Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. unveils new housing permit process

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jan, 2023 02:05 PM
  • B.C. unveils new housing permit process

VANCOUVER - The British Columbia government is creating a single hub for developers to get provincial approval for their projects in another step to tackle the housing shortage.

Premier David Eby says homebuilding authorizations in B.C. can require multiple provincial permit applications across separate ministries, each with different processes, that can sometimes take up to two years for approval.

He says the new strategy will streamline the process by creating a single, co-ordinated approach with the goal of cutting down the approval process to a few months.

A single application process is being created, and Eby says permit and authorization decisions will be expedited through a cross-ministry team focused solely on processing housing permits.

He says 42 new full-time staff will be hired to identify the highest-priority housing and will steer those through the process quickly and efficiently.

Neil Moody, CEO for Canadian Home Builders' Association of B.C., says the changes will address long-standing challenges of the industry of moving through a complex provincial approval process.

The announcement is one of a series of measures the government is taking to try to address the crisis, including changing the Housing Supply Act to set targets in municipalities with the greatest housing needs and eliminating condo board rental restrictions to allow for renters.

MORE National ARTICLES

2 men arrested and charged with assault and armed robbery in New Westminster

2 men arrested and charged with assault and armed robbery in New Westminster
2 people have been arrested by the New West Police after an assault and armed robbery took place near the corner of McKenzie Street and Clarkson Street. The two committed the assault and armed robbery on July 13th and one person landed in hospital as a result of this incident. 

2 men arrested and charged with assault and armed robbery in New Westminster

Heat warnings issued or expected across Canada

Heat warnings issued or expected across Canada
Environment Canada says heat in the mid- to high 20s should reach the south coast and parts of the northern Interior by next week, while the Okanagan, central and southeastern B.C. could see temperatures nudging the high 30s over the same period.

Heat warnings issued or expected across Canada

Senior officer faces military charges

Senior officer faces military charges
The office of Canada's military police chief announced on Wednesday that Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan is facing two counts under the National Defence Act related to "conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline."

Senior officer faces military charges

Theft of bronze statue at Surrey church

Theft of bronze statue at Surrey church
The statue is described as two metres tall and depicts St. Andrew Kim. According to police, it is difficult to make out a suspect description based on the current evidence. The investigation is ongoing and police are actively working to identify the suspects.

Theft of bronze statue at Surrey church

New Westminster Police need the public's help in finding missing man Kulwant Sahota

New Westminster Police need the public's help in finding missing man Kulwant Sahota
He who was last seen in New Westminster on July 18th at 1pm. He is South Asian, 61 years old, stand 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighs 240 pounds. 

New Westminster Police need the public's help in finding missing man Kulwant Sahota

Value of random COVID travel tests questioned

Value of random COVID travel tests questioned
The government put a pause on random testing at airports in June as long customs delays caused chaos at Canada's airports, but relaunched the program on Tuesday at four major airports: Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal. Randomly selected air travellers at those four airports must now report to off-site locations to be tested for COVID-19 or pick up a self-swab kit.  

Value of random COVID travel tests questioned