Development Charges

A Development Charge is a charge that is collected at the time of issuing a building permit. It applies to all new residential, commercial/industrial, and institutional development. The Development Charges By-law No. 2020-09-039 was passed on September 1, 2020. The by-law sets out the rates that are to be collected for each category of development, what rates apply to each area as set out in service area maps. Please note that charges have been updated as of January 1st, 2024 per Section 7 of O.Reg 82/98.

Why do we have Development Charges?

A Development Charges (DC) Study was completed to assess the current rate structure. The study set forth to:

make sure that existing taxpayers are not required to cover the capital costs of new growth
ensure new development does not have to pay for more than their fair share of the capital costs of growth for the items Development Charges are collected for.

Development Charges By-law No. 2020-09-039 – Online Pamphlet

General information

The Development Charges Act, 1997, authorizes municipalities to pass by-laws to impose development charges against land to recover the increased capital costs required because of increased needs for services arising from development. These services can include fire protection, transportation, library services, recreation, water services, sewer services and any supporting studies (ie. Development Charges Studies) required as a result of the capital needs of growth.

A Development Charges Study was completed by the Township of Laurentian Valley in July, 2020, which provided a framework and basis upon which the new Development Charges were calculated. The study determined a Development Charges rate structure which will not require existing taxpayers to cover the capital costs of new growth and which will not require new taxpayers to contribute more than their fair share of the net capital cost of providing the average level of service that has been provided over the past ten year period in the Township, unless otherwise legislated.

By-law No. 2020-09-039, was passed on September 1, 2020, being a by-law to impose development charges on all new residential, commercial/industrial and institutional development in the Township of Laurentian Valley. As per Section 10, the Development Charges may be adjusted annually without an amendment to the By-Law. On January 1, 2024 the Development Charges were adjusted based on the Statistics Canada Quarterly, Construction Price Index for non-residential buildings in Ottawa-Gatineau from Q3, 2023 per Section 7 of O.Reg 82/98. Development Charges are to be collected at the time of issuance of a building permit. The new Development Charges By-law replaces the former By-law which has now expired. The following provides a summary of the Township's new Development Charges.

Table 1 shows the General Development Charge applicable to new development on all lands in the Township of Laurentian Valley.

Table 1 - New Development Charges Applicable in Township of Laurentian Valley
Type of Use	Category	General Development Charge	General Sewer Development Charge	General Water Development Charge	Pleasant View Municipal Drain Development Charge
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Single Detached	$2,986.59	$1,893.77	$84.07	$42.88
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Single Attached	$2,930.85	$1,842.45	$81.79	$41.81
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Apartment	$2,371.26	$1,488.34	$66.06	$34.30
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Mobile Home	$2,359.47	$1,372.93	$65.70	$33.23
Commercial /Industrial (per m² of g.f.a.)	All Categories except Industrial Expansions of less than 50% of existing g.f.a. of bldg.	$4.50/m2	$5.12/m2	$0.23/m2	$0.00/m2

Institutional: Charge determined as per nature of use, i.e. Residential components charged according to class of use and other components charged as per Commercial/Industrial rate.

(Please note: More than one type of charge may apply depending on what service area the property is located in.)

Summary of Development Charges

General development charges

These are the only charges that would apply to lands which will be serviced by individual private wells and septic systems that are outside the Pleasant View Municipal Drain service area. These lands are located outside the built-up area referred to as the Stafford Village Sewer and Water Service Area, the East End Sewer and Water Service Area or the West End Service Area or County Road 51 corridor where piped municipal water services are available.

Area specific development charges

While the General Development Charges apply to new development on all lands within the Township of Laurentian Valley, there are two special charges which only apply to special service areas identified in the By-law. In these special service areas, more than one charge applies and these are applied cumulatively. Due to the size of the special service areas no Key Maps have been attached. Maps illustrating the boundaries of the service areas are available for review at the Township Municipal Office.

