Township's farm building development charges spark provincial interest

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

© AgMedia Inc.

by GEOFF DALE

Ontario’s cattlemen have their eye on Wellington North.

At the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association’s annual meeting in Toronto last week, conference delegates supported a resolution from the Wellington association to back provincial general farm organizations’ efforts to prevent development charges on agricultural buildings housing livestock. The township’s development fees were used as an example in the motion.

The issue erupted last October when the township decided to levy a $11,500 development charge against farmers Colvin and Elizabeth McAlister for re-roofing two livestock barns. More than 50 farmers attended a November council meeting in Kenilworth to support a presentation by Ontario Federation of Agriculture member service representative (for Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin) Gord Grant opposing the levy.

Township CAO/clerk Lorraine Heinbuch says council is expecting to hear shortly from the Mississauga -based company, C.N. Watson and Associates Ltd., it commissioned to examine development charges on agricultural buildings.

“We were expecting to get a report by the end of last month but that was delayed because of OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) hearings they (company representatives) were involved with,” says Heinbuch, noting that a public meeting would have to be held if the report recommends changing the township’s development charge bylaw.

OFA farm policy advisor Jason Bent says the situation has sparked provincial interest because other municipalities across Ontario charge similar fees.  “I just don’t see a significant difference in services being offered across various centres (of municipalities that do or don’t charge the fees), so how why are some arriving at a figure while others are not?”

Bent says the OFA failed to convince the province to exempt agriculture from development fees in 2000. Nevertheless, the federation will continue to press the government for changes, he says, noting that farmers in Russell successfully fought similar charges several years ago.

Héléne Blanchard, past president of the Russell County Federation of Agriculture, says their battle began in 1999 when the township called for development fees of $1.24 per square metre on agricultural buildings. Municipal officials subsequently offered to drop the fee to 62 cents.

Blanchard says farmers hired an engineering firm to conduct a study. After a three-year fight, the municipality dropped the fee to nine cents per square metre. “We won because the person we hired found all kinds of errors and figures based on incorrect calculations in the municipality’s initial report,” she says.

Back in Wellington North, Grant says farmers are hopeful there will be positive news soon.

About 25 municipalities in Ontario charge development fees on agricultural buildings. One of them is Middlesex Centre, where a $1.07 per square foot levy has been in place for several years. They apply to all agricultural structures from grain bins and silos to barns and manure storage tanks.

Jim McConnell, the municipality’s manager of planning and development services, says there has been little negative feedback from the agricultural community. “Our fees vary (from location to location within the municipality) depending on the sector,” he explains. “Agriculture is consistent, however, wherever you are in the municipality.”

C.N. Watson and Associates Ltd. could not be immediately reached to confirm a finish date for its report. BF