Whitehorse builders calling for better communication to avoid repeat of permit backlog

The Yukon Contractors Association Home Builders' Caucus is calling on the City of Whitehorse to improve communication around permitting requirements.

John Vogt spoke on behalf of the caucus to council Monday, calling the city's current communications "a mess."

Last year, wait times for building permit approval skyrocketed, in part due to the city's new submission requirements to align with the National Building Code — the technical requirements for the design and construction of new buildings. A consulting firm hired by the city called last year's backlog "a crisis." 

For the last two weeks, city councillors have been discussing ways to prevent a repeat of last year's backlog. One suggestion brought forward by industry was to amend the building and plumbing bylaw.

Council previously voted unanimously in favour of amending the bylaw back in January. Those changes included extending timelines for starting construction after permit approval and modifying inspection requirements for different stages of work. 

At Monday night's council meeting, Coun. Dan Boyd submitted a motion to amend section 86 of the same bylaw to remove confusing language and create more clarity for home builders. Section 86 pertains to thermal insulation requirements for home builders. 

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the motion. They'll vote on whether to amend section 86 through the bylaw process in the coming weeks.

Boyd says the motion is meant to play a small part in helping to speed up the application process for building permits.

"Industry was being asked to comply with these sections and it was confusing to them and to other people reading and interpreting it," Boyd said. 

Announcing new requirements

Vogt told city councillors on Monday that the Home Builders' Caucus supports Boyd's motion. However, he says the city still needs to do more to improve its communication. 

"New requirements seem to pop up without any official announcement, and when requirements are actually announced, they're often worded in ways that are interpreted differently by different inspectors, which causes confusion and chaos," Vogt said. 

Vogt asked council to make it mandatory that "all new permit requirements be announced in writing a minimum of six months before they go into effect."

Right now, permit applications are being sent back to builders multiple times before they are approved, furthering delays, Vogt said. He says giving inspectors and builders ample notice before new requirements go into effect will help reduce the number of revisions.

"The long term goal is to have permits go through ideally on the first try and maybe one revision," Vogt said. 

Boyd says he agrees with Vogt that builders should be given more notice about new requirements, but he doesn't know if it would be "realistic" for council to make it a requirement. 

'Made in the Yukon' building code

At Monday night's meeting, councillors also voted unanimously in favour of a resolution for "a made in the Yukon adoption of the National Building Code," which the city will bring forward at the Association of Yukon Communities AGM next month.

The resolution asks the Yukon government to consult with builders, municipalities and other stakeholders before automatically adopting the 2025 National Building Code, which is set to take effect on April 1, 2027. 

"We're not at all interested in watering down safety standards [the code] focuses on," Boyd said to council on March 17.

"Don't automatically adopt it. Consider it, think about it, and then consult and communicate and educate."

Boyd says altering the National Building Code to meet the needs of local builders is a common practice in southern jurisdictions and would help speed up the permitting process in the Yukon.