Ottawa fee hike may spread

October 02, 2019

The City of Ottawa raised fees for developers in a move that may be seen in other Ontario urban areas because of new provincial legislation to speed approval times for new development.
Ottawa’s new fees will increase 20 per cent in 2020 , according to city officials. A request for an amendment to the official city plan will increase to $24,170, compared to $20,170; while a review of a major zoning bylaw, which formerly cost $16,370, will cost $19,513.
This June the Ontario government introduced Bill 108, which reduced the time municipalities can take to review and approve development applications. The province previously gave municipalities 210 days to review official plan amendment applications. The time has been reduced to 120 days. The timeline for reviewing a zoning bylaw amendment application has gone from 150 days to 90 days.
Ottawa officials say the higher fees reflect the hiring of more staff to meet the mandated quicker turnaround times for applications.
In a recent statement, the Building Industry and Land Development Association warned that civic fees on residential development in some Ontario cities were already too high. In an effort to speed up development approvals, these costs could now increase in cities across Ontario, builders say.