The Queen Charlotte Management Committee will continue its long-time policy of making sewer pumps a homeowner's responsibility.
At the newly elected committee's first meeting last month, Duncan White asked the committee to reconsider that policy. Over the Christmas holiday, Mr. White had to pay about $1,500 for repair and replacement of his mother's sewer pump, and he wanted the committee to pay some, or all, of the bill.
Mr. White believes it's unfair for homeowners to bear the burden of sewer pump costs. The reason the pumps are required, he argues, is because the committee-to save money-chose to install a shallow sewer system that did not allow gravity feed from all homes when the system was created. This means about 20 homeowners in Queen Charlotte pay for maintenance and replacement of their pumps. It isn't fair for some residents to bear an extra cost so the rest can benefit from a cheaper system, says Mr. White.
At the January 22 meeting, the committee discussed the issue, and decided against changing their policy. In a letter to Mr. White, the committee said they would not assist him with the cost of replacing his mother's sewer pump.