By KEVIN BERGER
In a bid to cut down on the long wait times at the three potable water fill stations within the municipality, RM of Corman Park councillors recently approved a new set of fill station rates that will see commercial/high water users pay substantially more than other individual users.
During their February 24 meeting, RM councillors voted to add three user groups to the Water Utility Bylaw, each with their own rates for purchasing water at the three fill stations.
Effective May 1, 2026, individual users who own land in the RM will be charged $5.38 per cubic metre of water, while users who do not own land in Corman Park will pay $5.65 per cubic metre.
Commercial users and others who purchase over 400 cubic metres of water each year will now pay $7.06 per cubic metre. This new rate will not apply to agricultural users who purchase water for farming purposes.
As well, all three user groups will see an increase to their rates effective January 1, 2027.
Ratepayers who own land in the RM will pay $5.65 per cubic metre, while non-landowners will pay $5.93 per cubic metre and commercial/high end users will pay $7.41 per cubic metre.
The subject of long wait times at the RM’s three fill stations, particularly the north fill station located west of Warman, has been a topic of discussion for Corman Park councillors for some time now.
Back in January 2025, Councillor Steven Balzer said he had been contacted by a ratepayer who was frustrated with the hydrovac trucks lining up at the north fill station and filling up large vessels, forcing others to wait in line for long periods.
At their November 25, 2025 meeting, Corman Park councillors approved proceeding with an option to establish separate user groups with differing rates for the potable water fill stations.
Administration was directed to provide a follow-up report with proposed user groups and rate structures, which is what was presented on February 24.
Corman Park Project Engineer Jessica Williams noted the current rate charged for all users is $5.38 per cubic metre of water, which had been in place since July 15, 2019.
Administration’s proposal was to keep the rate the same this year for ratepayers who own land in the RM and impose a 5% increase in 2027.
Individuals who do not own land in the RM would pay a 5% increase over the previous group in both 2026 and 2027, while commercial/high water users would pay 25% more than the non-landowner group in both 2026 and 2027.
Williams suggested the RM expects to see a profit of roughly $37,601 from operating the fill stations in 2025.
Assuming that there is a 4% increase in expenses relating to the operation of these fill stations (ie. wages, utilities, supplies and so forth), the RM will see its profit margins increase to about $57,966 in 2026 and $61,169 in 2027 if these new rates are implemented.
Williams said administration will be able to create the three user groups within the Text2Car fob system that is used to pay for water at the fill stations. They can also utilize the Text2Car system to notify the various users who have an account about these changes.
Williams said administration would also like to modify the Water Utility Bylaw to require anyone who wishes to use the potable fill stations to purchase a fob from the RM office. As well, they want to add in a section to the bylaw stating that the municipality is not responsible for the quality of water at the fill stations, and any personal consumption is at the user’s own risk.
“This is also posted at the fill stations currently,” Williams said.
This graphic, which was included with the agenda for the February 24 council meeting, shows the location of the three water fill stations in the RM of Corman Park.