Water may be coming to Quesnel road but at a hefty cost to residents

City water connection will come with a mandatory cost of roughly $30,000 to each homeowner and a requirement to connect to the services.

The most discussed issue at last week’s council meeting was a proposal to bring water services to Quesnel road (between Nipissing & Dutrisac) in Sturgeon Falls.

While this may seem like a small matter, the financial implications could be substantial for affected residents.

Council was informed that a group of landowners on Quesnel have submitted a petition for a local improvement under Ontario legislation that would mean that homeowners bear the costs rather than the municipality.

The group has requested this improvement both in 2022 and 2023 and both times the project did not proceed as the costs were too high. The cost to bring municipal water to the 3200 metres of Quesnel road was estimated at $600,000 in 2022 and $854,000 in 2023. Now in 2024 staff estimate that the cost will be approximately $1,009,000 but this number does not include any technical studies or blasting that may be required.

This works out to $314 per metre of frontage. There are 28 properties on the road which will be forced to pay the $1M+ bill if this project proceeds.

According to Ontario legislation, if over 67% of residents on the stretch sign the petition, then the project is approved. Once the project goes forward, all residents must pay their share and connect to the new water line, regardless of their support for the petition.

This could leave some unwilling residents upset who may be on the hook for a $30,000 bill and an obligation to connect to city water.

Council heard last week that 73% of residents on the road had signed the latest petition which would be enough to go ahead.

However some councillors asked if all residents were made fully aware of what they were signing up for. Councillor Fern Pellerin noted that this would be a steep cost for someone who has a functioning well with no issues.

The clerk told council that a formal notice to each homeowner with the costs would be sent to all homeowner and they would have the opportunity to remove their names.

But the idea that these unwilling residents would still be forced to pay even though they may have a perfectly good well, left some councillors uncomfortable with the idea. Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon opined that council does not know the financial means of the unwilling residents and appeared not to support the idea of forcing residents to pay for something they didn’t ask for.

Councillor Kris Rivard who represents the residents on Quesnel supported the idea. He said that in the long term this is the right move for the municipality as it could mean more homes are built with more water and sewer revenue at a cost borne by the residents and not the municipality. He along with councillor Rolland Larabie also expressed support based on conversations they have had with two business owners on Quesnel. The local businesses are pushing for this connection in order to have working fire hydrants which will drastically affect their insurance premiums.

Councillor Rivard proposed that the municipality consider paying for part of the project but this was not met with any support with councillors noting that they have other priorities to deal with (i.e. Verner water) before investing in other water line improvements.

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