Community Benefits Charges

Notice of Passing of a Community Benefits Charges By-law

The Town of Grimsby passed the Community Benefits Charges By-law No. 24-53 on July 8, 2024, under Section 37 of the Planning Act, 1990. 

The By-law applies to developments or redevelopments with buildings or structures of 5 or more storeys and at least 10 residential units, imposing a 4% charge on the land value. These charges will fund town-wide growth-related capital costs. 

Please refer to the Notice of CBC By-law Passage for full details.

Please refer to the Community Benefits Charges By-law 24-53 for more information.

Please refer to the Community Benefits Charges Strategy for more information. 

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 5 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

Prior to enacting the charge, the Planning Act requires municipalities to prepare a Community Benefits Charges Strategy. The Community Benefits Charges Strategy is required to document the increase in demand for additional facilities, services and matters as a result of qualifying development, document the projects that would be funded to mitigate these impacts and calculate a charge to recover eligible costs. 

To set a Community Benefits Charges, the Town of Grimsby must:

• Develop a Community Benefits Charges strategy that identifies the facilities, services, and matters that will be funded with CBCs and comply with prescribed requirements.
• Pass a by-law                                           

Project Timeline

April 16, 2024 - An information meeting held with the Corporate Leadership
Team 

April 25, 2024 - An information meeting held with the Finance Committee

May 21, 2024 - An information session held with Council

May 21, 2024 - Notice of Public Meeting

May 27, 2024 - Public Release of CBC strategy and By-law

June 7, 2024 - A stakeholder consultation meeting held

June 17, 2024 - A formal public meeting held 

July 8, 2024 - The CBC By-law was passed

Reference Materials

FIN 22-25 Community Benefits Charge Strategy Report

FIN 24-14 Community Benefits Charge Strategy Report 

FIN 24-14 Appendix A Draft Community Benefits Charge Strategy

FIN 24-14 Appendix B Draft Community Benefits Charge By-law

Draft Community Benefits Charges Strategy & By-law Council Presentation (May 21, 2024)

FIN 24-21 Community Benefits Charges Strategy

FIN 24-21 Appendix A - Revised Capital Program

FIN 24-21 Appendix B - Draft Bylaw to Impose Community Benefits Charges 

FIN 24-21 Appendix C - Public Consultation Responses