Winnipeg developers invite mayor and council to growth-fee meeting of their own

Winnipeg property developers are holding a development-fee workshop they describe as a sign of their willingness to engage in city hall's efforts to create growth fees.

Urban Development Institute chair Eric Vogan, the vice-president of residential developer Qualico, has invited Mayor Brian Bowman and the rest of city council to a Tuesday-afternoon session called "a plan-based approach to growth."

The city is considering new fees that would fulfil a Bowman pledge to have new developments cover the entire cost of the infrastructure that must be built in order to service those developments.

• Growth fees coming to Winnipeg on Jan. 1, pending council approval
• Growth fees on hold in Winnipeg, but it's not clear how long
• Rough development-fee beast slouches toward Winnipeg

A plan announced by the city — but then placed on hold by executive policy — would add $1,000 to every 100 square feet of new residential space in Winnipeg and also increase the cost of commercial and industrial developments.

Developers oppose the proposed "impact fees" on the basis they were calculated on the basis of faulty data, without consulting the development and construction industries.

They also complain the city is rushing to institute the fees without considering projects already planned for Winnipeg.​

"Commercial leases and financing agreements may be negotiated 18-24 months in advance of [the] permit stage. Imposing new, significant fees at the permit stage on these developments will have potentially devastating impacts, particularly in multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings," Vogan writes in a letter inviting Bowman and the rest of city council to the noon meeting at the offices of consulting firm MNP.

Mayor wants fees in place for New Year

"We believe market confidence would be restored with a commitment from the city to recognize the off-site contributions already made under existing development agreements and a joint commitment from the city and the development industry to work together, over a defined and reasonable period of time, to undertake this collaborative plan-based approach."

Council property-committee chairman John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry), who was placed in charge of the growth-fee file after EPC put the plan on hold, said he is unsure whether he can attend the meeting because it follows too closely on the heels of a committee meeting he will preside over this morning.

"I'm not sure what a 'plan-based approach to growth' means. It's a nice tagline," he said. "I'm really not interested in just planning to plan. We can plan as we move this project forward."

Orlikow has said he does not believe a growth-fee plan could be worked out before 2017, but Bowman has expressed hope the fees could be charged next year.

The mayor has repeatedly said the fees would not be used to bolster the operating budget. He also has not committed to maintain infrastructure funding from regular sources at the same level regardless of whether growth fees materialize.

Police to make child-safety presentations in schools

The Winnipeg Police Service is moving ahead with plans to educate schoolkids about how to protect themselves from online predators.

On Wednesday, city council's executive policy committee will consider a plan to allow police to make safety presentations designed by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in Winnipeg schools.

The Winnipeg Police Board signed off on the idea in September.