Frustrated landlords in Cambridge are taking their water bill dispute to Queen's Park.
The dispute began after the city passed regulations that would make landlords responsible for their tenant's unpaid water and sewage bills. Council eventually decided that tenants must pay a $230 deposit to cover the cost of any unpaid water and sewage bills, with landlords responsible for any outstanding amount.
At the last council meeting another motion to discuss the issue was quashed. So a group called Landlords Directory, run by Gordon Wellsbury, has taken the issue to Queen's Park. "I'm hoping that they'll use Section 400 of the Municipal Act to put a part in there that says municipalities are not allowed to do this," he says.
However Cambridge Councillor Donna Reid says landlords are more than capable of dealing with this problem. "Make sure you are on top of it with your tenants," she says. "There aren't a lot of tenants who pay their own water bills. Most of them, it's included in their rent. So for those where it's not in the rent, make a business plan that includes that."
Wellsbury has yet to hear from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, but says he won't give up until the rules have changed.
Councillor Reid says the city will re-examine the water bill issue in one year.
