How are we holding builders accountable?

The City is developing a number of tools and resources to help address those areas of poor construction.  The majority of projects do tend to be well executed with a minority presenting some issues. The first step for reporting is always to document and connect with 311.

Centralized Office for Residential Development Complaints
Two new positions will be hired in 2025 to create a centralized office for residential development complaints. The team will receive, prioritize and coordinate complaints, inspection and responses. The centralized office is expected to create a consistent approach to residential development complaints. This Office will also modernize and update the dashboard.

Project Implementation Plan (PIP)
The PIP is a document that builders are required to submit when applying for construction permits in Edmonton to proactively plan for a safe construction site. It helps lay out an applicant's roles and responsibilities, requires an excavation strategy, encourages communication with neighbours and allows for enforcement mechanisms.

Construction Accountability Program (CAP)
The CAP is currently in development and is expected to be rolled out later in 2025. It will provide a data-driven mechanism for the City to track applicant outcomes and respond accordingly, up to and including the right to refuse to issue a permit to builders with too many infractions. It will also allow for conditions to be placed on any subsequent permits they receive to compel better building practices.
Compliance Reporting:
The compliance team generally follows a 4E model of escalation (engage, educate, encourage and enforce) when investigating and addressing complaints. This recognizes evolving tactics as customers move through the spectrum so that engagement and education through verbal warnings will be of a higher number than enforcement efforts. Within enforcement efforts, ticket issuance will be greater than orders issued, and so on. It also means frequent violators will be escalated quickly through the model.

As there is no 'right number' to achieve when it comes to enforcement outcomes, a decision was made a number of years ago to move away from an infill report focused on enforcement outcomes and instead develop a public-facing compliance dashboard. This dashboard aims to provide community members with the most current information.
Email:
Address: 1 Sir Winston Churchill Sq, 2nd Floor, Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7