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- New motion seeks to look into water metering in Vancouver
New motion seeks to look into water metering in Vancouver
The councillor introducing the motion believes water metering will be more equitable for residents.

After writing about Vancouver for over two years, one story I’ve written every year is about water issues throughout the spring and summer — household usage, electricity generation, drought, you name it. So it’s not that surprising to hear the latest news.
What happened: A motion will be debated at council this week, introduced by ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung. would look into water usage metering for all homes and buildings, according to the Vancouver Sun. Metering means that homes and buildings would be charged based on how much water they use, like electricity.
Background: The province has also been looking into this. The 2024 Budget had $50 million for piloting water metering in 21 B.C. communities, according to CityNews. Drought severity is only getting worse.
The entire Metro Vancouver region uses around a billion litres a day, or about 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Metro Vancouver residents per capita use more water than any other urban area in Canada, according to the Vancouver Sun.
An issue of equity: New buildings all have metering, but older ones don’t, and around 13 percent of single-family homes have a metered connection. As pointed out by Kirby-Yung, the flat rate fee Vancouver have right now means that those with large yards, pools and big gardens are subsidized by everyone else’s fees.
The evidence: Over in Richmond, which has had metering since 2018, water demand dropped 35 percent, according to an analysis by the Vancouver Sun. West Vancouver is one of the few places with universal metering, achieved back in 2007, and was associated with a drop of 44 percent in demand.
Other benefits include reducing the need to expand water infrastructure and the reduction in the purchase of bulk water from Metro Vancouver Regional District, at a cost of $100 million in 2024.
Back in March, experts called for this to be adopted provincewide as a way to fight back against drought conditions that have plagued the province and the region in recent summers, according to Global.
Zoom out: Burnaby debated a similar motion in December. Costs were pegged for metering the entire city at between $70 million and $250 million, according to the Burnaby Beacon. One councillor called it a “very expensive data collection system.” You can read all about the city’s deliberations here, with the council approving the plan.
What’s next: Kirby-Yung’s motion will be introduced this week. If approved, a report about timelines, costs, and ways to encourage adoption will be delivered at the end of April. Given the trends around the region and the province, it would be surprising if councillors didn’t approve the motion.