Ward 9 
Councillor Pat Saito
City of Mississauga & Region of Peel
300 City Centre Drive  Mississauga Ontario Canada L5B 3C1    
 

Purchasing a new home is the largest single financial investment that most of us will make in our lives and with this investment come concerns and questions. In light of this, and based upon the numerous questions and concerns my office receives from new homeowners, I thought it would be beneficial to provide you with some useful information. I have focused mainly on building inspections, grading inspections, landscaping charges, supplementary tax bills and blue/grey box information as these constitute the majority of inquiries I receive.

Building Inspections
The Building Division of the City’s Planning & Building Department has two primary functions. The first is to review all proposed new construction to ensure compliance with the Ontario Building Code, City of Mississauga By-Law’s and any other applicable laws (e.g., Credit Valley Conservation Authority, Ministry of Transportation, Committee of Adjustment or Ontario Municipal Board Decisions). This review is broken down into the following four specialized disciplines, Structural/Architectural Plans Examination, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (H.V.A.C.) Plans Examination, Plumbing Plans Examination and Zoning Plans Examination. Once a thorough review of the proposed construction has been completed by each section and all the issues identified by the various Plans Examiner’s have been satisfactorily addressed by the builder including payment of all required fees, a Building Permit is issued authorizing the construction to proceed.

The second function of the Building Division is to inspect construction for compliance with the approved Building Permit documents, the Ontario Building Code and any other applicable laws. The following table shows at which stages of construction mandatory inspections occur and the responsible inspection discipline.

Aside from mandatory inspections, inspectors will also perform other inspections deemed necessary during the course of construction. Another important function provided by the

Inspection Services is responding to inquiries or complaints from home owners concerning the construction of their new houses. To contact the Inspection Section of the Building Division with concerns or questions please call 905-896-5660

Please note that the Inspectors from the Building Division can only enforce the requirements of the Ontario Building Code. Should your concerns involve items dealing with the quality of workmanship in your house or contractual issues between yourself and the builder, contact the Ontario New Home Warranty Program (O.N.H.W.P.). The O.N.H.W.P. provides the warranty on your new home and have the authority to address and rectify concerns of this nature. You must address your concerns in writing, after which if required a representative will be sent to your home. Please address correspondence to O.N.H.W.P. 2 County Court Blvd, Suite 435 Brampton, On L6W 3W8 or call 905-455-0500. Further information on the Ontario New Home Warranty Program and the warranty on your new home is available at their web site www.newhome.on.ca.

In accordance with the terms of the Servicing Agreement, all lots and blocks within the plan of subdivision will be graded to drain in accordance with sound engineering design principles and in conformity with the overall grading plan prepared by the developer's consulting engineer. The Developer must arrange to have the grading and sodding of the lots completed within 12 months after the building occupancy inspection is provided by the Planning and Building Department, or by June 30 of the following sodding period, if the end of the 12 month period falls within non-sodding months.

Although your builder may have required you to post a grading deposit, this is an agreement between you and your builder. It has no connection to the grading Letter of Credit the developer must file with the City. While your builder may tie the return of this deposit to the City’s assumption of the subdivision, the City has no control over this timing. Subdivisions will not be assumed until we are satisfied that all regulations have been fully met.

I would also like to remind you that a supplementary tax bill will be sent out by the City some time over the next year. When you purchased your home, your lawyer should have informed you that for a while you would only receive a tax bill for the land portion of your property. Most lawyers advise their clients to put aside money to pay the full taxes when the assessment is done. An estimate can be obtained from the tax department by calling 896-5575 at time of closing, although the final amount cannot be confirmed at that time.

The assessment of your property for tax purposes is done by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). The City cannot levy for the building portion of your tax bill until we receive the assessment lists from the MPAC, at which time we process and send out the supplementary bill. Timing varies for this but the MPAC has been taking as long as one year or more to get this information to us. In the meantime, we can only base your taxes on the land assessment which will be a lesser amount. We have implored MPAC to speed up these assessments as it does catch some residents by surprise, especially if they have not been forewarned by their lawyer on closing. While the bill can be paid in instalments, our by-laws do not permit us to waive the interest as the bill is, in effect, for back taxes since you closed on the property.

Another charge which will likely appear on your closing is a landscaping fee. Most builders include this as a separate item and may list it as general landscaping or a tree charge. This is a practice that the City does not approve of as it implies that there will be a tree in front of each

home. While we try to place a tree in front of each lot, there are situations where this is not always possible (small lots, utility equipment, etc.). The City requires each developer to

contribute a specific amount towards general neighbourhood landscaping. This amount is calculated based on an approved landscaping plan. This is to cover the cost of trees on both

the residential streets in front of homes as well as trees on major roads in the subdivision where no homes may be present. Some builders have passed this cost along to the buyers as a separate charge. The City does not receive this money and has no control over the amount that you are asked to pay.

I am often asked when you will receive your blue box and grey box so that you can start recycling. This program, run by the Region of Peel, is started when your neighbourhood is 90% occupied. This is to ensure the contractor has a full run. Boxes will be delivered and this should occur in about one month in your area if it hasn’t already.

The following telephone numbers may be of assistance to you if you have further questions regarding these matters or any others:

• General Inquiries 905-896-5000
• Tax Office 905-896-5575
• By-Law Enforcement 905-896-5655
• Parking Control 905-896-5678
• Animal Control 905-896-5858
• After Hours Emergency Dispatch 905-615-3000
• Development Construction 905-896-5155
• Boulevard Tree Concerns 905-896-5384

I hope that this information is helpful and assists you with your enjoyment of your new home.

I am always available to answer your questions and address your concerns regarding these or any other issues, so please feel free to contact me by email at pat.saito@mississauga.ca or by phone at 905-896-5900. You may also get information on my Ward 9 web site at www.ward9.ca.

Yours truly,

Patricia (Pat) Saito
Councillor, Ward 9