The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is pleased to announce that work is underway on a potential subsidy for residential water bills for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This initiative is part of the MCK’s ongoing efforts to support Kahnawa’kehró:non and provide financial relief to eligible community members.
While still preliminary, the plan thus far is for the water bill subsidy to be made available to members of the Kahnawà:ke Kanien’kehá:ka Registry whose accounts are in good standing and who meet certain eligibility criteria yet to be finalized.
The existing $59 water fee helps offset the total maintenance costs of the water and sewer network, totaling approximately $2.6M per fiscal year, with maintenance representing $500K of that. To connect a new home to the water and sewer network, it costs approximately $34K per connection. The total amount received from annual household water and sewer payments is approximately $140K.
While the subsidy would exempt eligible community members from paying the fee, the costs to maintain the infrastructure do not change and existing contributions made by community members must be allocated from elsewhere.
“Thanks to the income that was generated through the sale of Mohawk Online, finances are now available to offer this one-time subsidy to the community,” said Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. “This subsidy reflects our commitment to the well-being of Kahnawa’kehró:non and we are pleased to make this financial relief possible for those who are eligible.”
“On a weekly basis, the Council of Chiefs receive feedback on how the MCK should find more ways to assist community members,” added Ratsénhaienhs Arnold Boyer, lead on Infrastructure, Transport & Operations. “Both the Council of Chiefs and the Executive Office have worked diligently on exploring this subsidy in the interest of ensuring that our residents can access essential services without additional financial burden.”
The MCK encourages all eligible Kahnawa’kehró:non to ensure their accounts are in good standing before the March 31, 2025 deadline. Additional details on the subsidy will be provided as they become available.
