British Columbia says it will partner with 16 local governments and a First Nations government to create a new digital tool to issue housing permits more quickly to address the crisis affecting many communities.
According to the province, many municipalities rely on a paper permitting process, resulting in delays and long permitting times.
She says the new digital tool will allow builders and developers to submit applications for permits to build new housing, and will allow local authorities to receive and process applications more quickly and easily.
The tool must also automatically ensure that the permit application complies with the main parts of the British Columbia Building Code.
According to the government, the digital tool will be tested in the pilot project’s partner communities from March 2024 and then expanded to other communities.
Participating jurisdictions include Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Kamloops, North Vancouver, the District of Saanich and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
An encouraging announcement
North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan welcomes the measure.
She explains that her administration has been working for several years to modernize its own procedures. His city has experienced significant growth over the past five years but has failed to meet the growing demand for housing.
It is therefore completely natural for us to work with the state and other municipalities to see how we can do it even better
She says.
Burnaby construction company TQ Construction’s president, Henri Belisle, says it’s also a step in the right direction.
His company often faces delays of 4 to 14 months to obtain planning permission for a house or major renovation work: It’s long.
He points out that in other provinces and parts of British Columbia it is possible to get a permit to build a house in a month or two and to renovate a bathroom, for example, in a week or two.
The main explanation for the long delays is the different application systems for building permits depending on the municipality.
He also notes that there is significant turnover among local government plan examiners, who are responsible for reviewing permit applications and building plans. It is a difficult position, and the severity of the task forces many to change jobs.
If the province [met en place] A system that all cities and municipalities use will make it much easier for applications across the entire state
concludes Henri Belisle.
With information from Renée Lukacs
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