Silverhawk raises their rates yet again!

In 2021 we are seeing an additional 15%!

When is ….ENOUGH just not ENOUGH?

Tell our government that an unregulated 28% increase over 2 years is OUTRAGEOUS!

GET INVOLVED and voice your concerns!

In our previous newsletter we asked our members and the community at large to undertake a couple of simple steps to ensure that Minister Conroy and our MLA, Harwinder Sandhu understood that our community has had ENOUGH of sky-high unregulated sewer bills.

We would like to thank those of you who have written in as requested, but NOWHERE NEARLY ENOUGH OF YOU have done so to make the impact required!

We get it… “it’s a pain to find this year’s Provincial tax bill” or there will be other people who will not write in… “I don’t need to, others will”.

We need every member of the community to undertake the steps outlined in our previous newsletter. Follow this link so that you can play your part in supporting the Enough is Enough campaign.

https://www.sspoa.ca/silverhawk-enough-enough/

Not outraged enough to take the time to join the Enough is Enough Campaign? Continue reading to find out why this is only going to get a whole lot worse if we don’t start to mobilize more effectively NOW.

Yes, our high sewer rates are going to be higher yet again. Silverhawk’s Invoice you just received for 2020 usage shows a 13% increase with the fixed fee for a residential house or vacant lot increased to $942.89 and the metered rate go to $8.80 per cubic meter. For a house with a typical annual seasonal water use of 100 m3 their sewer bill will be $1,822.89. For a full-time house at 250 m3 your bill will be $3143.

The last SSPOA Newsletter had used the Silverhawk Tariff that was published on their website this spring showing a 15 % rate increase. The invoices were delivered with a 13%increase. The Tariff posted July 1, 2021, shows that the 2021 rates are $1,092.37 per annum fixed  and 2021 Usage Rate going to $10.12 per Cubic Meter. Next Year that 100 m3 sewer bill will be $2104 and the full-time house will be $3622

New Information for Condominium Owners

Look at your Strata Association’s sewer bill and you will see that a studio unit is paying $555 for their proportionate share based on usage of 26 m3/ year.  Now compare that to a detached single-family house (based on 100m3 per annum) in other areas of BC:

Vernon $396                                                   Cranbrook $240 (flat rate)

Kelowna $238                                                 West Vancouver $414

Salmon Arm $377                                           Maple Ridge $393

How does the rate for a small condo used seasonally, end up costing more than a 3 bedroom house elsewhere in BC?  Is it reasonable that a Condominium is being charged 72% of their Property Taxes?

The SSPOA has written to the Honourable Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLINRD) to add to our exiting complaints that we made to her predecessor MLA Doug Donaldson. Minister Conroy took over the FLINRD ministry after the last election. You can see that letter at

https://www.sspoa.ca/wp-content/uploads//Letter-to-Minister-Katrine-Conroy-May-19-2021-2.pdf

Help persuade our elected officials that action is needed to stop this monopolistic abuse by Silverhawk. Take a moment to send your invoices to Minister Conroy and our MLA.

REMEMBER: Only as a group will we be large enough to be heard!

Your Board of Directors
Silver Star Property Owner's Association