WELLINGTON COUNTY – Local school boards have agreed to significantly ramp up how much developers pay in education charges.
Education development charges are one-time fees paid by developers for every new home built.
School boards use the education development charges to buy and develop land to build new schools.
The increases will be phased in over several years.
As of April 23, the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) increased educational development charges in Wellington County from $2,222 to $2,522 per dwelling unit.
As of the same date the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) increased education development charges per residential unit from $619 to $919.
The WCDSB charges will rise again in April 2025 to $1,199, where they will stay until April 2029.
The UGDSB will raise the fees by $300 per unit annually until at least April 2028, when the fees are set to reach $3,722 per unit.
In Dufferin, the charges will increase from the current rate of $2,632 per unit by the same interval, reaching $3,832 in 2028.
The school boards held two public meetings to discuss the increases on March 21 and April 18, but no members of the public delegated or attended either meeting.
For information about how the boards calculated the education development charges visit ugdsb.ca/board/planning/education-development-charges-edc/ and select “UGDSB & WCDSB EDC Background Study 2024.”