General sewer and water system development charges

The General Sewer and Water System Development Charge would also apply, in addition to the General Development Charge (Table1), to all lands serviced by municipal sewer and water services and generally located within the area identified as the Stafford Village Sewer and Water Service Area (Schedule G of the By-law) and the area identified as the East End Sewer and Water Service Area (Schedule I of the By-law). The Public Works: General Water System portion only, of the General Sewer and Water Services Development Charge, would also apply to lands only serviced by piped municipal water services, such as lands along the County Road 51 corridor. Maps illustrating the boundaries of the service areas are available for review at the Township Municipal Office.

Table 2 shows General Development Charges that apply to new development on all lands within the Township. There are also special charges which only apply to specific service areas as identified in the By-law. In these special service areas, more than one charge applies as illustrated in the summary Table 2 below. For lands serviced by municipal sewer and/or water services, the General Sewer and Water System Development Charge would also apply, in addition to the General Development Charge. For lands in the Pleasant View Municipal Drain Service Area, that charge also applies in addition to the General Development Charge and where applicable, the General Sewer and Water Development Charge.

Table 2 - Summary of Total Development Charges Applicable in Various Service Areas in Laurentian Valley
Type of Use	Category	Total Charges on private well and septic system outside Pleasant View Municipal Drain Area	Total Charges on private well and septic system in Pleasant View Municipal Drain Service Area	Total Charges on lots serviced by both municipal sewer and water services	Total Charges on sewer and water in Pleasant View Municipal Drain Service Area
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Single Detached	$2,986.32	$3,029.47	$4964.43	$5,007.31
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Single Attached	$2,930.85	$2,972.66	$4,855.09	$4,896.90
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Apartment	$2,371.26	$2,405.57	$3,925.66	$3,959.97
Residential (per dwelling unit)	Mobile Home	$2,359.47	$2,392.70	$3,798.11	$3,831.34
Commercial /Industrial (per m² of g.f.a.)	All Categories except Industrial expansions of less than 50% of existing gfa of bldg	$4.50/m2	$4.50/m2	$9.85/m2	$9.85/m2

Institutional: Charge determined as per nature of use, i.e. Residential components charged according to class of use and other components charged as per Commercial/Industrial rate.

Pleasant View municipal drain development charges

For lands located in the Pleasant View Municipal Drain Service Area the Pleasant View Municipal Drain (see Table 1) would apply in addition to the General Charge. Where the lands are on municipal sewer and water services, the East End Sewer and Water System Development Charge, the General Sewer and Water System Development Charge and the General Development Charge all apply.

Summary of allocation of development charges between service categories

The following Tables 3, 4, and 5 provide summaries of how the Development Charges are proportionally allocated between the various service categories.

Table 3 - General Development Charge - Proportional Share of Charge by Service Category
Service Category	Residential	Commercial/Industrial
General Eligible Services	6.11%	6.11%
Fire Protection	31.98%	31.98%
Public Works: Roads & Equipment	61.91%	61.9 %
Total	100.0%	100.0%

Table 4 - General Sewer and Water System Development Charge Proportional Share of Charge by Service Category
Service Category	Residential	Commercial/Industrial
Public Works: General - Sewer System	95.75%	95.75%
Public Works: General - Water System	4.2%	4.2%
Total	100.0%	100.0%

Table 5 - Pleasant View Municipal Drain Development Charge Proportional Share of Charge by Service Category
Service Category	Residential	Commercial/Industrial
Public Works: Pleasant View Municipal Drain	100.0%	0.0%
Total	100.0%	0.0%

This information is provided for information purposes only. In the event of any discrepancies between the values above and the values in the By-law, the By-law as adopted and/or amended, shall prevail. Copies of the Development Charges Study and By-law are available for inspection at the Township of Laurentian Valley Municipal Office located at 460 Witt Road, Pembroke, Ontario, K8A 6W5. For further information regarding development charges or to review the Annual Statement of the Treasurer which accounts the annual transactions related to the Development Charges Reserve Funds, contact the Township Municipal Office during regular office hours at 613-735-6291.

You can access the Development Charges Pamphlet online and is available for download. Should you require additional information or require an alternate format, please contact the Township by email at info@lvtownship.ca or by phone at 613-735-6291 and request to speak to staff in the Planning Department.