Community Benefits Charges Strategy

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Consultation has concluded. City Council approved the bylaw on June 22, 2022.

The City of Hamilton has begun work to establish a new Community Benefits Charge (CBC) Strategy and By-law under the Planning Act.

What is a CBC?

A CBC is a new growth-funding tool under the Planning Act that allows municipalities to levy a charge against buildings or structures with five storeys or more and with 10 or more residential units. The CBC provisions replace the former Section 37 height and density bonusing in the Act.

Municipalities can use CBCs to fund a wide-range of new growth-related capital costs, if those costs are not already recovered from development charges and parkland provisions.

The prescribed maximum CBC rate (as per O. Reg. 509/20) is 4% of the property’s land value prior to the day of building permit issuance.

CBC Strategy

To set a community benefits charge, the City of Hamilton must:

  • develop a community benefits charge strategy that identifies the facilities, services, and matters that will be funded with CBCs and comply with prescribed requirements(External link).
  • pass a by-law

The proposed Community Benefits Charge Strategy and By-law will be presented in June 2022 for consideration and must be passed by City Council prior to the end of the statutory transition period on September 18, 2022.

Project Update

The draft bylaw was approved at City Council on June 22, 2022 and comes into effect at 12:01 am on September 18, 2022.
By-law No. 22-158 Being a By-law Respecting Community Benefits Charges on Lands within the City of Hamilton(External link)

The City of Hamilton has begun work to establish a new Community Benefits Charge (CBC) Strategy and By-law under the Planning Act.

What is a CBC?

A CBC is a new growth-funding tool under the Planning Act that allows municipalities to levy a charge against buildings or structures with five storeys or more and with 10 or more residential units. The CBC provisions replace the former Section 37 height and density bonusing in the Act.

Municipalities can use CBCs to fund a wide-range of new growth-related capital costs, if those costs are not already recovered from development charges and parkland provisions.

The prescribed maximum CBC rate (as per O. Reg. 509/20) is 4% of the property’s land value prior to the day of building permit issuance.

CBC Strategy

To set a community benefits charge, the City of Hamilton must:

  • develop a community benefits charge strategy that identifies the facilities, services, and matters that will be funded with CBCs and comply with prescribed requirements(External link).
  • pass a by-law

The proposed Community Benefits Charge Strategy and By-law will be presented in June 2022 for consideration and must be passed by City Council prior to the end of the statutory transition period on September 18, 2022.

Project Update

The draft bylaw was approved at City Council on June 22, 2022 and comes into effect at 12:01 am on September 18, 2022.
By-law No. 22-158 Being a By-law Respecting Community Benefits Charges on Lands within the City of Hamilton(External link)

Consultation has concluded. City Council approved the bylaw on June 22, 2022.

Meeting - April 12, 2022
Gary Scandlan from Watson & Associates presents the Community Benefits Charges – Engagement and Draft Strategy (PED22015(a))(External link).


Meeting - February 28, 2022
Gary Scandlan from Watson & Associates presents City of Hamilton 2022 Community Benefits Charge. If you missed the meeting, you can watch the video. 

Do you have a question about this project?

The City would like to hear and understand resident and stakeholder opinions on the need to implement a CBC and what other factors we need to consider in implementing this strategy and by-law.

  • Share Am I missing something? Why are you trying to add charges to only high density housing (when that is one of the only things that is going to fix our housing affordability problems)? All taxes/charges should be done based off of unit value along with an area surcharge (mill levy), regardless of the type of the development. If you need to put specific verbiage to discriminate against multi story multi unit developments, you are only benefitting other types developments (i.e. more expensive and lower density developments). This seems undoubtedly worse for the city as it raises required salaries for companies to attract employees, and reduces disposable income; not even mentioning how cruel it seems to upcharge only the cheapest type of housing. on Facebook Share Am I missing something? Why are you trying to add charges to only high density housing (when that is one of the only things that is going to fix our housing affordability problems)? All taxes/charges should be done based off of unit value along with an area surcharge (mill levy), regardless of the type of the development. If you need to put specific verbiage to discriminate against multi story multi unit developments, you are only benefitting other types developments (i.e. more expensive and lower density developments). This seems undoubtedly worse for the city as it raises required salaries for companies to attract employees, and reduces disposable income; not even mentioning how cruel it seems to upcharge only the cheapest type of housing. on Twitter Share Am I missing something? Why are you trying to add charges to only high density housing (when that is one of the only things that is going to fix our housing affordability problems)? All taxes/charges should be done based off of unit value along with an area surcharge (mill levy), regardless of the type of the development. If you need to put specific verbiage to discriminate against multi story multi unit developments, you are only benefitting other types developments (i.e. more expensive and lower density developments). This seems undoubtedly worse for the city as it raises required salaries for companies to attract employees, and reduces disposable income; not even mentioning how cruel it seems to upcharge only the cheapest type of housing. on Linkedin Email Am I missing something? Why are you trying to add charges to only high density housing (when that is one of the only things that is going to fix our housing affordability problems)? All taxes/charges should be done based off of unit value along with an area surcharge (mill levy), regardless of the type of the development. If you need to put specific verbiage to discriminate against multi story multi unit developments, you are only benefitting other types developments (i.e. more expensive and lower density developments). This seems undoubtedly worse for the city as it raises required salaries for companies to attract employees, and reduces disposable income; not even mentioning how cruel it seems to upcharge only the cheapest type of housing. link

    Am I missing something? Why are you trying to add charges to only high density housing (when that is one of the only things that is going to fix our housing affordability problems)? All taxes/charges should be done based off of unit value along with an area surcharge (mill levy), regardless of the type of the development. If you need to put specific verbiage to discriminate against multi story multi unit developments, you are only benefitting other types developments (i.e. more expensive and lower density developments). This seems undoubtedly worse for the city as it raises required salaries for companies to attract employees, and reduces disposable income; not even mentioning how cruel it seems to upcharge only the cheapest type of housing.

    newnotbad asked over 2 years ago
    • The Community Benefits Charge is new Provincial legislation
    • Changes to the Planning Act include a tool that allows municipalities to impose a Community Benefits Charges on eligible high-density developments or redevelopments
    • The new CBC legislation replaces the prior Section 37 of the Planning Act, which allowed municipalities to secure community benefits through agreements related to re-zoning that allowed increased height and/or density over and above exiting planning permissions
  • Share Who pays on Facebook Share Who pays on Twitter Share Who pays on Linkedin Email Who pays link

    Who pays

    Cottenmouth asked over 2 years ago
    • A new fee/charge paid by developers when a building permit is issued
    • A charge on developments with five or more storeys and 10 or more residential units
    • A cap at 4% of the land value on the day before a building permit is issued