This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document.
Snapshot 776d19b36b42 · verified 2026-08-23 ·
original document ·
archived snapshot ·
unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
Memorandum
Corporate By-law Number: 024-2025-Corporate Services-
Finance
TO:
Office of the City Clerk
FILE:
FROM:
Keri Greaves, CPA
Commissioner and City Treasurer
Corporate Services Department
DATE PREPARED:
January 8, 2025
SUBJECT:
By-law 024-2025 User Fee By-law.docx
MEETING DATE:
City Council - March 24, 2025
By-law Description: A By-law to set fees and charges imposed for various municipal
services, to be known as the "User Fee By-law" and to repeal By-law 028-2007, as
amended.
Authorization: Corporate Report 1-2025 - (Corporate Services-Finance) Committee of
the Whole January 30, 2025.
By-law Explanation: The purpose of this By-law is to repeal and replace By-law 028-
2007 as amended, being a By-law to set fees and charges imposed for various
municipal Services.
Schedules and Attachments:
Schedule A: City Manager's Department - City Solicitor
Schedule B: City Manager's Department - Office of the City Clerk
Schedule C: Corporate Services Department - Licensing & Enforcement (Municipal
Enforcement Services)
Schedule D: Corporate Services Department - Licensing & Enforcement (Municipal
Parking Services) - Rate Supported
Schedule E: Corporate Services Department - Revenue
Schedule F: Corporate Services Department - Supply Management
Schedule G: Community Services Department - Child Care Centres
Page 1
By-Law Number: 24-2025
Schedule H: Community Services Department - Long Term Care (LTC) & Senior
Services
Schedule I: Community Services Department - Recreation & Culture
Schedule J: Community Services Department - Superior North Emergency Medical
Services (SNEMS)
Schedule K: Community Services Department - Transit Services
Schedule L: Growth - Development Services
Schedule M: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Engineering
Schedule N: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Environment (Solid Waste &
Recycling)
Schedule O: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Environment (Landfill) - Rate
Supported
Schedule P: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Environment (Waterworks) -
Rate Supported
Schedule Q: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Environment (Wastewater) -
Rate Supported
Schedule R: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Parks & Open Spaces
Schedule S: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Parks & Open Spaces (Boater
Services) - Rate Supported
Schedule T: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Roads
Schedule U: Infrastructure & Operations Department - Thunder Bay Fire Rescue
Amended/Repealed By-law Number(s):
Page 2
By-Law Number: 24-2025
THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF THUNDER BAY
BY-LAW NUMBER 024-2025
A By-law to set fees and charges imposed for various
municipal services, to be known as the "User Fee By-
law" and to repeal By-law 028-2007, as amended.
Recitals
1.
The Municipal Act provides that municipalities may impose fees or charges for
services or activities provided by it, and for various other matters.
2.
Various other statutes that govern municipalities also provide similar authority.
3.
The Corporation, acting under these authorities, charges fees for various
activities, services, property use and other matters. These fees are adjusted from
time to time in accordance with the annual budget process, the introduction of
new or different services, and the evolution of existing processes and services.
4.
The Corporation considers that the consolidation of all or most of its fees and
charges into one by-law is beneficial for users of services for which fees and
charges are levied.
ACCORDINGLY, THE COUNCIL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY
OF THUNDER BAY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
1.00 Definitions and Interpretation
1.01 Definitions
Wherever a term set out below appears in the text of this By-law with its
initial letter capitalized, the term is intended to have the meaning set out for it
in this Section 1.01. Wherever a term below appears in the text of this By-
law in regular case, it is intended to have the meaning ordinarily attributed to
it in the English language.
(a) "By-law" means this By-law, as it may be amended from time to time, unless
another by-law is expressly referenced by name or number. The Recitals to,
and the Schedules attached to this By-law are considered integral parts of it.
(b) "Corporation" means The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay.
(c) "Council" means the elected municipal council for the Corporation.
Page 3
By-Law Number: 24-2025
(d) "Deposit" means a sum paid as an estimate of the final amount that will be
payable, to be adjusted after service is delivered and the final amount
accurately determined.
(e) "Manager" means the City Manager or the Commissioner of any department
of the Corporation's administration. The term includes any person to whom
authority under this By-law is specifically delegated by any of them with
respect to the department over which he or she has management authority.
(f) "Municipal Act" means the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended,
including successor legislation.
(g) "Security Deposit" means an amount paid or pledged as surety that an event
will occur or a service will be delivered, to be refunded when the event occurs
or service is rendered, and to be retained if the event does not occur and/or
the service is not rendered.
(h) "Service" means any service, activity, product, cost, use of property, facilities,
equipment, or any other thing with respect to which a municipality is
authorized by Sections 9, 10, 11 or 391 of the Municipal Act to impose a fee.
(i) "Recovery Cost" means a sum equal to the cost to the Corporation to provide
the Service, calculated or approved by the Manager. A Recovery Cost may
include an amount of up to thirty (30%) percent for overhead costs.
(j) "Thunder Bay" means the geographic area under the jurisdiction of the
Corporation.
(k) "Treasurer" means the person within the Corporation's employment who fulfills
the role of "treasurer" as set out in the Municipal Act.
1.02 Interpretation Rules
This section sets out the rules for interpreting the text used in this By-law.
(a) The captions, articles and section names and numbers appearing in this By-
law are for convenience of reference only and have no effect on its
interpretation.
