Letter of the Day: City permits keep builders working
See it here as it appeared in the June 15th Saskatoon Star Phoenix
By Chris Guerette
CEO – Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association
The City of Saskatoon has moved mountains in the permitting department recently and I felt the need to highlight this as they have not gotten the credit they deserve.
Many know our City has the fastest residential permit turnaround times in the country. There was a short blip during this pandemic when turnaround times were increasing quickly and became a significant concern to our sector.
When it became obvious that the construction activity on the horizon was not going to decrease but rather increase and we highlighted our concern, we saw the permit team doubling down. They moved mountains and brought service standards back to “pre-pandemic normal” in a matter of days. To top it off, this week they delivered a plan to bring in-person inspections back safely where appropriate.
That means less red tape and contributing to a smooth workflow in a time of crisis – in other words, businesses in our sector kept people working at a time when our economy needed it most. And while other areas in the country managed to add a housing crisis on top of a health crisis, we managed our way through it quite well here. That’s a competitive edge we have here in Saskatoon and we have that small but mighty team at building standards to thank for that.
On behalf of the professional association that represents certified builders, certified renovators and the many suppliers and professionals that support them in this region, thank you to the City of Saskatoon for moving mountains.
