Keep calm and wait for the growth-fee report, Bowman urges

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman is urgingthe city's development industry to wait to see a report about new growth fees before drawing any conclusions about it.

On Wednesday, the city expects to receive the final version of a study by the consulting firm Hemson, which has been tasked with determining whetherfees applied to new developments can and ought to pay for the cost of servicing new areas of the city.

The Manitoba Home Builders Association has already raised concerns about the report, claiming the city is rushing to institute new growth fees that could add $30,000 to the cost of the average new residential home in Winnipeg.

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The home builders have also questioned the methodology employed by Hemson and complained they had little input into the consulting firm's report.

On Tuesday, Bowman urged the home builders to wait for the report, which the city plans to present to members of council on Thursday morning and then post on its website.

"All members of council,the media, the industry and all Winnipeggers will be able to review the report and then we'll go from there,depending on what the report says," Bowman told reporters at city hall.

Bowman refused to say whether growth fees are a foregone conclusion, stating he will wait to see whether the report concludes the fees are necessary.

But he did strongly suggest it is time for the fees in the Manitoba capital.

"Winnipeg is an island, unlike any municipalityorcity in Canada, in not currently havinga mechanism to pay for growth other than passing on that burden to all taxpayers across the city," Bowman said.

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Meanwhile, one member of council's executive policy committee used her blogtoquestionwhether the city has properly consulted the development community.

"Are we working with the development industry in a fair and transparent manner and engaging in meaningful discussions? Are we ensuring we are comparing apples to apples in the analysis?" askedSouth Winnipeg-St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes.

"Do we know areas we are targeting for density increases, or what is required to support industry and commercial in other areas?Are we legally positioned to introduce new fees?"