On November 15, 2016, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario issued a report, “Urban Stormwater Fees: How to Pay for What We Need (report ; media release). The report notes that Ontario municipalities now face a $6.8 billion deficit to fix existing stormwater infrastructure and accommodate future growth. As a first step, the government should require all municipalities to prepare asset management plans for both their grey (pipes, drains) and green (wetlands, green roofs, rain gardens etc.) stormwater infrastructure.
Commissioner Dianne Saxe further called on the government to provide better support to municipalities that want to charge a separate stormwater fee, citing innovative approaches in Kitchener-Waterloo and Mississauga.