On December 17, 2025, the Town of Collingwood announced a comprehensive review of its development approvals process and municipal fees to ensure “growth pays for growth” and to help meet provincial housing objectives. According to the town’s Notice of Development Approvals Process & Fees Review, council approved updates to Planning Act application charges, building permit fees and development engineering levies.
The review began in early 2024 when staff launched Staff Report P2024-09: Development Process and Fees Review to tackle bottlenecks in planning and building services. Council endorsed nearly 50 strategic and tactical recommendations on April 22, 2024. Council approved updates to the fee schedule on December 15, 2025, and the Town set an effective date of January 1, 2026, for the updated Building and Development Engineering fees. Planning fees will be phased in over four years beginning January 1, 2026, to ease short-term impacts on applicants.
Under the new model, staff recommend that developers cover about 75 per cent of planning application costs, with the remaining 25 per cent funded by property taxes to maintain a public-interest subsidy. The updated Building and Development Engineering fees will come into effect on January 1, 2026; the updated Planning fees will be phased in over four years starting January 1, 2026, to balance cost recovery and housing affordability.
Council’s process has involved input from municipal staff led by Summer Valentine, Director, Planning, Building & Economic Development; the development industry (for example, BILD — the Building Industry and Land Development Association); and residents through public meetings and the Town’s Official Plan engagement portal. Mayor Yvonne Hamlin has emphasized public engagement and transparent growth during the broader Official Plan and DAP review processes.
Town staff say the changes are intended to help the municipality recover a greater share of application review costs and to create capacity — through staffing and service improvements such as better digital tracking and delegated approvals for minor matters — to speed up processing times. While developers can expect higher upfront fees, staff argue that clearer engineering guidelines, standardized processes and improved timelines should reduce uncertainty and help move housing projects forward more predictably.
