Since 2017, Halifax Water has collected a Right-of-Way (ROW) charge on behalf of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
In May 2022, Halifax Regional Council voted to move this charge to the municipal tax bill. This change is effective on April 1, 2023, and the charge will first appear on the municipality’s October 2023 final bill.
Halifax Water customers with a billing period that begins before April 1, 2023, will see a partial HRM ROW charge on their bill. In these cases, the HRM ROW charge will continue to be collected by Halifax Water for billing periods up to and including March 31, 2023. As a result, customers will receive a prorated amount of the HRM ROW charge on the bills they receive after March 31, 2023.
Example: If your three-month billing period is from February 1 to May 1, you will see a partial HRM ROW charge on the bill you will receive in May for the last time.
If your billing period begins on or after April 1, 2023, you will see no HRM ROW charge on your Halifax Water bill.
Halifax Water will continue to collect the Stormwater (Site-Related Flow) charge.
What is the HRM ROW charge for?
The HRM ROW charge is a Halifax Regional Municipality charge for the management of stormwater that comes from the public street right of way into Halifax Water's stormwater system.
Essentially, HRM is a customer with a large impervious area (streets/roads). They have a stormwater service bill to pay to Halifax Water each year for their impact on the stormwater system.
From 2017 to 2023, Halifax Council decided to collect this charge through Halifax Water's billing.
How will a partial charge look on my Halifax Water bill?
Halifax Water customers with a billing period that begins before April 1, 2023, will see a partial HRM ROW charge on their bill. In these cases, the HRM ROW charge will continue to be collected by Halifax Water for billing periods up to and including March 31, 2023. As a result, customers will receive a prorated amount of the HRM ROW charge on the bills they receive after March 31, 2023.
The example below shows a bill with a partial HRM ROW charge.
