New City of Vancouver Street Cleaning Utility Fee

Most of our City of Vancouver clients will be surprised to see a new “STREET CLEANING” fee appear on their annual utility bill.  The cost is $19 per Residential Strata Lot.  There was no formal announcement about this new fee, it simply appeared on the annual utility bill.  For some of our clients, this will represent a rather significant expenditure- reaching into the thousands of dollars for units of 50+.

We received no advance notice of the new fee, nor did any Strata Corporations to our knowledge.  In other words, there was no opportunity to budget for it, so unfortunately the extra cost will simply have to be absorbed into existing operating budgets and included in future ones.

Upon receiving the first of these invoices, we reached out to the City to express our concerns.  Below is their response and explanation on the new fee (note the absence of an apology/explanation for why it wasn’t announced in advance).  Also included is contact information for the City, for those interested in expressing feedback/dissatisfaction with the new fee or any other matter.

Thank you for contacting the City of Vancouver.

In an effort to reduce illegal dumping and create cleaner and safer public spaces, Council has approved investments in public realm cleanliness. These investments will be partially funded by a new Street Cleaning Utility fee which begins in 2017. Under Council’s direction, savings from the recycling transition to Multi-Material BC have been redirected to provide all residents with additional street cleaning services, with added support in high demand neighbourhoods where illegal dumping and cleanliness continue to be an issue. The Street Cleaning Utility fee is a cost effective option for the City to efficiently manage and reduce waste over the long term.

Enhanced Street Cleaning Services

-Large Item Collection Pilot Program which may accept mattresses, furniture and appliances; -Quicker response times to overflowing receptacles, illegal dumping or abandoned garbage (27 new staff added);

-300 new litter receptacles added to hot spot and high-demand areas city-wide; -Added focus on litter and needle collection close to schools and residential areas (such as Strathcona, Kensington/Cedar Cottage and Grandview Woodland); -New recycling and waste diversion programs added to public spaces; -Increased enforcement through ticketing to address illegal dumping.

If you require further assistance, please contact us at:

3-1-1 (within Vancouver)

604.873.7000 (outside Vancouver)

We are open to take your call from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, 7 days/week, 365 days/year (including holidays). We also offer interpretation services in over 170 languages.

We invite you to visit our website for information on City online services, tools and mobile apps at: http://vancouver.ca/online-services

You can also report an issue or request a service online at: http://vancouver.ca/vanconnect-desktop.aspx

 

 

Regards,

 

City of Vancouver

3-1-1 Contact Centre