October 16, 2000

City speeds up processing of permits and licences

The City will begin a major effort to process permits and licence applications received prior to September 27, the day the civic strike began.

Effective this week, a number of exempt staff will be re-deployed to undertake permit processing, licences and enforcement. However, these staff will comprise less than 15 per cent of the normal staff complement and therefore processing of applications will take place on a limited basis.

Priority will be given to permit applications that:

- are closest to issuance

- have been in the system the longest

- don’t require extensive review by design staff; public involvement or review/approval by non-sitting Boards or panels

Trades permits will be processed only if they relate to an issued building permit or where trade work does not involve the need for a building permit.

The City also will place priority on business licence applications currently in the system.

Enforcement of problem premises will continue, with priority given to the Downtown Eastside.

However, there will be no regular building inspections. And development permit application resubmissions after ‘prior to’ letters will NOT be processed.

The City requests applicants to refrain from calling the permits and licences office to determine the status of their application. "We have been receiving several hundred phone calls a day," noted Rick Scobie, Director of Development Services. "However, calls take away valuable staff time that could be spent on actually processing these requests. Applicants will be contacted if and when their application is being processed."

For detailed information on what types of requests are being processed, please visit the City’s web site at: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca.

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Media contact: Catherine Clement 873-7270

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