• County of Simcoe

Planning Office staff are working from home and are available by email and phone calls. Calls to the proper phone extension are automatically forwarded to the e-mail

• City of Barrie

The City has implemented a reduced work week. This will result in a reduction to the City’s normal service levels and an overall reduction to staff capacity until further notice. It is anticipated that this will be measured in months, not weeks. In the spirit of a reduced work week, it is anticipated that Mondays and Fridays will have fewer staff available than normal. Please plan accordingly. Staff have expressed their commitment to working with members to move development projects through the approvals process, but it will be happening at a reduced capacity across Development Services. Specifically, as it relates to services that affect the construction, development and building industry, City staff have shared the following updates:

PLANNING INQUIRIES: Planning support services can be obtained by emailing: planneroftheday@barrie.ca. This service will be available Monday to Thursday.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS : APLI (online) applications for Committee of Adjustment, Pre-consultations, Site Plan, Site Plan exemptions and building permits remain the same You will need an account to submit: https://eservices.barrie.ca/apli/ Payments of less than $5,000 can be made online, for amounts over $5,000 a cheque can be mailed in to City Hall. Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments and Draft Plans of

Subdivision. Please e-mail or call Michelle Banfield if you plan on making a submission of this nature. Staff will provide an electronic drop box and can

discuss the safe receipt of hard copies. Cheques can be mailed into City Hall.

APPLICATION PROCESSING & REVIEW:

Notices of Complete Applications – application intake and review for completeness continues and notices are issued as appropriate. This process was already done electronically so no changes in this respect.

Technical review & comments continues, and written comments are being shared electronically with applicants through the file manager

and include all comments.

TECHNICAL MEETINGS FOR SITE PLAN, CONFORMITY REVIEW & PRE-CONSULTATION:

In person meetings (the ones typically scheduled on Thursdays) have been suspended until further notice.

Staff have moved into scheduling virtual meetings using Microsoft Teams. This approach is working quite well. Staff are welcoming feedback on members’ experience with virtual meetings held so far.

All previously scheduled meetings that were initially cancelled in March and April have been rescheduled in a virtual environment.

Staff are now scheduling all technical meetings in a virtual setting and are booking dates into mid to late May at this point in time. Due to application volumes and the reduced work week staff will be booking into June very soon.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION:

Public Meetings – Staff are working with the Clerk’s department to schedule planning public meetings in June. Details will be shared once finalized.

Neighbourhood Meetings – Typically neighbourhood meetings are between the time of a pre-consultation application and before the full

submission of an application. This requirement for a pre-submission Neighbourhood meeting has been waived until further notice. Upon receipt of an application in the absence of a neighbourhood meeting

the Planner on the file will discuss public engagement opportunities with members, likely in a virtual environment.

SITE ALTERATION, SUBDIVISION, AND SITE PLAN CONSTRUCTION

COORDINATION: Staff continue to accept and process all site alteration and

tree removal permit applications by emailing Barb Perreault at barb.perreault@barrie.ca.

INSPECTIONS: Development Service Field Coordinators are completing daily

site inspection for ongoing projects (while taking all necessary health and safety precautions). The field inspectors are operating on a reduced work week, so please plan accordingly for any inspections required for your project. To setup a site meeting please contact Adam Hawboldt at adam.hawboldt@barrie.ca

705-739-4220 ext 4889.

ZONING BYLAW ENFORCEMENT: Staff will continue to investigate by-law and property standards complaints. Requests can be made by phone at 705-726-4242 or by email at ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca. Any investigations that will require the entering of an occupied building will not proceed, and instead will require the owner or tenant to provide photographs of the concern, with other necessary documentation that can be emailed to: ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca.

APPLICATION DECISIONS: Council meetings have resumed in a virtual setting for COVID-19 matters. Members can watch Council on Rogers TV.

Planning Committee – Staff are working with our Clerk’s department to schedule planning committee meetings in May or June. Details will be shared once finalized.

