housing

Prince George not part of building permit hub pilot

Jun 11, 2024 | 1:02 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — In a bid to address the BC’s housing challenges, the provincial government has announced that a new building permit hub will be launched in order to speed up homebuilding. Twelve local governments will be piloting the hub, but Prince George did not make the short list for the pilot.

The Province is digitizing local permit processes to make it “easier and faster for homeowners and industry professionals to submit applications to local governments and First Nations.” According to the government, “the Building Permit Hub is the next step in the Province’s work to speed up homebuilding and reduce the costs of housing, and meet the Province’s goal for British Columbia to become a North American leader in digital permitting and construction.”

“We are exploring new ways to speed up the delivery of homes for people in B.C.,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “The Building Permit Hub will make the permitting process smoother for builders and local and First Nations governments, ensuring homes are built quicker without unnecessary delays. This is one of many actions we are taking in our Homes for People action plan.”

Builders will submit their permit applications online in the hub, which will:

  • standardize building-permit submission requirements across jurisdictions in B.C.;
  • automatically check that the permit application is complete; and
  • automatically check compliance with key parts of the BC Building Code.

The Building Permit Hub went live on Monday, May 27, 2024. In the fall of 2024, more communities will be added to the permit hub, but Prince George will have to wait and see if we are added to the list.

X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com