{"id":24775,"date":"2024-02-05T17:25:55","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T01:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/cfib-study-reviews-bathroom-permitting-costs-across-canada\/"},"modified":"2024-02-05T17:25:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T01:25:56","slug":"cfib-study-reviews-bathroom-permitting-costs-across-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/cfib-study-reviews-bathroom-permitting-costs-across-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"CFIB study reviews bathroom permitting costs across Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"-\"<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

\n

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business\u00a0(CFIB) released their\u00a0Flushing out the nonsense <\/em>report, as part of the company\u2019s 15th annual Red Tape Awareness Week.<\/p>\n

The case study \u201creviews the permitting costs and requirements associated with converting a simple powder room into a full bathroom in 12 municipalities across Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

It highlights best practices in a selection of Canadian municipalities which could be adopted across the country to increase efficiency and transparency around the permitting process, while identifying areas for improvement.<\/p>\n

The proposed standard renovation requires the removal of a nonload-bearing wall, the addition of a shower bath, structural changes to the existing plumbing, and electrical work. The estimated cost of the project is $20,000, on non-historical homes form the 1980s and had to occur within existing square footage across Canada\u2019s major cities.<\/p>\n

Permits<\/h3>\n

The report finds \u201cout of the 12 municipalities examined, the average combined cost of acquiring all permits required for a simple bathroom renovation across Canada was $506.25, mainly fuelled by the high permitting costs in Vancouver. The combined cost associated with permitting required for a simple renovation (such as building, plumbing, and electrical permits) ranges from $180 in Charlottetown to $2,029 in Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n

On average, seven documents are required for a $20,000 bathroom renovation project. Ranging from five in Edmonton, Calgary, and Charlottetown, to eleven in Vancouver, a recent CFIB survey of small business owners found that more than two in five find it difficult to obtain permits and licences overall.<\/p>\n

Out of the 12 municipalities studied, the renovation processes in Toronto and Vancouver were the two with the most \u201cred-tape\u201d in terms of documents required in an application.<\/p>\n

The case study found that \u201ca bathroom renovation in Vancouver would cost $2,029 in permitting on top of the cost of performing the renovation as well as the application costs associated with hiring professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The added $2,029 in combined permit expenses in Vancouver would result in a 10 per cent increase on top of the $20,000 renovation project costs, states the case study.<\/p>\n

Edmonton\u2019s associated costs were $673, while in St. John\u2019s, NL, costs sat at $579 \u2013 both above the national average of $506.25. The municipalities that require the most documentation before beginning work are Moncton, Montreal, and Winnipeg, which all require seven documents.<\/p>\n

Leveraging best practices<\/h3>\n

The report outlines three best practices that municipalities around Canada can follow to improve their red tape scores, providing examples of cities using these practices.<\/p>\n

These include automation and digital practices, ease of access to information on the website and by phone and improved service standards and processing times.<\/p>\n

For example, the City of Richmond, B.C., developed an online business licensing service called \u201cMy Business,\u201d which allows for real-time tracking of permit applications.<\/p>\n

Moncton, N.B., developed a printable, step-by-step checklist PDF. Edmonton has implemented a Residential Permit Guide, which asks preliminary questions to \u201cguide users and provides a summary of necessary permits and estimated fees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Flushing out the nonsense <\/em>report also provides recommendations at the municipal and federal and provincial level.<\/p>\n

Recommendations on the municipal level include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Launching a review of the permitting and approval process.<\/li>\n
  • Establishing publicly available, service standards for permit processing.<\/li>\n
  • Improving the ease of access to information on building permit requirements.<\/li>\n
  • Digitizing the permit application and review processes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    CFIB encourages the following recommendations to federal and provincial governments:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Tie some future funding for housing and infrastructure to requirements for low administrative burden.<\/li>\n
    • Ensure reporting requirements match provincial permit processing service standards.<\/li>\n
    • Champion best practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      For more information, visit CFIB-FCEI.ca<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n