Stormwater Charge

The stormwater charge is a new user fee that will be used to fund Newmarket's Stormwater Management program. The water and wastewater charge is part of the Newmarket portion of your NT Power bill. The water and wastewater charge is used to fund the maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure and separate from the storm drain infrastructure. Learn more about water and wastewater in Newmarket.

Stormwater from your property that doesn't flow into the Town's storm drains means that your stormwater runoff is not controlled by any stormwater infrastructure. To make up for the lack of controls in your area, additional controls need to be placed elsewhere in the Town.

There are currently no credits towards the stormwater charge for residential properties. However, the Town is offering a subsidized backyard tree-planting program for residents as a thank you for being environmentally conscious. 

To extend our appreciation, the Town is partnering with a community organization, (LEAF) Local Enhancement and Appreciation and the Regional Municipality of York to offer highly subsidized backyard tree plantings to Newmarket residents.

 Any Newmarket resident who would like a backyard tree can contact LEAF directly. The Town will cover an additional $100 towards the purchase prices of one tree per property through this already subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program.​

Yes, there is a credit program for commercial and industrial property owners. More information on the credit program can be viewed here​.

Other municipalities such as the Town of Aurora, Town of Richmond Hill, City of Markham, City of Mississauga, City of Ottawa and the City of Waterloo are just a few examples of municipalities who have a stormwater management fee/charge.

If you feel there are inaccuracies during the process of calculating your stormwater charge due to the property size noted by your property assessment, please call MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporate) at Toll Free 1-866-296-MPAC (6722) to have the property size recalculated. Otherwise, please note that only properties that are exempt from user fees under legislation are eligible to appeal their stormwater charge. For more information, call the Town of Newmarket at 905-895-5193.

Yes, all charges on your NT Power bill are expected to be paid in full. However, we encourage tenants to speak with their landlord about the stormwater sharge as the charge was previously issued through property taxes. If you have further questions regarding the stormwater charge, please give the Town of Newmarket a call at 905-895-5193 or email info@newmarket.ca

If you are a tenant that is moving, and closing your NT Power Account, please speak with your landlord about the remaining amounts for the stormwater charge to ensure all funds are settled prior to closing the account.

Unpaid amounts may transfer to the property owner's tax account for collection and apply an administrative fee as stipulated under Section 398 of the Municipal Act, 2001. S.O. 2001, Chapter 25.

The stormwater charge was introduced in 2017 and was previously collected with property taxes. However, it was found in 2018 that showing the Stormwater Charge as a Special Charge on the property tax bill was not in compliance with two pieces of legislation: 

1. Ontario Regulation 75/01 of the Municipal Act, 2001, being a regulation that sets out the form and content required for tax notices.

2. s.326 of the Municipal Act, 2001 which outlines the requirements for a Special Service. Provincial legislation takes precedence over municipal by-laws, and therefore the Stormwater charge must be billed in an alternate way, and not on the property tax bill. 

In this case, the hydro and water bill (NT Power Bill).

The shift to collecting the stormwater charge on the NT Power bill allows the Town to streamline the collection process to keep all water-related charges on one bill, provide transparency on the charge, and ease of payment for residents.

The yearly stormwater charge is determined by Newmarket Council and discussed as part of the budget process.

The stormwater charge is collected on the NT Power Bill. When you close your NT Power account because you are selling your property you will be responsible for the entire stormwater charge for the year. The final owing amount for the stormwater charge will be noted on your Final Bill – however you can recover these costs through your real estate lawyer.

When selling a home, similar to how the homeowner is required to finalize and settle payments for their property taxes and other utility bills, the resident can recover the stormwater cost from the new homeowner through their real estate lawyer. Your lawyer will be able to determine the appropriate stormwater charge amount to pass onto the new homeowner based on the transfer of ownership date, and the amount that has been paid for by the previous owner through a statement of adjustment.