Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Middlesex Centre has applied to the province for funds to help cut development charges by as much as 50%.
At its June 17th meeting, council voted in favor of a municipal staff report that supports making the application in order to spur the growth of residential development.
The program enables municipalities to tap into the multi-billion dollar federal-provincial Build Communities Strong Fund which was announced in March to help speed housing construction and infrastructure delivery across Ontario. “The program requires municipalities to reduce Development Charges by at least 30% to 50%, retroactive to March 30, 2026, and encourages municipalities to be as ambitious as possible in their reductions to maximize potential funding.” according to a staff report brought to council.
Council was told there are currently 727 “shovel-ready” units in Middlesex Centre, with many more in different stages of the approval process.
The staff report outlines the expected population growth in Middlesex Centre, saying it’s expected to increase from 18,928 based on the 2021 census, to 42,800 over the 35 year planning horison to 2056.
“We need to try this. We need to do this,” said Ward 4 Councillor Sue Cates. “I think that given the housing market and the things that are happening, or not happening, I think that we need to take advantage of this opportunity…. We don’t want to be labelled ‘don’t go there, they still charge development charges,’” added Cates.
Ward 5 Councillor Frank Berze expressed some reservations, saying there are a lot of “what ifs” surrounding the program. “There are a number of municipal mayors I interact with and they’re not keen on this,” said Berze. “There’s no guarantee this will spur development,” added Berze.
The grant program does include contingencies such as possibly requiring municipalities to pay back some of the funds if the building projects don’t materialize.
If the grant money flows to Middlesex Centre, council was told it would be used to support a variety of housing types. “A reduction in development charges is expected to significantly increase building permit activity across the Municipality,” the staff report concludes.
