VAUGHAN, ONT. — A new report released by the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) argues that individual regions across the province would benefit from speeding up the development approvals process and backs the case for a harmonized e-permitting system.
The report, undertaken by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, suggests that reducing the process by six months, combined with a 10-per-cent increase in investment, would have significant benefits for individual regions.
The report, Impacts of Streamlining Construction Approval Processes in Ontario, a Socioeconomic Analysis, forecasts that if the process was speeded up by six months the GTA alone could see an additional 60,100 jobs and 43,700 more housing units over the next five years, and $6.7 billion in added annual GDP. Over a 20-year period, the GTA would see 81,800 additional jobs, 100,700 more housing units and $9.7 billion in added annual GDP.
“This analysis shows that individual regions in Ontario would see significant economic growth and job opportunities if the development approvals process was reduced,” said RESCON president Richard Lyall in a Nov. 18 release. “Figures in the report clearly highlight the value of having a standardized and digitized e-permitting process to speed up the process, as it will boost employment, result in thousands of additional units of much-needed housing, and billions of dollars in investment for communities.”
RESCON has joined the One Ontario initiative which is developing guidelines for a digital e-permitting system that could be adopted for the 444 municipalities in Ontario.
“Regions across the province would reap big rewards if Ontario had a streamlined e-permitting system,” says Lyall.
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