The Town of Whitby’s development charge rates are subject to annual indexing on February 1^st in accordance with the most recent twelve month change in the Statistics Quarterly, Construction Price Statistics (non-residential building construction price index).

• DC rates are also subject to change if an amendment to the by-law or a new development charge by-law is passed by Council.
• DCs are calculated at the rate in effect at the time of building permit issuance for all development with planning applications made prior to January 1, 2020.
• Effective January 1, 2020 changes were made to the timing and calculation of development charges in accordance with Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act.
  • For developments proceeding through site plan application or zoning by-law amendment application made under section 34 of the Planning Act, the base DC rates for the town will be set on the day a complete application is received.
  • The base rate expires 2 years after the approval of the planning application.
  • Interest will be applied to the base DC rates from the time of the complete planning application to the date the DC is paid. Interest for town DCs will be set as per the Development Charge Interest Policy which is currently 5%.
  • Refer to the Timing of Development Charge Calculation Policy for more information.
  • Rates are dependent on the type of development.  When interpreting the rate schedule, please refer to the Residential and Non-Residential sections for helpful information.

Development Charge Rate Schedules

Development 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.

• Rate Schedule - June 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022
• Rate Schedule - January 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021
• Rate Schedule - January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020

• Development charges are based on the number and type of dwelling units, for both new development and possibly re-development where new dwelling units are being added or the type of dwelling units change.
• Types of dwelling units are defined in Development Charges By-Law #7748-21
• Region of Durham development charges also apply on residential development. 
• Durham District School Board and Durham Catholic District School Board education development charges also apply on residential development.  

• Development charges are based on gross/total floor area of the building, for new or expansion of non-residential development, or redevelopment which includes change of use from one residential/non-residential type to another non-residential type.
• Non-residential development is categorized as commercial, industrial or institutional for the Town of Whitby development charges.
• Types of non-residential development are defined in Development Charges By-Law #7748-21
• Region of Durham development charges also apply on non-residential development.  

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%.

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)

• Paid in six annual installments beginning on the date the building is first occupied, and each of the following five anniversaries of that date.

Institutional (includes long term care homes, retirement homes, certain post-secondary institutions, Royal Canadian Legion facilities, hospice)

• Paid in six annual installments beginning on the date the building is first occupied, and each of the following five anniversaries of that date.

Non-profit housing

• Paid in twenty-one annual installments beginning on the date the building is first occupied, and each of the following twenty anniversaries of that date.

Other details

• Interest is charged from the time the development charge would normally have been payable (building permit issuance), until the final payment is received, at the applicable interest rate established under the Development Charge Interest Policy.
• Owners may enter into an alternative payment agreement with the Town of Whitby and choose to forego the deferral of development charges (at the time of building permit), or pay the balance of development charges outstanding at the time of first occupancy.
• For more information, please refer to the Development Charge Annual Installment Payments Policy.

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, 2021

Residential Rate per Dwelling Unit

• DDSB: $2,849
• DCDSB: $1,686
• Total: $4,535

Non-residential Rate per square meter of Gross Floor Area

• DDSB: no charge
• DCDSB:  no charge
• Total: no charge 

The Development Charges Act, 1997 provides for certain mandated exemptions, such as:

• a board of education;
• any municipal or local board thereof;
• the enlargement of an existing dwelling unit;
• the creation of additional dwelling units in existing and new residential building, as prescribed, subject to the restrictions in Section 2 of Ontario Regulation 82/98, and
• the enlargement of an industrial building up to a maximum of 50% of the gross floor area of the structure that existing before the date the development charges by-law came into effect.

The Town of Whitby provides further exemptions in Development Charges By-Law #7748-21, such as;

• the development of a non-residential farm building used for a bona fide farm use;
• an area of worship within a building or structure owned by and used for a place of worship;
• land, buildings or structures owned by and used for a hospital;
• land, buildings or structures owned by and used for a hospice;
• land, buildings or structures used for a temporary use permitted under a Zoning By-law amendment enacted under section 39 of the Planning Act;
• the temporary erection of a building without foundation as defined in the Building Code Act for a period not exceeding six (6) consecutive months and not more than six (6) months in any one calendar year on a site for which development charges or lot levies have already been paid;
• the temporary erection of a building without foundation as defined in the Building Code Act for the primary use as a temporary sales trailer on land undergoing development, provided that such building is removed or demolished from the site no later than six (6) months after sales are completed, otherwise development charges shall be calculated and deemed payable in accordance with this by-law;
• a parking structure/garage that is primarily for the use of the public within the Town’s Downtown Whitby Community Improvement Plan area or Downtown Brooklin Community Improvement Plan area; or
• owners, uses, or buildings that may be exempt from the payment of development charges as a result of the application of a statute, regulation, or order of the Province of Ontario or the Government of Canada.

Other Potential Exemptions / Credits

• Subject to budgetary approval, a full/partial development charge grant may be available for eligible development through the Downtown Whitby Community Improvement Plan.

• Demolition credits will be provided against applicable development charges where building or structures have been demolished to permit redevelopment of the property.  The credit is based on the number and type of residential units demolished and/or the total floor area and type of non-residential building or structures demolished, and is available for five years from the issuance date of the demolition permit.
• Please refer to the Region of Durham, Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board websites for more information on exemptions and credits pertaining to their development charges.

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.

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 lock box at the front of the Whitby Municipal Building or mailed to the attention of D Smith, Financial Services at:

The Corporation of the Town of Whitby
Whitby Municipal Building
575 Rossland Road East,
Whitby, Ontario, L1N 2M8

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. 

• Annual Statement of Development Charge and Parkland Reserve Funds as at December 31, 2020 (Staff Report FS 35-21)
• Annual Statement of Development Charge and Parkland Reserve Funds as at December 31, 2019 (Staff Report CS 30-20)
• Annual Statement of Development Charge and Parkland Reserve Funds as at December 31, 2018 (Staff Report CS 34-19)

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:

• the amount of the development charge was incorrectly determined;
• whether a credit is available to be used against the development charge, or the amount of the credit or the service with respect to which the credit was given, was incorrectly determined; or,
• there was an error in the application of the development charge by-law.

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.