The problems over lag times for issuing building permits at City Hall in Regina may involve more than simple bureaucratic pencil pushing by a department that expanded in the boom times and is now looking for activities to occupy itself. The City has plans to get an outside opinion on why it takes weeks – sometimes 13 weeks – to get a simple building permit approved.
And it should. Builders in the city report that they are seeing developers simply abandon projects slated for the Queen City because City Hall’s processes are too difficult to navigate. This at a time when builders are scrambling for work.
But the answers may lie in the city’s own books. Back when the boom was starting, the city and economic development board worked together on streamlining the process and made considerable progress. 80-percent of residential permits were cleared by city hall in less than 48 hours back then. And, they were full permits, not staged ones.
So it has already been proven that it is possible to improve the current performance levels….and significantly improve them.
