So,a person with a new home pays more in taxes than is older home neighbour...Wow thats going to go over well!



Also People who like water gardens are going to love this!

This is long overdue! We are spoiled in Canada and assume that there is an abundance of water.
Jonnypg the new home owner would actually save money if that owner was a responsible person that conserved their water instead of wasting it. A good example of wasting water is when people water there driveways in the spring instead of using a broom!

Maybe the City should check their watermains to see where the wastage is.

Cheers

Absolutely long overdue. We Canadians are an embarassment to the world in terms of how we waste our prescious water...fresh water is not infinite!

Like I said some will pay an some wont, is that fair!

So a family with young kids which generally equates to high water usage gets screwed. The new family already has financial issues now they will get hit with more costs thanks to the feel good people.

Jpg, seamutt


Water is not an unlimited resource on the planet. Should we not pay for the privelege of using it to reduce the waste? Would you have the non-user pay for the water? Now that would really float well, right?

What alternatives do you suggest?

seamutt: my young family also uses our car more often, so we get screwed with more costs for gasoline than people with no young kids. Please will you subsidize my gas use??

We don't really "waste" water... the water supplied by the City comes out of the ground... we use or convert it and it ultimately goes back into the ground.. or down the river as the case may be. Water volume in and water volume out is equal.

Residents have paid for the infrastructure long ago... even if it leaks like a giant soaker hose... so the current fees go to operating the system (water and wastewater)... fees which already generate money far in excess of cost.

Water meters, in my opinion, are a great and easy cash grab for the revenue side and little if any of that money will actually go to enhance the system.

Sure, meters will encourage people to be more careful or at least more aware of consumption... but they will not solve our water problems... and certainly not our water quality problems.

Enjoy paying more for what you already own.

Goodtimes !!!

:-)

Rabbitt is right on this one IMO. All our water infrastructure is already bought and paid for. All our water comes from underground aquifers replenished by the two large rivers that run through our town.

Its not like we have a shortage of water in these parts, and its not like we are taking the water from a surface source that could cause envirnomental concerns. Just one of our new water wells has the capacity for a city of 750,000 people so its not like conservation of water is a huge concern for Prince George.

All this is is a tax oportunity and a way for simple minded people to exert more control over other peoples lives.

Sounds like some of you need to do a little research into fresh water and what our future holds with this finite and diminishing resource.

Gonna start a driveway dry cleaning business fer people who can't hose down their driveways?

Water being a finite resource isn't the problem.

Look at it this way....

If the world's population doubles every 20 years, and we were to cut our consumption by 50% today, in 20 years we would be in the same spot we are now, except we would have twice the people who would need to cut their consumption again by 50%.

While our government uses the greeny movement as an excuse to put an environmental sin tax on everything they can, they're spending billions of dollars to fight in pointless battles overseas using equipment which has no environmental regulation at all, and corporations move all their factories to countries which don't have any environmental regulations at all.

Who are we saving our clean water and natural resources for, if not ourselves?

If the city of Prince George really wanted to show they gave a damn about the greeny movement, they would reprogram their traffic lights so as to direct traffic to their destination as smooth and uninterrupted as possible, instead of using traffic patterns designed to stall and funnel people into shopping areas. Think how much fuel is wasted having to drive down pointless one way streets and stop at traffic lights for the sole purpose of hoping you'll stop and go shopping or eat a meal.

Chug, your argument is ludicrous. You're saying that since we can't solve the problem of the overuse of our water, we should simply give up and pretend the problem doesn't exist.

I don't think the AMOUNT of water we have is the problem.
The infrastructure to get it to where it is needed, is a much bigger problem!
A bit frustrating when your lawn is desert and the Fraser River just rolls on by!
And Chug does have a point about the traffic situation...
Drive anywhere in the downtown area at this time of year and it seems you spend more time stopped than you do actually moving!!
What a mess!
Here again,that's an infrastructure issue.
Money for everything, except the boring things like roads etc.!

Tax grab, could be. So the new home builder or buyer will be picking up this expense. On a good note, should be a couple of jobs in PG available as meter readers. Where is the meter going, inside or outside? Plastic parts won't fair too well. So who gets to pay for repair or replacement? Good idea? Don't know, i'm conservative with my water, but my neighbour defrosts his snowy, icy driveway with water. Why cant't we just use the RCMP to police this overusage. "You with the hose, take your hand off the nozzle, gently put away the hose. Comply or you will be Tasered"

Low flow toilets require 3 flushes to move solids. Ingenious concept. New EPA water restrictions had US new home builders smuggling in Canadian high volume toilets. DONT throw away your guzzler toilet, it mat be worth !@#$load of money someday.