Rising Water Costs Hit Home In Nova Scotia

Are foodservice operators being asked to foot the bill for years of municipal neglect? That’s what Halifax, New Scotia, restaurateurs, and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association are claiming.

The CRFA is appealing to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to reject a proposed hike to water rates that would hit the region’s restaurants with a price increase of almost 60% for water services and 25% for wastewater services over the next two years.

“Water and wastewater services are an essential part of any restaurant business and operators are prepared to pay their fair share for the services they use,” says Luc Erjavec, Atlantic Canada v.p. for CRFA. “However, decades of neglect and mismanagement by past governments and HRWC—not industry–have resulted in the poor state of infrastructure today. Forcing existing restaurateurs to pay the tab for this neglect is unfair.”

Operators there already are dealing with steeper prices for food, labor and energy, rising taxes and a pending fire-inspection fee. On top of this, Erjavec states, comes a proposed water rate increase that he says will cost the average restaurant about $5,000.

The CRFA is recommending that the Halifax Regional Water Commission explore opportunities to reduce overall water use and wastewater generation to reduce the need for system expansion.

CRFA has more than 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and other foodservice providers.

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