Staffing woes at city hall put squeeze on new developments
City hall’s building department faces a staffing shortage even as London, Ont. experiences near-record demand for construction approvals.
According to civic administration, 77 per cent of building applications for single-family homes are being processed by the 10 business day deadline.
“Our staffing challenges are ongoing,” London’s Chief Building Official Peter Kokkoros told the Planning and Environment Committee. “We are just under 60 per cent of [being] fully-qualified and fully-staffed in the plan examination area right now. We are constantly recruiting with job openings on our board.”
Last year, the building department experienced new records for development in London.
Kokkoros said this year is tracking a bit slower, but demand for municipal building department services remain high.
A shortage of qualified staff to review applications and plans is not isolated to London.
“Speaking with my CBO [chief building official] counterparts in 42 municipalities, we share the same pain,” explained Kokkoros.
He added that city hall has upgraded its online application portal to streamline the hiring process.
“Improvements to our portal when it comes to application submissions to ensure that applications are complete when they are made. That lessens frustration for staff, and also lessens processing time,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.