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On June 4, 2023, the City of Yellowknife (the City) released an Interim Report with recommendations for rationalizing City water and sewer rates. Residents were encouraged to provide feedback via the City’s PlaceSpeak website by July 4, 2023. A number of comments have been received, and based upon the interest expressed to date, the City is extending the public engagement period to July 21, 2023.

The Interim Report was developed by InterGroup Consultants, a firm that specializes in utility rate design and has over 20 years of experience in the North and in many smaller and remote communities in Canada’s south. InterGroup has developed the attached background information sheet, based upon comments and issues raised to date, to further inform the public discussion.

The recommendations of the Interim Report are based on a detailed Cost of Service model as well as generally accepted principles of utility rate design as stipulated in the American Water Works Association Manual, the industry standard. Recommendations include implementing separate water and sewer rates, simplifying rates to ensure that customers easily understand their monthly bills, and linking rates to the actual cost of servicing various customers.

All input received by July 21, 2023 will be included and addressed in a Final Report, which will be presented to Council to inform their decisions.