BLARE Files Court Application for Fair Water & Wastewater Rates in Ramara Township
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept 29, 2026
BLARE has reached a major milestone in its work to secure fair and equitable water and wastewater costs for residents of Brechin and Lagoon City.
After ten months of research, document assembly, and legal preparation, counsel at Loopstra Nixon LLP has filed a Notice of Application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Notice of Application has been served on the Township of Ramara. We feel we are in good hands.
The court filing can be viewed here:
Court File No./N° du dossier du greffe : CV-26-00003300-0000
Why this counsel matters
Loopstra Nixon is the same firm that succeeded for Lagoon City residents in the long-running shorewall litigation — the matter in which the Court found the Township acted in bad faith — and that has been involved in the subsequent contempt proceedings against the Township. This is experienced municipal counsel.
What the Application is about
Ramara operates more than one wastewater system. Those systems have never been physically connected, serve different communities, and have different capital and operating needs. The Township previously treated water, wastewater, and development charges on an area-specific basis. The current Rate By-Law pools costs Township-wide and imposes large, multi-year increases resulting from improvements to the Bayshore Village Sewage Works. This means residents of Brechin and Lagoon City improperly are being charged for services they do not receive.
Ontario law does not allow a municipality to charge residents for a service it does not provide to them, or for works from which they will receive no benefit. That is the issue before the Court.
If the Court grants the relief sought, the Rate By-Law would be quashed and the Township could not collect the rates set out in it. The Township would need to pass a new by-law that is compliant with law in order to collect service rates, including related operating costs. The Notice of Application does not set out a fixed dollar claim or a list of past amounts to be repaid. Members should read the filing itself.
~$6,350/year or $120/week by 2033
