Proposed 2025 Fee Policy and Schedules

Background:
Lower Trent Conservation (LTC) charges fees to assist with covering the program costs for services and
products that are not supported through provincial grant funding, assisting in reduction of the general levy. The fees take into account estimated staff time, travel, and material costs to provide the service. It is
imperative to charge a fee reflective of full costs associated with the service provided.

On January 1, 2023, the Conservation Authorities Act was amended by repealing Section 21 (1) (m.1) which related to the power of CAs to charge fees for services approved by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and enacting Section 21.2 (1)-(12) “Fees for Programs and Services”. Subsection (1) enables the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to determine the classes of programs and services in respect of which an authority may charge a fee and (2) requires the Minister to publish a List in a policy document. The Minister published the list through the Policy: Minister’s list of classes of programs and services in respect of which conservation authorities may charge a fee (“Minister’s List”) on April 11, 2022. Conservation authorities may only charge a fee for a program or service that it provides if it is included in this List. The Minister responsible for the Conservation Authorities Act has been changed to the Minister of Natural Resources.

Effective January 1, 2023 the Province froze conservation authority Planning and Regulations fees for the year and that fee freeze continued through 2024. There is no indication as to when the proposed fee schedules will be valid. Our Fee Policy indicates that the policy and fee schedules will be reviewed annually and if changes are proposed they must be made available for public consultation. The Planning and Regulation fees, if passed by the Board of Directors after consultation, will not be enacted until the provincial government removes the current fee freeze.

The following changes are proposed.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO POLICY:

• Updated to reflect regulatory changes.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO FEE SCHEDULES:
Schedule 1 – Planning and Regulations Fees
The new 2025 proposed fees are compared to the 2024 proposed fees for planning and regulations that were accepted by the Board but not ratified due to the Minister’s fee freeze.
Increases of 3-6% were added for most categories based on the 2024 proposed schedule.

• Addition of Large Fill Permit fees for loads up to 500 cubic metres and loads greater than 500 cubic
  metres as noted in the proposed 2024 fee schedule.
• Refinement of Complex Permit fees based on the number of technical reviews required.
• Refinement of Zoning By-law Amendment fees to one charge.
• Removal of the provincially significant wetland boundary updates for MNR purposes due to the
  changes in provincial direction for PSW designations.
• A $5,000 increase in the deposit for MZO application to $20,000 to help cover associated costs.
  

Schedule 2 – General Service Fees

• Fees for professional services were increased by $10 for each category.

Schedule 3 – Stewardship Services Fees

• Fees for nursery pricing is unknown at this time. A range is given to accommodate potential increases.
• There is a proposed $1.00 increase to the administrative fee for 2025 which has been steady for two
  years prior.

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS:
Comments must be submitted in writing to the attention of Anna Morgan at [email protected] with Fee Policy and Schedule in the subject line or by mail to: Lower Trent Conservation, 714 Murray Street, R.R. 1, Trenton, ON K8V 0N1 no later than Friday, October 11, 2024

Proposed 2025 Fee Policy and Schedules