Rideau St. Lawrence office closing

MORRISBURG – A utility partly owned by the Municipality of South Dundas is closing its local office at the end of 2023. Rideau St. Lawrence Distribution announced December 6 that the company will close its Morrisburg office, located in the South Dundas Justice Building.nn“On Dec 6, 2023, RSL provided the Municipality of South Dundas a letter indicating our desire to end the lease and RSL will meet the 90 day notification term on the lease,” said utility CEO and president Simon Wu. “Our lease will terminate on March 8th, 2023.”nnWu explained in the letter to customers that the decision to close the office was based on low customer traffic and limited demand for in-person service. Having “very convenient alternatives available to view, pay and manage accounts has led us to reevaluate its viability.”nnResponding to The Leader, Wu reiterated that the usage statistics for the Morrisburg office were low.nn“If we charged the direct costs of the Morrisburg satellite office to the customers utilizing it, the cost per customer would be equivalent to multiple months of their utility bill,” he said. Those costs did not include office personnel – who are transferring to the Prescott office. There are no layoffs relating to the office closure. Usage statistics were not provided when requested by this paper.nn“Our commitment to delivering safe and reliable utility services in Morrisburg remains unwavering, and we remain dedicated to meeting the needs of our valued customers,” Wu’s letter to customers said.nnWu explained that the utility offered payment options for those who did not use online banking including: Credit Card; Visa or Mastercard debit cards; direct debit via per-authorized payments; bank payment; mailing a cheque to RSL; or by using the existing drop box at the Justice Building.nn“RSL will maintain the existing drop box for six months and reassess,” Wu said.nnIn a report to South Dundas council at its December 11 meeting South Dundas CAO Tim Mills said that there are no long-term plans to change RSL’s role with the municipal water billing operations.nn“Senior staff, however, continue to look at efficiencies and options to increase revenue and decrease costs in all areas of service delivery.”nnMills’ report also said that the lease termination, along with the closure of the Provincial Offences Act satellite court, has resulted in more surplus space being available and the municipality will actively market the space once available. South Dundas mayor Jason Broad, who serves on the RSL board as the municipality’s representative, did not comment on the closure.nnThe utility was formed in 2000 through the merger of the municipal electrical systems in Morrisburg, Iroquois, Williamsburg, Cardinal, Prescott, and Westport. Electric utility company FortisOntario owns 10 per cent of RSL.