WINNIPEG - JANUARY 26, 2005 - The City of Winnipeg, together with representatives from two major industry associations – the Manitoba Home Builders Association (MHBA) and the Winnipeg Construction Association (WCA) – today announced changes which have been implemented through Phase II of Permits X-Press, a comprehensive building permit system review project aimed at making improvements to the City’s permit application process.

“The Permits X-Press project has made great progress since it was launched,” said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. “This project is all about putting the customer first, exactly the kind of attitude you need to have in a city that is ‘open for business’. I want to acknowledge the dedicated work of the stakeholder groups and Department officials on Permits X-Press. Keep up the good work.”

This comprehensive system improvement effort, led by the Planning, Property and Development (PP&D) Department, has been divided into three phases over about a two-year period, with Phase I “Quick Wins” announced on April 6, 2004.

Phase II improvements announced today include:

• Better application processes for commercial projects;
• Better communication with applicants regarding status of their application;
• Registered Contractors can use Visa or MasterCard to pay for the permits that can be taken out online;
• Improved online zoning information;
• Better online services and Internet information; and · Creation of a file manager system.

“Our aim throughout this project has been transparency and accountability,” said PP&D Director Harry Finnigan. “From the outset, we have been committed to consulting with our customers and engaging staff in identifying much-needed improvements to the City’s permit process. This consultative and collaborative approach has led to the implementation of 15 key improvements, with 5 initiatives currently in progress and scheduled for completion by the end of April. In addition, we have implemented 13 improvements beyond our initial project plan, which speaks directly to our commitment to ongoing process improvement.”

Garth Steek of the Manitoba Home Builders Association and John Bockstael of the Winnipeg Construction Association joined Mayor Sam Katz, Councillor Peter De Smedt, Chair of the City’s Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development, Harry Finnigan and Permits X-Press Project Manager Doug Holmes in making this morning’s announcement. The Project now moves into Phase III, with the next round of more complex improvements anticipated by year-end.