Builders welcome CRD permit changes but question efficiency gains

The CRD is updating its Building Regulations Bylaw to speed up the building process, but the construction community says the proof will be in its execution.

The Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) said in principle, it supports efforts by the CRD to update processes designed to improve consistency, transparency, and overall efficiency, and that its 500+ member companies value a clear and consistent approach to reduce delays and control project costs.

“That said, from VICA’s perspective, the success of any regulatory change ultimately depends on how it is implemented,” Rory Kulmala, VICA’s CEO, tells Capital Daily.

Beginning March 1, builders will be able to apply for a single building permit that covers the entire construction process, replacing the current requirement for multiple permits at different stages. The streamlined protocol is designed to save time, reduce paperwork, and simplify the building process for both contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners, the CRD said.

The update is applicable to the CRD's three electoral areas that include Salt Spring Island, the Southern Gulf Islands, and Juan de Fuca.

By simplifying processes and aligning with industry standards, we’re making it easier for residents and builders to navigate permitting while ensuring the sustainability of our inspection services,” said Paul Brent, chair of the CRD’s electoral areas committee.

Casey Edge of the Victoria Residential Builders Association thinks Kulmala hit the nail on the head when he said what really matters is how the new bylaw is carried out.

“The permit process pretty much depends on how efficient the departments are,” he said.

“So, you may have a single permit, but the question is, when that permit goes through the various departments, how efficient are they? And that's really the critical piece.”

He said it’s been his experience that there are challenges with various departments reviewing applications, and that’s where the delays often take place—from whether a tree is in the building envelope, or whether it's dead or dying and needs replacement.

“All of that stuff gets reviewed,” he says. And it can leave a construction project on hold.

But there's another issue here, Edge says

Edge also thinks the CRD is missing the point.

“There are issues as big, if not bigger, that the CRD and other municipalities have to deal with,” he says, pointing to development cost charges, or DCCs.

DCCs are one-time fees that developers and, once in a while, homeowners—depending on the size of their construction project—pay to help local governments cover infrastructure costs such as water, roads, and sewers.

The BC government’s Best Practices Guide says DCCs shouldn’t undermine housing affordability, but that’s exactly what they are doing, Edge says.

There are plenty of reasons housing costs in Canada—and particularly in BC—are so high, from labour and material costs to the uncertainty of US tariffs, but Edge says DCCs “are considered to be really the charge that's spiraling out of control.”

He says that fees are rising across the board—Victoria recently raised low-density residential DCCs by 258%, to $24K from $6,900 per lot—which he says is part of the reason the construction industry is looking at a slowdown in terms of new housing.

Wants more facetime with local governments

Edge would like to see the CRD hold a public consultation to revisit the DCCs and their impact on housing supply and affordability.

“If they want to deal seriously with the cost of housing, let's sit down with the builders and talk about the process and where the obstructions are and the challenges.”

Kulmala echoes the importance of the CRD keeping close tabs with the industry “to ensure the regulation achieves its intended outcomes” without unintended consequences.

“Industry will be watching closely to ensure the updated bylaw does not inadvertently add complexity, duplication, or administrative burden—particularly at a time when the construction sector is already facing capacity constraints, cost escalation, and significant demand pressures.”