Both the City and developers contribute.
The City of Medicine Hat calculates how much growth is projected in an area and how much impact that growth will have on infrastructure. The City then shares the costs of growth. The City and developers both contribute to the cost of off-site infrastructure.
Off-site levies must be paid at the time of Development Permit approval for Development Permit applications, and at the time of subdivision endorsement for subdivision applications.
Buyers of new homes do end up paying for some of the cost of the infrastructure. When the developers pay levies to cover the cost of growth infrastructure, the charges are included in the cost of a new house. This infrastructure is critical to ensuring residents continue to live in complete communities with the services they need.
For further information about off-site levies
View Off-site Levies: A Municipality's Manual for Capital Cost Recovery Due to New Development, prepared by Brownlee LLP in 2019.