Vancouver considers water meters

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – People buying new homes in Vancouver may soon have another expense added to their list: water meters. It’s back on the agenda at City Hall.

Peter Simpson with the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association says he’s not opposed to water meters being installed in Vancouver homes, he just believes the meters should not be limited to new homes, duplexes and those renovating.

“If they’re serious about water consumption they should really look at ways to reduce the cost of the installations of the meters. ” He says the cost of a home in Vancouver is already astronomical. “Government fees, taxes and levies amount to about 20 per cent of the cost of a new home these days”

He suggests some incentives to get others to install the meters would be a good idea.

Mayor Gregor Robertson says there will be fines but that shouldn’t be considered as a moneymaker for the city. “The fines are just to deal with the bad actors and make sure the people who are abusing the system and overusing water actually feel some heat on it.”

Robertson is calling water metering a phase-in situation starting with new home construction. He says over time in Vancouver, the system may go universal.

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