Residents waiting for a permit or inspection in Dawson Creek should notice the line moving faster after the city transitions to virtual building inspections and permit reviews.
Virtual inspections and permit services will be temporarily available as the city tries to fill the vacancy. This move comes after four months of an open job listing, the City of Dawson Creek said.
“This change will help the city team maintain inspection coverage, improve service consistency, and introduce new digital tools that make the building process easier and more efficient for everyone involved,” explained the city.
The new approach provides access to plan reviews for buildings and plumbing, application support, and “general assistance with permits and development inquiries,” in addition to virtual inspections.
The exact outline of what services will be virtually available has not been provided by the city. Currently, residents and contractors who require a building inspection must contact the city’s building inspection department with at least 24 hours of notice. Permits generally require two weeks of advance notice for the city to prepare by hand.
“After several months of trying to recruit locally, we saw this as an opportunity to try something innovative. We believe this model can bring real benefits to our community – faster service, more flexibility, and better use of technology,” said Bill Darnbrough, the development services manager at the city of Dawson Creek.
The transition to the online service will begin on Dec. 15.
