Vancouver councillor says mayor ‘watered down’ efforts to clear building permit backlogs
Posted April 1, 2021 11:36 am.
Last Updated April 1, 2021 11:38 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Getting a development or building permit in Vancouver can be an agonizingly slow process, and two Non Partisan Association city councillors are hitting out at the mayor, claiming he has watered down their efforts to improve the situation.
It takes an average of over eight months to secure development or building permits, according to a study carried out by management consultants LOCO BC last year.
With that in mind, NPA councillor Lisa Dominato proposed a motion to speed that up. It passed, but she says Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s amendments weakened it.
“It was really developed around addressing the urgency and response from the myriad of residents, small businesses, and non-profits that are reaching out to us on a daily basis about their concerns … Unfortunately, all that was stripped away and gutted,” she said.
Dominato is particularly upset that the mayor nixed the proposal for a 30-day action plan to clear the full permit backlog by the third quarter of next year.
“Instead of taking bold action, as we proposed, we ended up with a watered down approach to dealing with the permit backlog,” she said.
Mayor Stewart points out in a statement that council approved the motion unanimously, adding he’s glad everyone supported the creation of a task force to address the issue.
