You might find a representative from the town’s building department knocking on your door as Wasaga Beach deals with a huge backlog of open building permits –– some that date back decades.

In his report to council’s co-ordinated committee, Danny Rodgers stated there were more than 10,000 open permits over a 34-year period; those are construction projects –– both commercial and residential –– that were completed, but for which final inspections never happened.

Under the Ontario Building Code, the responsibility to notify the chief building official of readiness for inspection lies with the permit holder.

The backlog, said Rodgers, has resulted in decade-old files that are being abandoned because the department lacks the resources to follow up. That potentially puts the municipality in a position of liability, he stated.

“We need to deal with these files, and it’s an opportunity for us to demonstrate we will take a fair approach, and an opportunity to educate the public about the building permit process,” he wrote in his report.

It will also involve building officials paying a visit to buildings that have long been complete. In those instances, Rodgers said, the building inspector will need to conduct a condition assessment –– especially if they are following up on a permit that is 10 or 15 years old. The inspector will assess if the work undertaken matches the scope of work that had been identified in the permit, and will take action if they “see something that is very unsafe.”

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