Committee of Adjustment – Staff are working to schedule Committee of Adjustment meetings in May or June. Details will be shared once finalized.

Recommendation reports for all development applications are being prepared and finalized and will proceed to the appropriate decision ody when meetings resume.

Site Plan approval and Draft Plan of Subdivision approval are delegated to the Director of Development Services and therefore can proceed, when all technical work is complete.

MEETINGS: At the moment City staff are not available for in person meetings, but phone calls, conference calls, video meetings are all being used and can make arrangements to “meet”.

NEW OFFICIAL PLAN: Work continues on the new Official Plan and staff are exploring ways to continue to keep everyone involved in the process.

• Town of New Tecumseth

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT / PLANNING

1. Regular Committee of the Whole and Council Meetings are taking place via video conference.  Details are provided on the Town’s web-site.
2. Town office closed to the public at least until May 31, 2020.
3. Pre-consultation meetings through the Town’s DART process will now take place over the phone or via Microsoft Teams.  Any new development application or resubmission can be submitted electronically to planning@newtecumseth.ca or engineering@newtecumseth.ca depending on the application, or through the mail or courier.  Planners and Project Managers are still the best point of contact for any development specific inquiry, however, new inquiries should be directed to the general mailboxes as noted above.
4. Statutory Public Meetings have been cancelled until further notice and will be rescheduled along with any future meetings.
5. Committee of Adjustment meetings of March 26, 2020 and April 23, 2020 were cancelled.  The next meeting is scheduled to take place in a virtual setting on May 28, 2020.  Committee of Adjustment applications are being accepted electronically or by mail.

BUILDING PERMITS

1. Building permit applications will only be accepted through digital means.  Building staff will circulate digital applications to the required internal departments (Planning, Engineering, Finance, and Fire) for their approvals and / or comments.   E-mail communication will be the preferred method of communication.
2. Permit payment instructions can be found of the Towns web-site.
3. Currently building inspections will be completed by Building Inspectors.  If the urgency of a requested inspection is low, the inspection may be postponed to an appropriate agreed upon date.
4. Most standard construction inspections can be carried out, including:
   1. Exterior inspections of all buildings.
   1. Interior inspections of unoccupied buildings that are under construction
5. Building inspection services of all interior inspections of occupied buildings will be suspended until further notice.
6. Building with alleged safety concerns will be evaluated by the Chief Building Official in order to determine the appropriate action.

• Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT / PLANNING

1. Regular Council meetings will be held via video conference until further notice.  Details on how to participate are available on the Towns web-site.  All Advisory Committee Meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
2. Statutory Public Meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
3. Planning staff have maintained development review services while working remotely.  Meetings including pre-consultation meetings will be scheduled and held in a virtual setting.  Any new development application or resubmission can be submitted electronically or through mail or courier.
4. Any members with specific questions are encouraged to reach out to their respective planner directly on the file.  Further, BWG staff is seeking some insight as to how members of its development community plan on conducting business in the near future.  More specifically, if members anticipate continuing to further current applications / projects and or submit new requests or applications.  If so, any specific files and application references would be useful for staff to know in order for them to plan their services accordingly.  Members should e-mail this information to Ryan Windle at rwindle@townofbwg.com.
5. Committee of Adjustment meetings have been cancelled until further notice.  Applications are being accepted electronically or by mail.

