Municipal tipping fees are slated to increase by a significant degree on Jan. 1.
Although there are various user fees at the city’s landfill sites, one that sticks out is a per-tonne tipping fee hike of more than 27 per cent, from $106 per tonne to $135.
Other fee hikes are along similar lines, including a 100 kg or less flat fee hike of more than 21 per cent, from $3.50 to $4.25. This isn’t to be confused with the $5 gate fee, which remains in place unchanged.
These will be followed by additional hikes in 2027, which will bring the per-tonne tipping fee to $150.
As such, those interested in visiting a city landfill site would save some money by visiting a site before the end of the year.
Landfills, transfer stations and the Recycling Centre will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 but will be open on Dec. 26.
The tipping fee hikes join a plethora of other user fee increases taking effect on Jan. 1, the majority of which are around the three-per-cent mark.
Following city policy, tipping fee increases are the greater of three per cent or the latest year’s June Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index increase. Since the increase was 1.9 per cent, the three-per-cent hike stands.
The tipping fee hikes far exceed this three-per-cent overall target due to the city renewing “outdated pre-COVID contracts and managing aging asset infrastructure,” city staff explained in a question-and-answer document with city council during 2026 budget deliberations.
Retendering the landfill operating contract resulted in a 34-per-cent cost increase, and garbage tipping fees are set at 100-per-cent cost recovery and adjusted accordingly. Tipping fees aren’t covering the entire cost of the contract hike, which are also being absorbed through the costs associated with curbside collection.
During budget deliberations earlier this month, Ward 4 Coun. Pauline Fortin tabled a motion to cancel the tipping fee hikes at a cost of $1,330,000, but later withdrew it.
“My concern is, where is the money going to come from?” Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti said at the time, highlighting the chief point of concern in reaction to Fortin’s motion. “In this case, the tax levy.”
“I’m concerned,” Fortin said after announcing plans to withdraw her motion. “People will be unhappy, but at least we’ve had some kind of discussion on it.”