The City of Campbell River (the City) has reviewed and updated various fees and charges for City programs and services. These changes will come into effect on January 1, 2024.
“This is the first major fee update the City has conducted since 2014, and a great deal of consideration went into the review as we know that residents rely on many City services,” says Elle Brovold, City Manager. “Updating fees and charges will allow the City to continue to deliver a high quality of service to the residents of Campbell River, better align program and service delivery with costs and comparator communities’ offerings, and meet rising levels of inflation.”
These changes will generate increased fees and charges revenue during 2024, which will shift the cost burden from the general taxpayer to the user who’s benefitting from the services provided.
Some key changes to fees and charges for services provided by the City are outlined below.
Parks and Recreation Fees
- Ten-visit, monthly and yearly fitness memberships are being expanded to include racquetball, squash, wallyball, pickleball, badminton, drop-in basketball, soft tennis and table tennis.
- All new passes that have an activation date of 2024 will be sold at the new 2024 prices. New memberships activated before December 31, 2023, will be sold at the 2023 rates. Existing memberships that expire before December 31, 2023, and are activated with a start date of December 31, 2023, or earlier, will be renewed at the 2023 rates; memberships that are renewed with a start date in 2024 will be renewed at the new 2024 prices.
- Fitness and sport drop-in rates have been adjusted so that the same rate categories now apply to all drop-in activities. The rates for prime-time and non-prime-time court rentals will now stay the same all year long.
- Based on the success of a 2023 pilot project, child and youth drop-in admission fees at Centennial Outdoor Pool have been waived for the 2024 season. Adult and senior drop-in rates will still apply.
- Rental rates for facilities, parks and fields, are being adjusted. Rentals that have been pre-booked for 2024 are subject to new rental fees and reservation holders will be contacted individually.
For information about recreation fees, rates and membership, turn to page three of the Winter/Spring 2024 Campbell River Recreation Guide: campbellriver.ca/recreation-guide.
Water and Sewer Service Fees
- New sewer utility fees were added for miscellaneous services and for services to unblock pipes due to misuse, locate sewer infrastructure and connect constructed sanitary sewers to the City’s active infrastructure.
- Existing water-related service fees have been updated, including fees for services such as water turn-on and turn-off, engineering services, meter testing, labour charges and device rentals.
Curbside Collection
- The cost of a blue recycling bin purchased from the City has been set at $25.
- The price of garbage tags, which allow residents to put out extra garbage and yard waste above the regularly allowed amounts, will increase to $4. This fee change is intended to help cover increases in the costs of delivering curbside collection.
Many other user fees have been updated, including fees for fire services, police services, cemetery services, financial services and Freedom of Information requests. For more information, view the City’s updated fees and charges bylaws at campbellriver.ca/bylaw-search or email info@campbellriver.ca.
NEW FEES AND CHARGES TAKE EFFECT JANUARY 1 2024 - NEWS RELEASE - DECEMBER 2023