BUILDING PERMITS

1. The Building office will continue to accept and review all new permit applications.  Issuance of permits will be deferred until the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act on April 3, 2020 (Ontario Regulation 199/20) is lifted or revised.
2. Building permit applications may be submitted only by e-mail to buildinginspections@townofbwg.com  Please note that e-mail attachments cannot be larger than 10MB; any larger files will require submission using the Dropbox online portal.  Payment instructions can be found on the Town’s website.
3. Where construction is permitted the following inspection protocols must be followed:
   1. Residential Builders: To request a residential inspection please e-mail buildinginspections@townofbwg.com.
      1. Inspectors will conduct on-site inspections if they are accompanied by the site supervisor ONLY, while maintaining the recommended social distance (minimum 2 metres distance) No other individuals may be in the vicinity or in the structure of the requested inspection and no other individuals may approach the Inspector.
      1. If these protocols are not followed, the Inspector has the right to refuse any further on-site inspections.
   1. Homeowners:
      1. On-site building inspections are temporarily suspended for all homeowner projects unless an emergency inspection is required related to the safety of the building or structure.
      1. For simple construction, photos MAY be accepted at the discretion of the Inspector and may be sent to buildinginspections@townofbwg.com
   1. Multiple Residential / Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI)
      1. On-site building inspections are temporarily suspended for all ICI projects.
      1. In lieu of the building inspection, Professional field reviews will be accepted and may be sent to buildinginspections@townofbwg.com

• Town of Innisfil

Council Meetings: Meetings will be held virtually going forward on the Town’s YouTube

Channel. Staff are exploring delegation and question period options. Adjustments to the

way the community can participate in Council meetings.  

If you do not wish to participate in the meeting but would like to provide comment on any

agenda item, you may send your email to clerksoffice@innisfil.ca and Clerks Services

will circulate your email to Council and Staff in advance of the meeting.

Planning and CoA Meetings: Committee of Adjustment and public Planning Meetings

have been suspended until further notice.

If you require more information, please contact clerksoffice@innisfil.ca or call

705-436-3710.

Suspended Inspections: By-law Officers have suspended all interior inspections.

Concerns of property standards will be addressed remotely. Building inspections of occupied structures are suspended. Staff have advised that all services are operating remotely. Applications are being accepted and processed. Building inspections are occurring on a limited basis and restricted to unoccupied builings at this time.

TAY TOWNSHIP

Regular meetings are taking place via Zoom

 We are still able to be connected by phone and email, and if needed we can have virtual meeting via Zoom

  Applications can be send it digitally or dropped off at the municipal office drop box.

  Both Electronic & Paper submissions will be accepted, we are taking cheques or money orders

  Applications are being processed & notices of complete application being issued

      Technical review & comments being shared electronically through the file manager.  

   Are technical meetings for both site plan applications and Pre-consultation being scheduled and conducted in a virtual setting. We have not had a virtual meeting for a site plan application yet

        Committee of Adjustment  –  applications being accepted and processed

  Notices will be sent out through regular mail and be sent to agencies via email where possible

 We are accepting permit applications both electronically or paper

         We are issuing permits with no disclaimer.

           We are conducting inspections as normal with social distancing.

Clearview

Building Permits – Both limited electronic and Paper submissions are accepted, no restriction on permit types.

 All permits applications are being processed and issued

Inspections & Occupancy Permits –  Social distancing, all worker out of building during inspection.

Not entering occupied spaces. Facetime inspection option for occupied spaces.

We  are now back to regularly scheduled meetings.  They are done via Zoom.  You can view the schedule by this link: https://www.clearview.ca/news-events-meetings/meeting-calendar  Generally Council is the second and fourth Monday of the month.

We have had an on-line submission form for many years now.  We continue to rely on this.  Also, people can contact us by e-mail as our e-mails addresses are listed on our website.  We also have our phone messages that go to our computers so we can retrieve them. 

TOWNSHIP OF ADJALA – TOSORONTIO

MUNICIIPAL GOVERNMENT / PLANNING

1. Regular Council Meetings are taking place via video conference.  Details are provided on the Town’s web-site.
2. Town office closed to the public until further notice
3. Planning applications are being accepted via e-mail or can be mailed or delivered to the dropbox at the Township office.  Payment for all planning applications must be submitted by cheque.  No pre-consultation meetings are being scheduled at this time.
4. Statutory Public Meetings have been cancelled until further notice and will be rescheduled along with any future meetings.
5. Committee of Adjustment meetings for March, April and May have been cancelled.  The next meeting is scheduled for June 17, 2020.  No protocols have been established for accepting and processing of applications.  Members should contact the Township planning office to make individual arrangements.

