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But the answer to the subsidy question is both no and a little yes. Edmonton started charging similar development levies to the ones Calgary just proposed decades ago, but subsidies in other areas are less clear. And no residential neighbourhood except Oliver has a high enough density to pay for itself.

Start with roads and sewer lines. Peter Ohm, acting head of current planning for the city, said a developer pays for all the new roads and pipes inside the boundaries of a neighbourhood. They also pay for the larger roads and sewers on the edge of the neighbourhoods — the new four-lane arterial roads and similar large pipes underground.

In addition, they pay for some of the upgrades that can be directly attributed to the new suburbs, even if those upgrades are several neighbourhoods away, said Ohm. The new sewer line in West Jasper Place is a good example. It’s built under a mature neighbourhood, but the extra capacity is needed because of new development in The Grange and Lewis Farms.

“That money is there. It’s contributed by developers to go into system expansions,” said Ohm. But there’s a limit. Developers (who pass their costs on to the new home buyers) are not asked to pay for upgrades to the waste water treatment plant, for example.

Everyone shares the cost of maintenance and the cost to replace old roads and sewers throughout the city.

Potable water and trash collection are more complicated.

Trash collection costs more the further the truck has to drive. That means all ratepayers in Edmonton see their monthly costs go up as more houses are added on the outskirts. Trash collection is currently a set fee. It doesn’t matter where you live or how much trash you set by the back gate.