A Saskatoon woman got a shock when she received a bill for electricity the city claimed she used 15 years ago.

"I had actually paid my monthly bill, so getting this overdue notice saying, 'You're in arrears, we're going to cut your power off' … seemed a little strange," Becky Campbell told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

She said the invoice, from Saskatoon Light and Power, showed an outstanding owing amount of about $735.

"I assumed it was a mistake," she added.

Given it was not a debt that I had incurred, I thought there has to be some sort of statute of limitations. - Becky Campbell

Campbell said her initial thought, living in an apartment building, was that there was a mix-up with the billing and that it was meant for someone in a suite nearby.

But when she inquired about the fees, city workers assured her that it was indeed her bill.

"They told me it was an outstanding amount from late 2002, early 2003," she explained, adding that they closed her account in April 2003.

"That's actually not possible because I moved out of that address in January 2003."

Campbell said she remembered calling the city to let them know when she moved out and that the account would carry on under her then-roommate's name.

Becky Campbell assumed it was a mistake when she got an electricity bill showing she owed $735 for power she used 15 years ago. (Rosalie Woloski/CBC)

Regardless of what happened, she said it's "unfair" to bring this up 15 years later.

"First of all, given it was not a debt that I had incurred, I thought there has to be some sort of statute of limitations," Campbell said.

According to The Cities Act, "there is no limitation on time within which a city may commence action or take proceedings to recover taxes or any other debt due to the city pursuant to this Act."

Campbell said it's tough to contest the charges now because she doesn't have any of the old bills from that time.

"I keep my power bill and utility stubs for probably a year. Once they've been paid, then into the recycling they go, because at that point there should be no need for them anymore."

City aims to recover $35K from 142 customers

Kerry Tarasoff, the City of Saskatoon's chief financial officer, said that he sympathizes with Campbell's situation because she is facing a very "unfortunate circumstance."

He said staff in the city's utilities department have been working on a project over the past month identifying outstanding debts. It's part of a change to their database linking customers not by name, but by their identification numbers.

He said in Campbell's case, the fact that she had changed her name over time might have been a reason why her charges were so delayed.

Any outstanding amounts that aren't collected are borne by the rest of the rate-payers. - Kerry Tarasoff, City of Saskatoon chief financial officer

Campbell said she changed her name in 2012 — but that still leaves a nine-year time lag from when the electricity was used.

According to Tarasoff, Campbell isn't the only one who might get a belated bill. He said there will be about 142 customers affected and about $35,000 the city will aim to recover.

"In fairness to all of our utility users, I mean, any outstanding amounts that aren't collected are borne by the rest of the rate-payers by having to make up any write-offs."

Campbell has reached out to her city councillor asking for help.

"If that is not a fruitful process, then I'm likely to open a file with Saskatchewan's ombudsman," she said.