BUILDING PERMITS

1. For building permit applications call the Township office to make arrangements for either an e-mail submission or delivery to the Township dropbox.
2. Building permit issuance; Applicants will be contacted regarding arrangements for payment of permit fees and permit pick-up.
3. Building permit inspections; Phone to make arrangements.  Only exterior structures and non-occupied dwellings can be inspected at this time.

RAMARA

The Township of Ramara does not specifically hold a Planning Committee meeting, but we are continuing with applications being presented to Committee of the Whole and Council when applications are ready to move forward.  This is typically bi-weekly in our case.  The Committee of Adjustment meets once a month to hear applications.  Both formats are done on the Zoom platform.

We are receiving general planning inquiries by both email and telephone.  Our phones provide us with a notification on our email and we can listen to any messages left for us.

We are accepting applications for all planning matters

Submissions can be made both electronically (preferred) and hard copies can be delivered to the Administration Office and put in the dropbox

We are accepting payments by cheque or on line payments

We are processing applications when received

Staff are communicating through email and Zoom meetings to discuss planning matters when necessary.  PDF versions of plans and applications are circulated accordingly.

Any meetings required are held on the Zoom platform

We are moving forward with straightforward statutory public meetings if we feel that all pertinent information can be provided to not only Council but the public.  They are being held on the Zoom platform.

Committee of Adjustment applications are being accepted and processed

Moving forward and all meetings scheduled are on the Zoom platform

 We are accepting applications both by drop off at the Municipal office and electronically All types of construction activity permits are being issued

LAKE SIMCOE REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

LSCRA has closed its doors to the public and clients until further notice.  All staff are working using a digital, virtual and phone based approach and will be working remotely

LSRCA will continue to accept all permit and development submissions electronically and will continue to service the Lake Simcoe watershed community to the best of their ability.

Additional details on how LSRCA will be proceeding during the Pandemic are noted below:

1. Submissions of materials, files or supporting documentation can be made digitally to your respective contact.
2. Submissions via courier or mail will be continued to be accepted unless the respective services are suspended.  These will be sorted out and staff will pick up submissions once a week.
3. A drop box is available at the front foyer of the LSRCA head office, where submissions or materials can be dropped off at any time.
4. Staff will be available to participate in conference calls, regular phone calls and / or virtual meetings.
5. Staff will not be available to attend external meetings or site visits at this time.
6. Permits will be issued electronically via e-mail.
7. All correspondence will be issued electronically.
8. Payments will be still be processed either via phone or online.  The details will be communicated with applicants.

For further detail contact:

Rob Baldwin

General Manager, Planning and Development

Tel: 905 895 1281 X 248, / r.baldwin@LSRCA.on.ca

NOTTAWASAGA VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

NVCA has closed its doors to the public and clients until further notice.  All staff are working using a digital, virtual and phone based approach and will be working remotely.

NVCA staff will; continue to provide service to residents, municipalities and stakeholders. 

Additional details on how NVCA will be proceeding during the Pandemic are noted below:

1. NVCA permit pre-consultations will continue to be available.  Watershed residents looking to book a pre-consultation regarding permits can email permits@nvca.on.ca to book a telephone meeting with regulations staff.  Pre-consultation meeting requests will be processed in the order they are received.
2. Regulations staff will be available to answer any questions regarding permit applications.  Please email your questions to permits@nvca.on.ca
3. Planning staff will be available to assist with planning applications.  Please email any questions regarding planning applications to planning@nvca.on.ca
4. Meetings scheduled with staff will be cancelled, rescheduled or conducted virtually via conference calls or regular phone calls.
5. If you wish to email a staff member or leave a voice mail message, visit the NVCA staff directory for email addresses and phone extensions
6. If you are unsure which staff member to contact, please email us at admin@nvca.on.ca and the message will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
7. NVCA is still receiving mail.  Please leave any deliveries between the two reception doors during business hours (8:30 am – 4:30 pm).