(With files from release)

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore is calling on regulators to scale back Halifax Water’s plan to raise water rates by 36.6%, saying the increase would hit households and businesses already struggling with affordability.

In a letter sent ahead of hearings at the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, Fillmore said his office has been flooded with more than 2,000 emails from residents opposing the hike.

“The scale and impact of this proposed hike is clearly scary to them,” he wrote. “When coupled with ongoing affordability challenges … an increase of this magnitude will be more than many can bear.”

The mayor said concerns came from families “already stretched to the limit,” seniors on fixed incomes, renters worried about higher rents, small businesses with tight margins, and community groups that “already struggle to meet the needs of the people they serve.”

The mayor urged that the application be subject to “the highest level of scrutiny possible” and that “every effort should be made to limit the amount of any increase.”

He pointed to a proposal from the Rental Housing Providers of Nova Scotia that would cap rate increases at 5% annually for the next five years. That’s far below Halifax Water’s request to apply the full 36.6% increase by April 1, 2026.

“A rate increase of this magnitude is more than a technical adjustment; it represents a significant financial burden for thousands of households and small businesses already struggling with affordability pressures,” Fillmore said.

He added that affordable water service “is a public necessity, not a luxury,” and said the approach must balance Halifax Water’s need to maintain infrastructure with the financial realities facing residents.

The hearings at the NSUARB are scheduled to begin September 15.

(With files from release)