FAQs

An MSC is a corporation whose shares and voting rights are owned by a municipality or by a municipality and one or more other public sector entities. The proposed MSC will be fully owned by the Township of Mapleton.

An MSC provides a system, service or thing that the municipality itself could provide. MSCs can only operate within the geographic boundaries of a municipality with the permission of the municipality in question. The proposed MSC will operate within the boundaries of the Township of Mapleton.

Establishment of an MSC allows the Township to continue to own and manage their water and wastewater assets efficiently and effectively with long-term sustainability in mind.

• The MSC is a self-sustaining entity where ‘utilities pay for utilities’ which is in line with how the Township currently operates its water and wastewater assets. The key difference is that liabilities and revenues associated with the water and wastewater assets will be separated from the township's other assets, providing additional transparency to the ratepayers, and clearly showing how the MSC's assets are managed and paid for. This also provides a structure that allows for the timely delivery of planned and future capital projects, allowing the required funds to be brought into the MSC to deliver these projects. 
• The MSC is governed by a skills-based Board of Directors. This will help the MSC’s assets remain sustainable and well managed in the long-term.
• The MSC allows for financial flexibility, allowing debt financing to be brought in to support upcoming capital investments for the water and wastewater infrastructure.

Yes, the Township explored a variety of delivery options for over a year. Significant due diligence was performed by the Township, vetting various approaches. Utilizing an MSC to deliver water and wastewater services to the Township aligned the closest with the Townships goals and objectives which included:

• Retaining public ownership and governance over the water and wastewater services,
• Establishing a structure that would allow the water and wastewater services to be well governed and sustainable in the long-term, and
• Establishing a structure which allowed for additional debt to be secured to deliver capital projects for the water and wastewater infrastructure.

The Township maintains full and exclusive ownership of Northern Maple Utilities and holds all voting shares.

The MSC is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Township, consisting of members including elected officials, key Township staff, a private-sector representative and independent community members. The Township maintains full ownership and majority representation on the Board, ensuring the MSC remains a publicly controlled entity.

The Township can create an MSC under the provisions of the Municipal Act, Section 203 and Ontario Regulation 559/06 Municipal Services Corporations.

As the Township’s community grows and its water and wastewater infrastructure ages, improved performance and expanded capacity from existing systems is necessary. The establishment of the MSC will provide the financial resources and technical expertise needed to successfully expand these services. Beyond the immediate capital projects required for the system, the MSC will ensure sustainability of these assets and future capital upgrades for years to come.

The MSC is responsible for all water and wastewater systems currently operated by the Township. This includes operations, renewal and capital upgrades associated with the systems.

The Township would continue to deliver the same services it has always provided. Without the MSC, the Council would face difficult decisions regarding capital priorities required for development within the community due to the municipality’s limited access to funding.

Yes, other municipalities have created MSCs to deliver various utility services, however each MSC has its own approach to the management and delivery of its services. Some examples include: The Township of Oro-Medonte, City of Guelph, City of North Bay, Town of Welland, Town of Innisfil, and the Town of Midland.