Development charges reduction program not recommended; and plan to improve communication with public

By Sharon Harrison
Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting included information on a development charges reduction program that the municipality is eligible to participate in, as well as details of a major infrastructure communications framework.

Development charges reduction program
Details of a development charges reduction program (DCRP) were outlined and council simply received the report for information, with no discussion around the horseshoe.

It was agreed staff will submit feedback to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to establish a dedicated DCRP stream for small, rural and northern communities that features flexible application timelines, scaled project requirements, and adjusted eligibility criteria to better support the unique resource and capacity realities.

On June 1, the provincial and federal governments announced the DCRP, as part of the $8.8 billion Build Communities Strong Fund (provincial and territorial stream).

The program is intended to support housing-enabling infrastructure investments that facilitate residential development across Ontario (applications opened on June 10, with a submission deadline of June 19), where participation is voluntary.

In her report to council, Cristal Laanstra, director of development services, outlined how municipalities electing to participate must commit to reducing residential development charges (DCs) across all DC categories by between 30 per cent and 50 per cent for a minimum period of three years.

“In return, municipalities may apply for funding for eligible growth-related infrastructure projects, while contributing a minimum municipal share of 10 per cent of eligible project costs. Approved funding would be distributed over a 10-year period.”

She said the program is intended to complement Ontario’s expanded HST relief on new homes and is positioned by both levels of government as a mechanism to improve housing affordability, support municipal infrastructure investment, and increase housing supply.

“Additional program details specific to rural, small and northern municipalities have been indicated, but have not yet been released,” she added.

However, staff are not recommending proceeding.

“With the current available information of the program, staff do not believe it would be prudent to proceed with an application at this time for the initial intake of the DCRP,” said Laanstra.

She identified potential concern, including project identification and readiness, financial and long-term strategic considerations, and program eligibility and reporting risks.

“Collectively, these considerations present a level of uncertainty and financial risk that, in staff’s opinion, outweighs the potential benefits of pursuing an application under the current program timeline and eligibility requirements,” confirmed Laanstra.

The project applications are assessed based on several criteria, such as:

– a residential development charge reduction of between 30-50 per cent that would take effect immediately and must be applied retroactively to building permits issued after March 30 (where development charges have already been collected, municipalities would be required to provide refunds).

-Housing units enabled:
Applicants must estimate the number of housing units that will be enabled by the proposed development charge reduction and quantify the total amount of relief being provided.

-Municipal financial contribution:
Municipalities are required to contribute a minimum of 10 percent of eligible growth-related project costs from non-DC funding sources.

-Eligible projects:
Projects proposed for funding must be identified in the municipality’s most recent DC background study and included within an approved capital budget or capital plan. Eligible project categories include transportation infrastructure, water and wastewater infrastructure, and transit projects.

Major Infrastructure Communications Project
Also at Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting, council approved receiving a report for information from the community services, programs and initiatives department regarding a major infrastructure communications framework which has been developed. This also garnered no discussion around the horseshoe.

The purpose for the framework is to improve how the municipality communicates with residents, businesses and affected parties about large, complex infrastructure projects.

“The framework responds to council’s direction to evaluate communications management for major water and wastewater infrastructure projects, as well as concerns raised in 2024,” outlined Emily Cowan, director of community services, programs and initiatives, in her report.

The framework aims to formalize and build on the improvements undertaken for the Wellington trunk watermain and sanitary sewer project and was undertaken in collaboration with a third-party strategic communications specialist, In Good Inc. It was developed using the H.J. McFarland Memorial Home (long-term care home) new build as a pilot project.

As a result, a communications plan was also developed and implemented for the Bloomfield connecting links project using the framework, and it is intended the County Road 49 rehabilitation project will also be used in this way.

A special projects oversight team (SPOT) framework was established to bring together staff working on, adjacent to, or otherwise affected by major municipal initiatives, where the team will meet every month, or more as needed.

“Designed as a collaborative forum, SPOT provides a regular opportunity to discuss large projects in terms of stakeholder impacts, cross-departmental considerations, and concurrent initiatives.”

She said the importance of a framework was reinforced during the Wellington trunk watermain, trunk sanitary sewer, and sanitary pumping station project.

“The seed of a major infrastructure communications framework was planted during a series of community conversations that took place in 2024. Some community members expressed their concerns about the proposed water and wastewater infrastructure program that was in development to meet future growth and development,” stated Cowan.

The project required the full closure of Wellington Main Street between Cleminson Street and the entrance to the Wellington water and wastewater treatment plant from January to May 2025.

“The detour routes around the closure were lengthy and included roads that were not ideally suited to accommodate increased volumes of heavy traffic. These traffic impacts, combined with other factors such as noise and temporary water service disruptions, contributed to a challenging experience for the community and highlighted the need for enhanced planning, communication and mitigation strategies for future projects,” outlined Cowan.

This technically challenging infrastructure project exposed gaps in the municipality’s approach to project communications that this framework attempts to address, she said.

The report highlights some of the main communications-related lessons learned from the Wellington trunk watermain and sanitary sewer project, which stresses the importance of:

– A clear, plain language explanation of the project and work plan;
– Early and on-going engagement with the businesses and residents most impacted by the project;
– Consistent and more regular project updates; and
– Enhanced signage to help drivers, cyclists and pedestrians navigate around road and trail closures.

The objectives of the framework is to build public trust, minimize disruptions, enhance engagement and promote transparency, as follows:

Build public trust: by providing honest, accurate and timely information;

Minimize disruptions: by informing residents and businesses in advance about project timelines, road closures, detour, and potential service disruptions to help them plan accordingly;

Enhance engagement: by creating opportunities for the public to share feedback, raise concerns, and influence the design and implementation of the project, where appropriate; and

Promote transparency: by ensuring communications are factual, clear, concise, accessible and free of jargon and technical language.

Within the framework, Cowan explained the intention is to support all large-scale municipal infrastructure projects and special initiatives that have the potential to significantly impact residents, businesses and visitors.

“This includes, but is not limited to, road and bridge construction/rehabilitation, water and wastewater infrastructure replacement/upgrades, community facility developments (recreation centres, parks, long-term care facility), and utility upgrades impacting public areas.

The framework indicates how all communications plans for major infrastructure projects will follow as many of these principles as possible:

Proactive: Information will be disseminated well in advance of project commencement and significant milestones;

Timely: Updates will be provided regularly, especially during periods of active construction or unexpected changes;

Accurate: All information shared will be factually correct and verified by relevant project managers;

Accessible: Information will be presented in various formats and channels to reach diverse audiences;

Consistent: Messaging will be harmonized across all communication platforms and by all municipal representatives;

Two-Way: Opportunities for feedback and questions will be actively encouraged and responded to; and

Empathic: Communications will acknowledge the potential inconvenience to residents and businesses, demonstrating understanding and a commitment to minimizing disruption.

The framework also indicates establishing governance and internal co-ordination, and suggests establishing a communications and consultation working group, as well as determining key target audiences.

Also included in the framework is an engagement strategy, messaging strategy, communications tactics, as well as monitoring and evaluation, among them.

The staff reports on the development charges reduction program, and the major infrastructure communications framework, discussed at the June 25 committee of the whole meeting, can be found on the corresponding agenda items on the County’s website, along with the meeting recording.