Report titled ‘Building Permits Approvals and Inspections Value-for-Money Audit’ dated May 5, 2026 be received.

1:37:59on the agenda under items for discussion the building permits approvals and inspections

1:38:04value for money audit and I will turn things over to Mr. Robert Jellisek our general manager of

1:38:11internal audit please go ahead Robert. Thank you Councillor Goller I'm going to give you a quick

1:38:20verbal summary of the audit report building permit approvals and inspections value for money audit

1:38:29golf's building permit building permitting and inspection system is functioning very well

1:38:34from a development enablement perspective sorry I should stand in front of the mic with strong

1:38:40compliance predictable timelines and no evidence that building services are a bottleneck to housing

1:38:45delivery building services plays a critical role in the housing pipeline while it does not set

1:38:53planning policy or zoning permissions it does control how quickly approved housing can move

1:39:00from drawings to construction and ultimately to occupancy in 2025 the city issued 1,757 permits

1:39:09with a total construction value of 450 million dollars 29,700 inspections were completed across

1:39:18residential and non-residential projects given housing supply pressures the audit specifically

1:39:24examined whether building approvals and inspections are timely predictable and reliable because any

1:39:32delays here would directly undermine housing enabling enablement goals the audit confirmed

1:39:39that all tested permits met or exceeded Ontario building code legislative review timelines

1:39:46there were no deviations from mandated service standards inspection requests were completed

1:39:52on the dates requested by applicants with same-day inspection reports issued from a housing perspective

1:40:00this is critical it means that developers can reliably schedule construction activities

1:40:05builders are not experiencing unpredictable downtime waiting for inspections there is no

1:40:15systemic delay being introduced at the building permit stage in short building services is not

1:40:21slowing housing down secondly capacity workload management and continuity inspections are

1:40:28automatically routed by permit type manually balanced daily to ensure fair workload distribution

1:40:36typically assigned geographically so the same inspector follows a project end to end

1:40:42this continuity reduces rework misinterpretation and inconsistent application of code requirements

1:40:48all of which are key risks in large or multiple phase housing projects the audit also found all

1:40:56inspections and plan examiners are fully credentialed and compliant with provincial requirements

1:41:02deficiencies are clearly tied to building code provisions and tracked until resolution

1:41:08from an enabling standpoint this supports faster resolution of issues fewer disputes and predictable

1:41:15correction cycles for builders third digital systems and client experience

1:41:21Guelph's fully digital permitting system GPAS is functioning effectively all permit applications

1:41:28and inspection bookings are online automatic status updates keep applicants informed

1:41:36in-person and virtual support is available for applicants who need assistance for housing

1:41:42delivery this reduces friction particularly for small and mid-scale builders home builders adding

1:41:50secondary units or accessory dwelling units and repeat applicants navigating multiple permits

1:41:57the audit found that customer service practices to be strong and responsive

1:42:01with no systemic complaints about access or responsiveness importantly the audit did not

1:42:09identify failures to service delivery but it did flag two governance level opportunities that matter

1:42:15indirectly to housing enablement one complaint tracking while staff respond to concerns quickly

1:42:22there is no centralized way to track complaints or escalations limited ability to analyze trends

1:42:28such as recurring pain points for applicants for housing strategy this matters because without

1:42:33trend data it's harder to pinpoint systemic barriers experienced by builders issues may

1:42:39be resolved case by case but not structurally addressed the recommendation is to do is to

1:42:45introduce a risk-based centralized complaint tracking approach starting simply and potentially

1:42:51scaling citywide this would improve insight without adding red tape second performance

1:42:57reporting to council and leadership building services generate strong performance data but

1:43:03it is not regularly reported to council or the executive team housing relevant metrics like

1:43:09turnaround times and inspection performance are largely invisible at a strategic level

1:43:15the audit recommends regular kpi reporting to the executive team and council

1:43:20and annual public reporting to reinforce transparency and confidence in the housing pipeline

1:43:31for a housing enabling strategy it allows leadership to confidently say permitting is not

1:43:35the constraint or it if pressures emerge to identify them early and respond proactively

1:43:44the audit also highlights a structural revenue challenge in building services

1:43:49declines in large ici and high-rise permits are reducing fee revenue

1:43:54reserve balances have dropped significantly and a full fee study is underway to stabilize the

1:44:00program long-term again from a housing standpoint there is no evidence this has affected service

1:44:06levels to date but long-term sustainability matters to ensure consistent capacity as housing

1:44:13activity ramps up to summarize building permits and inspections are not a bottleneck to housing

1:44:18delivery and golf timeliness timelines are predictable compliant and consistently met

1:44:25inspections are timely coordinated and professionally executed digital systems

1:44:31and client supports reduce friction for builders the two improvement areas

1:44:36complaint tracking and performance reporting are about visibility and maturity not failure

1:44:41and can actually strengthen housing enablement by surfacing systemic issues earlier

1:44:47building services is a strong and reliable partner in enabling housing

1:44:50and the audit provides confidence that the regulatory back end of the housing pipeline is

1:44:56functioning as intended thank you so much for the report both yourself mr. jones i can't use

1:45:04yourself mr. kenn for for drafting this i really appreciate it i'll turn it over to my council