Water and Wastewater Operational and Resourcing Structure Review
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Project Overview
The Town of Penetanguishene is undertaking a review of its water and wastewater operational and resourcing structure to address ongoing labour challenges and ensure the long-term sustainability of these essential services.
Currently, water and wastewater services operate as separate teams with dedicated resources. While limited structural changes wereContinue reading
Project Overview
The Town of Penetanguishene is undertaking a review of its water and wastewater operational and resourcing structure to address ongoing labour challenges and ensure the long-term sustainability of these essential services.
Currently, water and wastewater services operate as separate teams with dedicated resources. While limited structural changes were implemented earlier in 2025, continuing with a dual‑team model is no longer considered sustainable. Factors such as staffing pressures, operational resilience, and long-term viability have prompted the Town to explore alternative service delivery models.
Two primary options will be presented to Town Council:
Full amalgamation of Water and Wastewater operations under continued Town management – Combining Water and Wastewater operations under the Town, creating one cross-trained, consolidated team to address staffing challenges and increase resilience.
Outsourcing to a third-party organization – Outsourcing water, wastewater or both combined operations to one external provider. Under this potential model, the third-party organization would determine its required staffing levels.
Our goal with this process is to enhance service quality, address province-wide labour shortages, improve response times to customers, and share workloads among resources. Financial impacts will be assessed during the review, however, minimizing taxpayer impact remains a priority for the Town and our Council.
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section below has been developed to address questions and concerns currently circulating within the community. It is intended to provide clear, accurate, and consistent information about the review process, the options being considered, and what this may mean for residents. By sharing verified facts in one place, the Town aims to ensure everyone has access to the same information and can better understand the purpose, scope, and next steps of this project.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
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Yes. Both models are successfully implemented in many other communities. In particular, several towns and townships in our local region have recently transitioned to private third‑party service models and have seen strong results, with minimal to no impact on costs to taxpayers.
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Costs and service delivery level will be evaluated throughout the process; however, Council and our senior leadership team have been clear that the chosen direction will NOT have a major impact on residential tax bills. Our goal is to keep costs consistent and stable over time, while finding efficiencies, addressing labour challenges and enhancing services for residents.
It is important to note that maintaining the current model - with two separate in‑house teams - has the potential to require increased budgets and higher costs for taxpayers if no changes are made.
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Any inquiries regarding the water and wastewater operational review process can be directed to Jeff Lees, Bryan Murray or Christine Heighton.
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The Town will ensure sufficient time is given for careful and comprehensive consideration. It is anticipated that final options will be submitted to Council in April of 2026, with implementation scheduled for later in the year.
All relevant factors, including staffing, will be taken into account to ensure a smooth transition of the approved option. The timeline may be influenced by staffing circumstances.
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The Town will continue to have the authority to respond and act upon service level concerns with water and wastewater operations if a third party operational model is selected.
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The quality of the water and wastewater services provided to residents and businesses will be maintained by the Town through the implementation of the selected service model.
Water and Wastewater quality requirements, as outlined in provincial and federal legislation, will continue to be adhered to by the municipality.
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The current structure of water and wastewater operations is no longer sustainable due to challenges such as staff attrition, provincial labour shortages, and concerns about long-term viability. The Town is exploring alternatives to ensure effective, efficient, and sustainable service delivery.
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Since February of 2025, water and wastewater services were consolidated into an Environmental Services Division. This change was made to focus on improving service delivery and sustainability.
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Full amalgamation under Town management: This would combine water and wastewater operations into one cross-trained, consolidated team, aiming to address staffing challenges and increase resilience.
Outsourcing to a third-party organization: This would involve contracting water, wastewater, or both operations to an external provider. Often, these organizations retain existing municipal staff depending on the operation impacted to ensure that local knowledge of existing water and wastewater systems is maintained.
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No, the review of the service models will include a comprehensive analysis of many factors which will be guided by environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, operational continuity and financial sustainability.
Water and Wastewater Operational and Resourcing Structure Review is currently at this stage
Under Review
this is an upcoming stage for Water and Wastewater Operational and Resourcing Structure Review
Quantitative Review and Analysis of OCWA Proposal Submissions and Alternative Operational Models.
Final report
this is an upcoming stage for Water and Wastewater Operational and Resourcing Structure Review
The final outcomes of the consultation are documented here. This may include a summary of all contributions collected as well as recommendations for future action.
