Hamilton residents who have been paying their water bills through pre-authorized payments will have to re-enroll with the city before April 1, 2026, as Alectra Utilities transitions away from the role.
Alectra, which was formed in 2017 after Horizon Utilities merged with four other companies, has handled water billing for the City of Hamilton since that time.
Alectra is a municipally-owned corporation which serves 17 communities, including Barrie, Brampton, Guelph, Hamilton, Markham, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, St. Catharines, and Vaughan.
The utility informed the City of Hamilton in 2021 that they would cease delivering water bills for the municipality as their contract was set to expire in December 2024, and they reasoned that they are too busy to continue with the service.
Alectra extended their contract with the city temporarily until the end of March 2026, with the handover of water-billing activities set to take place at that time.
On April 1, 2026, the City of Hamilton’s newly established Hamilton Utilities Billing (HUB) team will take over water meter reading, billing, and customer service.
Alectra will continue to focus on electricity delivery. It should also be noted that account numbers and payment methods for electricity will remain unchanged.
However, the water bill transition means that the approximately 55,000 Alectra customers who currently pay their water bills through pre-authorized debit will have to re-enroll with Hamilton Utilities Billing.
The city says that although the transition takes place on April 1, residents should enroll for pre-authorized payments before March 1, 2026, in order “to allow sufficient processing time.”
The City of Hamilton says that they sent out automated phone calls and mailers with instructions to residents back in December.
The automated phone calls reportedly alerted residents to expect a letter from the city on how to enroll with Hamilton Utilities Billing, with the letter then including detailed instructions.
In February 2026, all Hamilton Utilities water customers will then receive a welcome letter by mail with further information about the transition.
The city says that anyone who does not enroll in pre-authorized payments before March 1 will be responsible for paying their bills manually via another available payment option and that failure to pay on time “may result in late fees or collection activity.”
The pre-authorized payment form can be found here on the City of Hamilton’s website, and must be either mailed to Hamilton Utilities Billing or emailed to hamiltonutilitiesbilling@hamilton.ca.
After April 1, 2026, Hamilton residents will be able to create their online account with Hamilton Utilities Billing at myhub.hamilton.ca.
The City of Hamilton appears to be working with SpryPoint, a software company based in Prince Edward Island, to facilitate water billing.
SpryPoint was founded in 2012 by utility “industry veterans” and now reportedly serves over 100 utility clients across North America and the Caribbean.
They have an American office in Atlanta, Georgia and were recently named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Canada.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
