Here's how the province plans to speed up housing construction

The provincial government said it will get more homes built more quickly with a major overhaul of is permitting system.

By giving developers a more streamlined route, it said approvals could be cut by months if not years for some developments, thereby helping to address the housing crisis.

Speaking at a media event Monday, Premier David Eby announced a so-called Housing Action Task Force to immediately fast-track permits for priority and high-impact projects such as BC Housing projects or affordable, multi-unit developments. Also, there will be a one-stop-shop approach to provincial permitting, meaning developers and proponents will not have to deal with multiple ministries.

“British Columbians expect government to have high standards for health and safety around our housing; of course, we do have high standards,” Eby said. “But British Columbians also expect those approvals processes to be efficient, effective and timely, and not increase the cost of housing.”

Eby said the province needed to modernize the way it does things because it’s holding back the building of homes "people desperately need."

Multiple applications across multiple ministries in areas like riparian area approvals, water licences, transportation approvals, road rezonings, contaminated sites, and requirements for heritage inspections, will no longer be needed.

“We think we can take months, and even years off provincial permitting processes for major developments,” Eby said.

The government is adding 42 new positions to handle permitting and said that number can be increased to over 200 if needed.

One example offered by government on the current inefficiency of the outdated system is a permit application in the Lower Mainland that featured 120 lbs of paperwork. If that application were to be reviewed it could result in the same amount of paperwork again.

“The changes we need to make is an overhaul of the system, ” Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, said. “The backlog is the time which costs the money for the developers and then on down to the people who need to rent or own homes.”

The moves are being welcomed by cities and the building industry.

The Union of BC Municipalities said the government is responding to requests made by its members for the streamlining of provincial processes. Meanwhile, the BC Construction Association said it’s well-known that permitting delays are adding risk and cost across the construction industry at every level.