax Water must be ready to manage that growth - without placing the financial weight of governance failures and fiscal mismanagement on households and businesses.”

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