Guelph residents should prepare for a busy spring on local roads as several construction projects get underway across the city, while also noting upcoming changes to how they pay for water services.
A series of road closures are currently impacting traffic throughout the community. Work is underway on Wyndham Street, which saw a full closure beginning March 30 as part of an effort to replace century-old water and sewer infrastructure. Additionally, Nottingham Street near Gordon Street is closed for roughly one week starting April 13 for water service improvements. Looking ahead, College Avenue West is slated for a full closure starting April 21 to accommodate infrastructure upgrades. Drivers should also be aware that construction is impacting travel on Gosling Gardens and Landsdown Drive throughout the month of April.
Beyond road work, the City of Guelph has announced a significant shift in utility billing that will take effect in the summer of 2026. Residents will move from a combined billing system to receiving two separate statements: one for electricity from Alectra Utilities and a new, standalone bill for water, wastewater, and stormwater services directly from the city.
Under the new billing model, the city will bill property owners directly, phasing out the practice of billing tenants for water use. The city notes that this change is intended to improve transparency and assist with the collection of outstanding balances. To support this transition, the city is moving to an in-house billing system, a project that is estimated to have an annual cost of $700,000.
Residents who currently use pre-authorized payments for their combined bills must take action to continue the service. The city requires these customers to re-register for pre-authorized debits at guelph.ca/waterbill to ensure their accounts remain up to date once the new billing system is active.
These administrative changes follow updates to utility rates that were implemented on January 1, 2026. Current charges include $2.63 per cubic metre for water, $2.33 per cubic metre for wastewater, and a monthly fee of $11.20 for stormwater services.
