Provincial User Fees to Increase

To better recover the cost and ensure consistent delivery of important government programs and services, the province will increase user fees and charges by two per cent.

The increase, which reflects the cumulative rate of inflation, (-0.2 per cent in 2009 and +2.2 per cent in 2010) will take effect April 1.

"User fees help provide important services that Nova Scotians count on," said Finance Minister Graham Steele. "I can assure Nova Scotians that we continue to look for cost-effective ways of delivering these services to them."

The increase will apply to most fees for services, licensing and regulatory functions by departments. Fees for government service organizations, such as school boards and health authorities, will not be affected.

Some fees will not increase at all, including ambulance services, electrical charges in senior and family public housing, laundry fees in senior public housing, as well as requests for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

A small number of fees will increase by more than two per cent, including:

• Natural Resources, camping trailer sewage disposal fees from $5.34 to $6.00 (first increase since 2007)
• Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, single trip ferry tickets from $5.00 to $5.25 (two per cent increase rounded to the next quarter to reduce small change)

There are about 1,400 fees charged by government departments. This increase will generate about $3.4 million in additional revenue. The last fee increase, at three per cent, was in April 2009.

Some increases will be implemented at a later date because of notification and system requirements.

A detailed summary of user-fee increases, including effective dates, is available at www.gov.ns.ca/finance.