‘We’ve been heard’: Regina Smart Water Meter Alliance group meets with mayor

The Regina Smart Water Meter Alliance group said now is the time for residents to speak up if they’re having problems with their new water meter.

Members of the group recently met with Mayor Chad Bachynski to discuss their concerns about the newly installed meters.

Read More:

• Regina woman fed up with city’s response to smart meter concerns
• ‘Ripping people off’: Regina man on disability refuses to pay high water bills
• Regina citizens’ water bills climb after smart water meter upgrade

The City of Regina began its Water Meter Upgrade Project in October 2022.

Kathy Hachkewich said she’s proud of the group for standing together and using their voices to help others.

“This is the first time we’ve been heard,” she said.

“He gave us his commitment. He’s going to go through every single individual that has an issue until this is resolved, and we’re going to have a follow-up meeting with him too.”

She said members of the group were extremely grateful to the mayor for taking the time to listen to their concerns.

Hachkewich said now is the time to raise any concerns around the meters.

“If you have experienced incorrect billing, property damage during installation or disrespectful communication with city employees, it is now your responsibility to reach out and communicate your concerns,” Hachkewich said.

“Don’t be under the impression now that they’re just going to gaslight you again.”

The group sits around Hachkewich’s dining room table to chat about the issues they’ve had with smart water meters. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

She said the mayor has his work cut out for him.

Hachkewich herself doesn’t have the new water meter, and is advocating for an opt-out option.

“Nothing’s mandatory,” she said. “You need to understand that you just can’t be afraid. You just have to stand your ground.”

She said people should be allowed to opt out for any reason.

“It’s not whether or not the city is happy with that, it’s what the citizens want,” she said. “We elect them, and they work for us.”

Her advice to anyone with the new meter is to check their bills carefully.

“I’d strongly suggest that you talk to the city, because you’re being taken advantage of,” she said.

“It’s called theft, plain and simple.”

Discrepancies in bills

The group brought information, screenshots and articles to present to the mayor.

Grete Hansen brought in copies of her daughter’s water bill, saying she’s had the new water meter since May of 2024 and noticed a small but significant difference between the bills and the usage recorded.

Hansen added up the recorded usage of her daughter’s water bill, and said it doesn’t concur with what she was charged. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

According to the daily usage chart from February 10 to March 11, 2025, her meter recorded 7,249 litres of water used, but her bill showed 8,471 litres.

Hansen did the math, and that 1,222-litre difference equated to about $5.05 overcharged.

“I asked the mayor, ‘Would you notice $5.05?’ and he said ‘No.’ I said, ‘Exactly, but people who are penny pinching would notice a few dollars.'”

Grete Hansen said her daughter was charged $5.05 more than she should have been. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Hansen did some more math and calculated that the same discrepancy across 76,000 new meters would add up to $4.6 million.

“That is wrong,” she said.

She said she has concerns with the city’s three per cent meter discrepancy in its water bylaw.

She brought up Alan Bodnarchuk’s claims that he’s being overcharged.

“If the water meter registers more than three per cent, according to their bylaw (it) is deemed inaccurate,” she said.

“He shouldn’t have to pay this bill.”

The City of Regina’s water bylaw was analyzed by the group. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Hansen also brought up concerns with the meters’ battery life. She pointed to Toronto, which had 470,000 meters installed, though 150,000 of them failed years ahead of schedule.

She said she’s concerned the cost of replacing the meters when their batteries eventually die will ultimately fall on the taxpayers.

Hansen also does not have one of the new meters, and is fighting alongside Hachkewich and others for the opt-out option.

Citizens being used as “guinea pigs”

Julian Popa-Liesz didn’t know anything about the new smart water meters until the city sent a request to his mother about installing them.

He said his mother heard other people’s stories about complications with the meter, and refused the change. That’s when Popa-Liesz, who has a degree in systems engineering for software, started digging.

His main concern is with the fact the city didn’t do a pilot project.

“They’re experimenting with people’s money,” he said. “Essentially, it’s like guinea pigs.”

The group members gather frequently to share information with each other. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

While the smart meters aren’t a new invention, Popa-Liesz said a study should have been done under Saskatchewan conditions.

“These meters are calibrated out of the factory in perfect conditions,” he said. “Saskatchewan is different. We have different pressure in the pipe, different temperatures, different hardness (of the water),” Popa-Liesz explained.

Popa-Liesz said he wants the city to be more transparent about how the meters work and how accurate they are.

“If you have any credibility claims about your water meter, you have to pay for that,” he said. “You have to pay for them to take it from your house and go behind the sheets and then give it back to you and say, ‘Oh, it’s good.'”

He said it isn’t fair for the city to push these new meters on people when a pilot program wasn’t done.

“I understand that they want to replace these things and make it convenient and save the environment, but there are still consequences and accountability that have to be put in place to ensure that they actually do those things,” he said.

He also thinks people deserve an opt-out option.

Statement from Mayor

In an email from the mayor’s office, Bachynski said he heard the concerns of the alliance group and is looking into specific details.

“Administration will be addressing them directly with the residents,” he stated in an email.

The Water Meter Upgrade Project is about 98 per cent complete, with more than 76,000 meters replaced.

He said the meters provide “reliable and precise measurements of water usage for customers.”

“The new technology empowers residents to manage and conserve water by providing up-to-date water use, alerts for potential leaks, and notifications of planned water outages.”

If customers have any questions or concerns, they are encouraged to reach out to the customer support line at 306-777-7000.