Coquitlam pensioner calls on council to allow deferment of utility fees

Living with his wife and his disabled son, Jerome Spitz is having a tough time making enough money to stay in his home.

After recently receiving a utility bill for $1,735, Spitz, 85, recently asked Coquitlam council to take a “courageous position” and allow seniors to defer paying utility fees.

“There are thousands like me who need some relief,” he said.

Approximately 2,500 Coquitlam homeowners defer their property taxes, according to staff. The program allows eligible owners including seniors and people with disabilities to put off paying property taxes. As part of the arrangement, the province puts a lien on the property.

Spitz said he’s taken the issue to the province and was told the city could classify utility fees as property taxes, allowing for the deferment.

That’s not accurate, according to Mayor Richard Stewart, who said utility fees were specifically separated from property taxes.

“I worry when a provincial agency tells a resident that the city can break the law and no one will catch them,” he said. “We cannot allow you to defer utilities.”

Stewart added that he favoured the change, saying he’d be “leading the parade” if the province adjusted the rules.

“At the end of the day, it’s a deferred payment that’s registered against the property. The province has the mechanism to register and collect. The cities don’t,” agreed Coun. Craig Hodge.

Hodge suggested council write a letter to the province advocating for utility fees to be deferred.

Given that they both fund city services, Spitz argued that utility fees are property taxes.

While he’s met with several people, Spitz said he’s yet to get any traction on the issue.

“I’ve received a lot of sympathy from the seniors advocate, from the ombudsperson and from the MLA,” he said. “But sympathy is not really making the paycheques.”