The Importance of Development Charges: Submission to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on “Increasing Housing Supply in Ontario”

AMO was pleased to make presentations to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on the importance of development charges as a financial underpinning of municipalities, and especially high growth communities. AMO and the Municipal Finance Officers Association were pleased to recently assemble treasurers from a wide assortment of municipal governments, to inform the provincial government’s deliberations on this issue, at two different occasions.

The Municipal Finance Officers Association has provided a very detailed paper to the government on this issue. Similarly, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance at the University of Toronto has also recently published a paper on development charges, Development Charges in Ontario: Is Growth Paying for Growth? A key quote from that paper bear mentioning: “Both municipalities and the development industry are stronger when growth related capital costs are recovered by DCs set within well-structured municipal funding regimes.”

We urge the government to consider the above points and submissions. The government must ensure that unintended consequences of a policy change do not exacerbate the availability and supply of housing in Ontario, nor existing municipal financial challenges.

Read The Importance of Development Charges: Submission to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on “Increasing Housing Supply in Ontario” consultations