Development charges assist in providing growth related infrastructure required to service future development in the Town of Whitby by establishing a viable capital funding source. If you are undertaking a planning and development project, you may need to pay development charges. The town typically collects development charges at the time when a building permit is issued. In addition, Whitby collects development charges on behalf of the Region of Durham and the area school boards.
You can view the Development Charges Act, 1997 (the “DCA”) for more information.
Payment of development charges may be required for residential and non-residential development when:
Please refer to the Development Charges By-Law #7748-21 which came into effect on June 1, 2021 for more information.
Notice of passing of a Development Charges By-law
Date of Notice: May 27, 2021 | Last Day to File an Appeal: June 28, 2021
Development charge rates |
The Town of Whitby’s development charge rates are subject to annual indexing on February 1st in accordance with the most recent twelve month change in the Statistics Quarterly, Construction Price Statistics (non-residential building construction price index).
The Region of Durham and School Boards (DDSB/DCDSB) also index their development charge rates annually on July 1st and May 1st, respectively. Please contact the Region and School Boards directly for inquiries related to their development charge indexing.
July 1, 2022 Indexing of Region of Durham Development Charges Development Charge Rate SchedulesDevelopment charges are based on your site plan or zoning application, as found on your letter of complete application (if a development has both planning applications submitted on/after January 1, 2020, the site plan application date is used). If your development is not proceeding through these planning applications, or if your application pre-dates January 1, 2020, please refer to the current rate schedule.
If all other minimum development application requirements have been satisfied, the Town of Whitby may permit the pre-payment of development charges up to 60 days in advance of building permit issuance. If granted and building permit issuance occurs more than 60 days after Town of Whitby Development Charges are paid, additional development charges will be due (if applicable) for:
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Residential development |
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Non-Residential development |
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Development charges interest |
The Corporation of the Town of Whitby collects development charges under the authority of the Development Charges Act, 1997 and the Town Development Charges By-Law #7748-21. Development charges shall be collected in a financial sustainable manner in order to fund growth related capital costs to deliver complete communities. To learn more about this, review our Development Charge Interest Policy. The current interest rate is set at 5%. |
Timing of payment |
The Town of Whitby typically collects development charges just prior to the building permit being issued. Effective January 1, 2020, changes were made to the timing of development charge payments in accordance with Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choices Act. The following types of development, further defined in Ontario Regulation 454/19, shall pay development charges in installments. Rental housing (that is not non-profit)
Institutional (includes long term care homes, retirement homes, certain post-secondary institutions, Royal Canadian Legion facilities, hospice)
Non-profit housing
Other details
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Education development charges |
Education development charges are imposed by the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board under the authority of the Education Act. Education development charges are payable at the rate in effect at building permit issuance. The current education development charges are: Rates as of May 1, 2022Residential Rate per Dwelling Unit
Non-residential Rate per square meter of Gross Floor Area
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Exemptions and credits |
The Development Charges Act, 1997 provides for certain mandated exemptions, such as:
The Town of Whitby provides further exemptions in Development Charges By-Law #7748-21, such as;
Other Potential Exemptions / Credits
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Parkland Dedication / Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland |
Parkland dedication fees are separate from development charges, and are subject to the Conveyance of Parkland and Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland By-Law #7733-21. More information can be found on the planning and development webpage. |
How do I pay? |
The Town of Whitby will provide an invoice on behalf of the Region of Durham, the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board that includes the total development charges due. Payment for all applicable development charges is due to the Town of Whitby. Payment can be made by electronic funds transfer or wire transfer. Payments via cheque may be dropped off into the drop box at the front of the Whitby Municipal Building or mailed to the attention of Heidi Tokle, Financial Services at: The Corporation of the Town of Whitby To help serve you better, please contact the Financial Services department before making a payment at developmentcharges@whitby.ca Returned payments are subject to a return item fee of $40. A returned payment may prevent your permit from being issued, or result in your permit being revoked. Any additional charges as a result of a returned payment are the responsibility of the applicant. |
Statement of the Treasurer |
As required by the Development Charges Act, 1997, the Treasurer of the Town of Whitby shall prepare an annual financial statement reporting on the status and transactions to the development charge reserve funds for the previous year. This statement is presented to the Council of the Town of Whitby for their review.
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Complaints about Development Charges |
Under section 20 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 a person required to pay a development charge, or the person’s agent, may complain to the council of the municipality imposing the development charge that:
A complaint may not be made later than 90 days after the day the development charge, or any part of it, is payable. The complaint must be in writing, must state the complainant’s name, the address where notice can be given to the complainant and the reasons for the complaint. The complaint can be emailed to treasuryinternet@whitby.ca or mailed to Christopher Harris, Town Clerk, Town of Whitby, 575 Rossland Road East, Whitby, ON L1N 2M8. The council shall hold a hearing into the complaint and shall give the complainant an opportunity to make representations at the hearing. The clerk of the municipality shall mail a notice of the hearing to the complainant at least 14 days before the hearing. After hearing the evidence and submissions of the complainant, the council may discuss the complaint or rectify any incorrect determination or error that was the subject of the complaint. |
For clarification or further questions please contact the Financial Services department at developmentcharges@whitby.ca or 905.430.4300 x 1952.
For information on the Region of Durham's development charges, please contact rob.goddard@durham.ca or 905.668.7711 x 3469 for residential inquiries, and josh.hughey@durham.ca or 905.668-4113 x2262 for non-residential inquiries.
For information on the Durham District School Board and Durham Catholic District School Board education development charges, please contact Jody.Dale@dcdsb.ca or 905.576.6150 x 2211.
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