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Developers slapped with huge hike in charges from school boards TIM WHITNELL Special to The IFP Soaring land values have prompted both of Halton's school boards to raise their educational development charges (EDC) paid by developers. Both boards passed amendments to their EDC bylaws at public meetings last week. EDCs are what land developers pay to boards who, in turn, use the money to purchase land for future school construction. They are on top of the local and regional municipal land charges developers are required to pay. The Halton public board is now charging developers $1,260 per residential dwelling-- a 34 per cent increase over the $941 in the 2005 bylaw. The non-residential EDC, which covers new commercial-industrial-institutional facilities, is now 35 cents per square foot, a 42 per cent boost over the previous rate of 26 cents. The public board based its latest EDC update on the cost estimates of purchasing land for building projects found in its 2003 Capital Strategic Plan. Just two years ago the board estimated it needed $58 million over 15 years to buy land for 17 elementary and five secondary school sites. That figure has jumped to $92.5M. The Halton Catholic board also amended its EDC bylaw last week. Its new figures are an EDC of $808 per new residential unit, well up from the $592 of two years ago, while the new rate for non-residential development is 23 cents per square foot, up from 17 just two years ago. The public board has been doing an annual review of its EDC bylaw since 2004 and has bumped up the rates for both residential and non-residential units in consecutive years. See SCHOOL, pg. 3