Community benefit charges is the responsibility of City Development staff. All queries should be directed to Paul Wirch in City Development.
2025 Community Benefits Charge Strategy
In 2020, changes to the Planning Act, replaced the former density and height bonusing provisions with a new financial tool, called a Community Benefits Charge (CBC). Any municipality in Ontario can create and collect a CBC from new buildings that are a minimum of five storeys high and have 10 or more residential units. The rate cannot exceed 4 per cent of the property’s land value on the day before a building permit is issued.
The following developments are exempt from CBCs:
- Long-term care homes
- Retirement homes
- Universities, colleges and Indigenous Institutes
- Memorial homes, clubhouses or athletic grounds of the Royal Canadian Legion
- Hospices
- Non-profit housing
A CBC is a financial contribution that is paid when land is developed to contribute to capital costs, related to growth, that are not already recovered from development charges and parkland provisions. CBCs may be collected to support land for parks and other public recreational purposes, arts and culture, and more.
A community benefits charge strategy was prepared to document the increase in demand for additional facilities, services, and document the projects that would be funded by these charges.
The current Community Benefits Charges By-law 8192/25 came into effect on July 1, 2025.
Disputes about whether a charge exceeds the maximum allowable amount can be resolved through the land value appraisal process.