On December 17, 2025, the Town of Collingwood posted an update to its Development Approvals Process (DAP) and Fees Review, a program examining workflows in the planning and building departments that could affect local builders, developers and members of the Collingwood business community if permit timelines or costs change. The review follows a cost-recovery approach intended to shift a larger share of administrative costs for processing applications onto applicants rather than the general taxpayer.
Town staff have proposed raising planning application fees to recover about 75 per cent of processing costs, with the remaining 25 per cent covered through property taxes. The review also responds to a budget shortfall tied to years of constrained development during a water treatment plant capacity crisis and to changes in provincial rules (Bill 23 and Bill 185) that limit what municipalities can collect through development charges. The town is currently in a public consultation phase; staff materials note a public meeting in October 2025 and indicate Council will consider comments at a meeting no earlier than Nov. 3, 2025. The Town’s update also states proposed building fees would come into effect Jan. 1, 2026, while proposed planning fees would be phased in over four years beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
If approved, fees for applications such as Official Plan Amendments and Site Plan approvals could rise by several thousand dollars per submission under the draft schedules. Those increases would be layered on top of existing development charges — under current rates cited for 2024, the urban rate for a single/semi-detached dwelling is roughly $42,855 — a combined increase that local developers and builders say could affect project costs and viability. The town is preparing for a wave of applications following the Raymond A. Barker Water Treatment Plant expansion (a roughly $270-million project that broke ground in June 2024), though estimates for delivery of additional capacity range across 2028–2031 in local coverage.
The Collingwood Chamber of Commerce is listed among local stakeholders watching the review; the Chamber’s public materials identify it as the local business advocacy organization. The Town’s consultation materials invite stakeholders to review proposed fee schedules and submit comments through the Town website, and the Chamber, along with builders and other business groups, may provide feedback during the public comment period. Stakeholders can find details and submit comments on the Town’s DAP page.
