Province of B.C., Ministry of Housing - Digital Permitting Learning Network - Initial Meeting: January 15, 2024 - (RSVP by January 8)

A call out to planners and others working in local governments, First Nations governments, and other interested practitioners regarding digital permitting and construction.

As part of the commitments made in the Homes for People plan, the Ministry of Housing is working to make B.C. a North American leader in digital permitting and construction. This involves transformation of the housing construction permitting process, for a future where anyone that wants to build new homes in B.C. experiences a seamless and efficient journey through the regulatory system for housing. To that end, the Ministry is developing a digital building permit submission and code compliance tool that will standardize and streamline the building permit application process by local governments.

Local and First Nations governments and organizations across B.C. are at varying stages of technological readiness and adoption. The purpose of establishing a specific peer learning network is to support local and First Nations governments through the digital transformation of the housing development system that is currently underway, with a focus on the adoption of new digital permitting tools.

The Ministry of Housing is partnering with BOABC to facilitate this learning network, which is intended to be a space for local and First Nations governments and organizations to connect, collaborate, and identify how they can best be supported and to drive digital change in their organizations. We look forward to providing a forum to share resources and knowledge, identify barriers, and work together to overcome roadblocks to your success with digital transformation in the permitting process.

The first meeting will be on January 15, 2024 to set the direction of the learning and better understand where members need support.  

If your local or First Nations government / organization is interested in joining the digital permitting learning network, please RSVP by email the following information to digital.codes.permits@gov.bc.ca by January 8, 2024:  

• The name and contact information for at least one person in your government / organization to serve as a point-of-contact for the learning network scheduling and logistics. (It is recognized this work and its impacts extend to IT departments and organizations, building officials, planners, and the development industry broadly, so we are making this an open call for participation.)
• Whether you or someone in your local or First Nations government would be interested in speaking or presenting at a future learning network session, and if so, on anything specific.  

Note: Please feel free to share this invitation with those in your network who would be interested in participating.

Contact: B.C. Ministry of Housing: digital.codes.permits@gov.bc.ca