The confrontation over development charges should be laid to rest. All levels of government want more homes built.

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The federal government and the city of Ottawa, perhaps cities across the country, are on a collision course over development charges, but it is a pointless clash that must be avoided.

At the heart of the disagreement is whether cities need to hike development charges that help pay for the infrastructure that new housing communities need to make them livable. New developments can’t do without roads, water and sewer lines, transit, parks, libraries or police and fire services, but these cost millions of dollars and someone has to pay for them. So, cities such as Ottawa levy development charges on homebuilders to help defray the costs.

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Ottawa recently hiked the charges by 11 per cent for homes built inside the greenbelt, and 12 per cent outside. Last year, Toronto........

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