For Immediate Release / February 2, 2023
St. Albert Celebrates Red Tape Reduction Week
The City of St. Albert is celebrating Red Tape Reduction Week and is applauding the Government of Alberta’s key 2021-22 red tape reduction initiatives and its overall grade of A- from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s Red Tape Report Card.
St. Albert’s strategy Green Tape, which is similar to the provincial government’s strategy, focuses on initiatives to enable increased growth, investment and commerce within St. Albert through a strong collaborative model with the development industry.
Since St. Albert initiated its Green Tape strategy in 2015, the following timelines have been achieved and continue to be realized:
- Average Development Permit time in 2021: 3.2 business days
- Building Permits: regularly processed in 5 to 10 business days
- Business Licences: regularly processed in the same day as the application
The City works closely with applicants throughout the process to ensure completeness of the application to expedite turnaround time.
“The City’s Green Tape strategy is a vital component to help achieve Council’s priority of economic prosperity,” says Mayor Cathy Heron. “Not only are we creating an investment positive environment that encourages economic growth and diversification, but we’re also delivering more effective and efficient government services.”
Implementation of the Green Tape strategy is also occurring within St. Albert’s statutory approval process for Area Structure Plans and Neighbourhood Plans.
- Working in collaboration with the Urban Development Institute (UDI), the regional organization of land developers, the City developed a two-tier approval process, which is more efficient, requires less staff time and expedites the development process by reducing approval timelines.
- Area Structure Plans, which focus on addressing regional and city-wide matters, are anticipated to be amended less frequently under the new process since their focus will be at a higher planning level. These plans will still require Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) and Council approval.
- Neighbourhood Plans will address local planning and technical matters. As they will be consistent with the overarching direction found in the EMRB and Council-approved Area Structure Plans, they will not require additional approval.
An example of the new Statutory Approval Process is the development of the St. Albert West Area Structure Plan. The process will provide direction for land use and infrastructure development and investment, the dedication of employment lands, and preservation of significant natural features. Adoption of this large Area Structure Plan will enable land developers to create subsequent Neighbourhood Plans for their individual properties without having to go through Council or the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board for approval. This large Area Structure Plan also ensures the City can design development within this area, with increased consideration of the regional impacts and connections. It is envisioned that this new plan will improve timelines, process, and ensure better coordination between the subsequent stages of planning and development.
Red Tape Reduction Week in Alberta is January 30 to February 3, 2023.
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Last edited: February 28, 2023