• Subscribe
QP Briefing
News

Municipalities hold billions of development charges unspent amid Ontario housing crisis due to provincial legislation

Jones said that the municipalities are doing their best to use these funds, but the process for handling them is highly regulated under the Development Charges Act, which dictates exactly how municipalities can collect and spend this money.

Published Oct 8, 2024 at 5:49pm

Barbara Patrocinio
By
Barbara Patrocinio
Municipalities hold billions of development charges unspent amid Ontario housing crisis due to provincial legislation
Paul Calandra, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing takes questions from journalists after tabling a bill to return parcels of land to Greenbelt, at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday, October 16, 2023. Calandra says the province will compensate two municipalities for costs they incurred while working on the now-reversed Greenbelt land removals in their communities.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario municipalities are sitting on billions in unspent development charges (DCs) while the housing crisis continues to escalate.

According to housing expert Mike Moffatt, municipalities collectively held over $10 billion in unspent DCs as of 2022, despite collecting $4 billion that year and spending less than $3 billion.

The purpose of these funds is to support infrastructure developments like roads and water treatment plants to accommodate new housing. So why isn’t this money being put to work when it’s needed most?

Read this for free.

Log in below to get access to this article. One free per week.

About QP Briefing

Queen's Park Briefing is a membership-based information source, covering all political and legislative movements at the provincial level. QP Briefing memberships are held by stakeholders, professionals, business leaders, and Ontario parliamentarians.

Our team provides deep analytic content for a wide array of high level decision makers standing at the intersection of private and public sector affairs. QP Briefing's in-depth coverage keeps our members at the forefront of complex policy issues, political advancements and private sector affairs.

QP Briefing is an invaluable information tool and is a passionate resource for members of the Ontario Public Service, Public Affairs Firms and Strategists, Government Agencies, MP's and all those claiming a stake in provincial politics.

Contact us

Subscriptions and Account Management
sales@ipolitics.ca
Partnerships and Events
Laura Pennell
Publisher
Editorial Inquiries
QP Briefing © 2024. An iPolitics publication.