Staff Recognition – Digital Permits Team
August 18, 2020
The Infrastructure Planning and Permits (IPP) team at TRCA reviewed 59 Environmental Assessments in 2019 and issued 114 permits for a variety of municipal infrastructure projects. Similarly, the Development Planning & Permits (DPP) team reviewed 720 planning applications in 2019 and issued 1,192 permits for a variety of different development proposals. Each and every one of the Planners along with their technical discipline colleagues in Development and Engineering Services are passionate and dedicated about protecting our natural heritage resources and ensuring life and property is protected from natural hazards, while supporting the growth of the region’s economy.
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and TRCA’s Head Office was closed to the public, the IPP and DPP teams had to adapt quickly to accelerate their on-going program to move to 100% digital planning and permit submissions, review and response. The 100% digital processing of reviews is a goal of the Planning Application Review and Enforcement System (PARES) project, but this project is at the early stages and will not likely be “live” until 2022. Meanwhile the IPP and DPP teams were working with a combination of digital and paper–based reviews.
To accommodate the immediate need for digital processing, Nathan Jenkins, Planner 1, Infrastructure Planning and Permits, working with Antonietta Gentile, Administrative Planning Technician, took the lead and developed a system that combines the functions of MS 365, Lotus Notes, Laserfiche and Adobe Acrobat to effectively allow staff in IPP to fully receive, open, review, comment on, and issue permits under TRCA’s regulation, without the use of paper. This was a challenging task given the various software packages do not directly communicate, and the need to ensure proper record keeping and to issue securely signed documents.
Once the basic functionality was established, the system was shared with DPP staff for refinement. Lina Alhabash, Planner 1, Development Planning & Permits led the project from the DPP side, along with Anna Lim, Planner; Jason Wagler, Senior Planner; and Grace Conte, Administrative Planning Technician. The team was supported by Marina Janakovic, Administrative Planning Technician and Rina Bhagat, Clerk. This team found further efficiencies in the process, engaged staff, prepared revised permit application forms – no more “4 paper copies” please! – developed procedural manuals for the Planners and the Administration staff, tested the system, and rolled out training for all staff, in a matter of weeks.
All the staff involved with this project volunteered an extensive amount of time above and beyond their standard duties to bring this innovative project forward. The level of effort and the result is truly impressive. It has resulted in a faster and more efficient planning and permit review process, not only for staff working at home but also for homeowners, developers and their consultants. Proponents have commented on how seamlessly the IPP and DPP teams have evolved to deal with COVID, and very much appreciate the enhanced level of service.