(b) This By-law is to be read with all changes of gender or number required by
the context,
(c)
The words " include", " includes", " including" and " included" are not to be
interpreted as restricting or modifying the words or phrases which precede
them.
(d) If any article, section, subsection, paragraph, clause or subclause or any of
the words contained in this By-law is held wholly or partially illegal, invalid,
Page 4
By-Law Number: 24-2025
or unenforceable by any court or tribunal or competent jurisdiction, the
remainder of this By-law shall not be affected by the judicial holding, but
shall remain in full force and effect.
(e) This By-law takes precedence over any by-law of the Corporation which
pre-dates it and is inconsistent with it.
(f)
References within this By-law to the titles of the Corporation's employees
are references to the positions that held those titles at the time that this By-
law was enacted. Where a corporate restructuring has occurred such that
there is no longer a person within the organization who holds a referenced
title, the reference is to the person who undertakes the duties of the title-
holder at the time this By-law was enacted. In any case of doubt, the Chief
Administrative Officer for the Corporation shall delegate the authority to the
appropriate person and direct that this By-law be amended to reflect the
new title.
(g) Any reference to a person employed by, or contracted to the Corporation is
considered to include his or her delegates, provided the delegation is in
writing.
(h) All references to dollars in this By-law are references to Canadian Dollars.
2.00 Fees and Charges
2.01 Schedules
The Schedules to this By-law list the fees for the Services administered by the
different Departments of the Corporation.
2.02 Boards and Corporations
This By-law may not include any or all of the fees charged by the Corporation's
local boards or municipal service boards, or by any corporate entities owned or
controlled by the Corporation.
2.03 Other Fees
While this By-law attempts to encompass all fees charged by all departments,
there may be fees authorized by policy or by-law of the Corporation that are not
summarized within this By-law.
3.00 Payments and Collections
3.01 Time of Payment
Payment of the fees under this By-law may be required in whole or in part by the
Manager at any time, including: the time of delivery of the service, prior to the
time of delivery of the service, or after delivery of the service upon receipt of an
invoice for the relevant fee.
Page 5
By-Law Number: 24-2025
3.02 Estimates for Recovery Costs
Where the fee payable under this By-law is stipulated as Recovery Cost, the
person who will be required to pay the fee may request an estimate from the
Manager as to what the fee will be. The actual Recovery Cost will be
determined after provision of the Service, and the person who received the
Service will pay the Recovery Cost.
3.03 Deposits for Recovery Costs
Every Manager is authorized to require that a Deposit be paid prior to the
delivery of the Service in circumstances where the fee is a Recovery Cost that
cannot be calculated until after the Service has been delivered. Deposits shall
not exceed the amount of any estimate requested under Section 3.02. Other by-
laws of the Corporation may make payment of a Deposit mandatory.
3.04 Refund or Additional Charge Related to Deposit
Where a Deposit has been paid under Section 3.03, and the actual Recovery
Cost is less than the amount of the Deposit, the person who paid the Deposit is
entitled to a refund of the difference between the Deposit paid and the Recovery
Cost invoiced, without interest or deduction. Where a Deposit has been paid
under Section 3.03, and the actual Recovery Cost is more than the amount of
the Deposit, the person who paid the Deposit will be required to pay to the
Corporation the difference between the Deposit paid and the Recovery Cost
invoiced. Refunds must be made to the person who made the original Deposit.
Rights to recover Deposit funds are not assignable.
3.05 Security Deposits
Where shown in the Schedules to this By-law, the Manager may require a
Security Deposit for surety for the actions of any person.
3.06 Goods and Services Tax, Provincial Sales Tax & Other Applicable Tax
For some Services, the Corporation is obliged at law to collect goods and
services tax and/or provincial sales tax. Other taxes may become applicable in
the future. The fees stipulated in the schedules to this By-law are exclusive of
any applicable taxes.
3.07 Debt
Amounts payable under this By-law which remain unpaid are a debt due to the
Corporation. The Corporation may recover the debt in accordance with law in
any lawful manner the Treasurer chooses.
Page 6
By-Law Number: 24-2025
3.08 Addition to Property Taxes
In accordance with the Municipal Act and Section 3.07 of this By-law, the
Treasurer may choose to add any amount owing to the Corporation under this
By-law by any person to the tax roll for any property within Thunder Bay that is
owned by the person who owes the debt.
4.00 Managerial Responsibility
4.01 General
Provided that there is no overall impact to the budget in any given year, the
Manager is authorized to adjust the fees in the Schedules to allow for the
purchase of portions of full Services for which fees are charged.
4.02 Promotional Authority
The Manager is delegated the authority to reduce any of the fees listed in the
Schedules for the department for which he or she has managerial authority for
the purposes of promoting products or services of the Corporation. The authority
under this Section is limited to a maximum reduction of fifty (50%) per cent of
the fee shown in the Schedule.
5.00 General
5.01 Repeal of Predecessor By-laws
The following by-law of the Corporation is repealed.
(a) By-law 028-2007 as amended - A By-law to set fees and charges imposed for
various municipal services.
5.02 This By-law shall come into force and take effect on April 1, 2025.
Enacted and passed this 24th day of March, A.D. 2025 as witnessed by the Seal of the
Corporation and the hands of its proper Officers.
Ken Boshcoff
Mayor
Dana Earle
Deputy City Clerk