The City of Bathurst is revving up its collection efforts this spring, going as far as hiring an extra employee just to track down money owed to the city.

So many water and sewage bills aren't being paid that city officials say the new position is likely permanent.

Landlord Greg Bossé says it has been an expensive winter, especially for heating and water bills.

"I have three buildings, a total of 54 apartments. And it's costing me somewhere in the vicinity of $1,400 or $1,500 a month, every month for water," he said.

City manager Andre Doucet says some people just aren't paying.

"Thirty-nine per cent of all our receivables are, we call, delinquent, meaning they're overdue," he said. "So in monetary terms, that represents close to $700,000. So we have one full-time employee that handles 4,000."

This year, the number of unpaid invoices is climbing, so the city is hiring another person full-time, dedicated solely to collections.

Common to stop paying in winter

Doucet says he understands it been a tough couple years in Bathurst with the closing of the Brunswick mine in 2013, but he says the city needs to be paid.

"It's ongoing," he said. "We used to have people that in order for us to be paid, they'd have to refinance through the bank. And that's fine. They pay us the full amount so we get paid. But what happens is they wait a year, two years, and they refinance again."

The city says it's common for residents to stop paying during the winter. Their outstanding debt collects interest, but water stays on while it's cold.

This May, one employee from Public Works will also be assigned to flagging meters and, eventually, shutting water off.

Bossé says it sounds harsh, especially given the area's economics but admits the city has to make ends meet.

"They're in the same situation as I am," he said. "There's so much money coming in and there's so much money coming out. So it's just a snowball effect."