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The City continues to take steps to improve the building permit process and reduce the backlog of permit applications.
New Foundation-only Permits for residential projects
Foundation-only Permits are now available for eligible residential projects. This will allow builders to apply for permits for excavation, servicing, footings, and foundation work for new residential buildings and, once issued, allow work to begin while an applicant’s Building Permit is processed.
To be eligible, applicants need to meet certain conditions. Visit www.whitehorse.ca/business-in-whitehorse/zoning/new-builds-renovations for more information to see if your project qualifies.
Support for New Lot Owners
The City has received confirmation from the Government of Yukon that new lot owners can apply for an extension on the building commitment term in their sale agreement if they are impacted by the City’s current Building Permit backlog. An extension may provide additional flexibility for lot owners who are required to build within a specified period of time but have experienced delays in receiving a Building Permit.
Lot owners can request an extension by contacting the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. The City will continue to work in collaboration with the Government of Yukon to support lot owners and alleviate pressures facing the local building industry.
The City will continue to provide updates on efforts to speed up the building permitting process on our Engage Whitehorse page.
Contact:
Matthew Cameron
Manager, Strategic Communications
City of Whitehorse
matthew.cameron@whitehorse.ca
(867) 689-0515
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The City’s expanded Land and Building Services (LBS) department is currently at a five-week turn-around for processing new building applications requiring a plan review by a Building Official. This is down from an eighth-week wait from earlier this year.
The added staff and consultant support has enabled the City to gain ground on the backlog of applications it faced this building season, which is expected to be one of the busiest in history. We’ve already received 92% of the number of submissions in all of 2023.
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Our Land and Building Services (LBS) team started extended Saturday hours today – one of many measures being taken to address the delay in issuing Building Permits. This is an update on we got here, what the City is doing about it.
This year’s Building Permit delay was significantly affected by several factors including the 2023 and 2024 Land Lottery building applications being received at the same time, as well as two unexpected departures from
within our Building Inspections team in March and May, just as permit application volume increased.
What the City is doing about it
• With the loss of two Building Officials, local job recruitments went unfilled, so the City is currently undertaking a Canada-wide search to backfill the unanticipated vacancies.
• The City reached out to the Government of Yukon Building Safety to determine if they have any available staff who might be able to assist.
• LBS identified three external consultants to conduct plan reviews.
• Other City departments are providing administrative assistance.
• Former Building Officials have been brought in from other departments to assist.
• The City has initiated an application pre-review to inform applicants sooner if their application is incomplete, before a full plan review is carried out.
• We've initiated Remote Virtual Inspections for select projects. This initiative involves the remotely-located building official being on-site virtually with the builder to conduct the site inspection, saving on travel time and providing more timely inspections.
• This fall, the City intends on providing informational sessions to the local building community on how plan reviews are conducted, what Building Officials do, and how we all might enhance permit application timelines.
• This City has sent a letter to Government of Yukon advocating for an extension to the building commitment timeline for lots sold pursuant to Land Lotteries.
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The City of Whitehorse is piloting a new Remote Virtual Inspection system to allow for more timely building inspections.
The new system will use video conferencing technology to allow a Registered Building Official to conduct a building inspection off-site by working with an on-site contractor or builder who is using their phone or tablet. Inspection reports will be completed by the Building Official and sent digitally to the contractor.
The Remote Virtual Inspection system will be implemented this week for select projects. Once the process has been tested over the coming weeks, the City will be working to expand this initiative.
Remote Virtual Inspection services are available in several Canadian municipalities, including Edmonton, Calgary, and Pemberton.
Introducing Remote Virtual Inspections is one of the steps the City is taking to expedite the permitting process and address staff shortages at Land and Building Services. The City has also contracted external help to review building plans and permit applications, redeployed staff to assist in addressing permit applications, and engaged specialized recruitment consultants to hire more Building Officials.
Contact:
Matthew Cameron
Manager, Strategic Communications
City of Whitehorse
matthew.cameron@whitehorse.ca
(867) 689-0515
City of Whitehorse Builders Permit and Code Education Webinar Series | Session 5 | Building Envelope and Mechanical Systems | March 26, 2025 | Presenter - Ken Kunka AScT, BCQ
City of Whitehorse Builders Permit and Code Education Webinar Series | Session 4
Fire Protection | March 5, 2025 | Presenter - Ken Kunka AScT, BCQ
City of Whitehorse Builders Permit and Code Education Webinar Series | Session 3
Framing, including S406-16 PWF | February 12, 2025 | Presenter - Ken Kunka AScT, BCQ
City of Whitehorse Builders Permit and Code Education Webinar Series | Session 2 | Excavation, Footings/Foundations, Radon and Drainage | January 22, 2025 | Presenter - Ken Kunka AScT, BCQ
City of Whitehorse Builders Permit and Code Education Webinar Series | Session 1 | National Building Code Part 9 Overview and Permit Submission Requirements |
January 15, 2025 |
Presenter - Ken Kunka AScT, BCQ
Webinar Slides - Session 5 - Building Envelope and Mechanical Systems (5.68 MB) (pdf)
