City Hall might impose a new requirement on homebuyers whenever an older home is purchased, to ensure that the weeping tile system has been disconnected from the municipal sanitary sewer system. On Monday, several councillors on the Infrastructure and Corporate Services (ICS) Committee were hesitant to accept the recommendation stemming from a Pollution Prevention and Control Plan Update Study. “It feels like a new land transfer tax for London,” said Coun. Corrine Rahman. “We’re talking about an affordability crisis with housing right now, and we’re saying that a homeowner with a home that is connected to the weeping tile system could pay between $5,000 and $10,000 extra.” The weeping tile connections add stormwater to sewage that flows to the municipality’s Pollution Prevention and Control Plants. When the capacity of the sewage system is overwhelmed by the volume of stormwater, overflow enters the Thames River and causes basements to flood. The study recommends implementing a mandatory Point-of-Purchase weeping tile disconnection program that would require disconnection during property transfers. The buyer of a home built before 1985 would require an inspection and a Certificate of Compliance that the weeping tiles have been disconnected. Prior to 1985, it was common to connect a property’s weeping tile system directly to the city’s sanitary sewer. City Hall estimates 50,000 houses are still connected. A voluntary disconnection program that included financial incentives has not received enough interest. “This is a big, big source of that unwanted water,” explains Ashley Rammeloo, Director, Water, Wastewater and Stormwater. “And at a rate of 70 to 90 disconnections done per year through the opt-in program, that’s not really making much of a dent on those 50,000.” Rammeloo acknowledged that London would be the first city in Canada to impose the disconnection mandate when a property is sold, “It depends on the age of the city and the age of its infrastructure, but we would certainly be a leader on this if we went forward.” Implementing the program would require hiring staff for inspections, administration and enforcement. “I am concerned about the reception that this is going to get from Londoners who are being told this is being mandated, and that the cost is now being borne by them,” said Coun. Susan Stevenson who proposed referring the matter to an ICS Committee meeting in March. City staff would use the time to prepare a report outlining the various options considered before recommending the mandate. Those options include infrastructure upgrades to upsize pipes or expand storage, but staff referred to those as “band aid solutions” that don’t address the source of the surplus water. In 2021, a staff report about “unwanted water” estimated it cost London $1.4 million each year to pump and treat stormwater that entered sewers. “Much, if not all of my ward would probably be impacted by it,” said Coun. Hadleigh McAlister. “I’m still willing to look at the options, I’m not really willing to just accept it outright at this moment.” Coun. Skylar Franke did not support the referral, “I think it’s better for (London) if we have infrastructure that is at the 2025 level, especially with climate change and our increased flooding risk.” The committee voted 3-2 to recommend referring the matter to Q1 of 2026. After the meeting Rahman added, “I want to see all the alternative strategies outside of the one that was recommended, so that we can then hear all sides of the discussion.” City Council will consider the referral at its meeting on December 16.
