Calgary, AB,
02
June
2016
|
09:52
America/Denver

The City of Calgary wins National Innovation Award

The City of Calgary has been awarded the 2016 Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) Award for Innovation for the Residential ePermit program. Nominated in the Over 100,000 Population category, Residential ePermit makes it easier and faster for homebuilders and contractors to apply for permits, pay for services and manage inspections. The awards presentation took place at CAMA’s national conference in Winnipeg, MB.

“We are extremely thrilled to win this award, especially because it recognizes the innovation of the program and positive impact it’s had on all stakeholders” says Henry van Aken, Manager Customer Advisory Services. “It showcases the on-going creative thinking, hard work and energy of everyone involved in this project.”

Launched in 2013 as part of The City’s Cut Red Tape initiative, Planning & Development staff created an online tool for the largest volume permit-type they deal with – new home construction permits (Single Construction Permit) – but have since added development permit applications for new homes, as well as deck and detached garage building permits. Additional features and permits are scheduled to be rolled out over the coming months and into 2017.

Residential ePermit takes a fraction of the time to complete compared to applying in-person, and the website is mobile friendly, allowing industry customers to manage all inspections from a smart phone or tablet. Calgary is the first municipality in Canada to offer a complete online residential permit service where customers can apply, pay and manage all inspections using one online tool.

From launch to the first quarter of 2015, Residential ePermit has:

  • Processed over 6,000 new home construction permits online
  • Received over 85 percent of these applications electronically
  • Saved over 6,500 hours of staff time
  • Savings of $293,957 in employee costs by the end of 2015
  • Reduction in paper storage costs of $195,557

To learn more about The City’s Residential ePermit program, visit calgary.ca/epermit

-30-