Going Digital Cut Counter Traffic 99% for This City

Community development in the City of Brantford, Ontario, has entered a new era of collaboration — with citizens and organizations, municipal departments, and even other local governments — and it’s cut counter traffic by 99% while improving the process for everyone.

It started in early 2023 with a push to modernize software by implementing Cloudpermit for the City's building and planning departments. By-law enforcement and licensing are now part of this online platform as well, and the Municipality will add public works permitting to the system in the near future.

We had no online presence before at all, no portal or anything,” says Rob Porteous, Manager of Building Services and Deputy Chief Building Official for the City of Brantford. “Everything was paper."

It was the first chance to have an online system where citizens and contractors could apply for building permits, submit planning applications, and more easily interact with the local government.

Applications are now being submitted with all required information, rather than blank fields or missing drawings, and everyone can work together.

I think that platform and having it all in one spot where you can message back and forth has been a huge advantage,” says Kris Olson, Manager of Corporate Information for the City of Brantford. “Our customers can see where these files are at, and that wasn’t the case before — they’d have to wait for an email or a phone call — so I think the collaboration measure has been markedly improved.”

Collaborating with Citizens

The digital upgrade improved communication with applicants and stakeholders through automatic notifications of status updates and improved public transparency of development activity. Getting help is easier now, too.

I think, for a customer, to be able to pop a message in there and the staff member on our side who’s directly working on your file can respond to you quickly, that’s pretty powerful,” Olson says.

These streamlined processes and the reduction of administrative work help community development professionals meet deadlines for permitting decisions, plans review, and much more.

Being up against that wall is easier when you’ve got software that helps you out with this to keep things moving,” Olson says.

The switch to an online portal for community development was a big change for citizens as well, but Olson says it’s helped staff better serve applicants and make the process easier — especially for people getting a building permit or seeking city approval for the first time.

The old methods led to a lot of office visits, phone calls, and emails as applicants submitted their paperwork and plans, waiting for decisions.

Now, most people can get through the user-friendly steps on their own, whenever and wherever it’s convenient for them. If there are questions, staff can help them start or complete an application.

The process is more streamlined and transparent, supporting faster submissions and updates, especially under tight timelines,” says Planning Technician Reza Barzanjah.

Porteous says it’s made an obvious difference.

Every Department and Decision-Maker, Working Together

The digital switch also helped municipal staff more easily collaborate with other departments and organizations.

It definitely has really changed how we do business, including even how we communicate with each other and how we share information,” says Manager of Development Planning Jeff Medeiros. “I can see building permit information now. I never had the ability to do that before, and vice versa with the building department.”

Circulation requests had previously evolved from mail to an email system, but got a big upgrade with the new online platform that made it easier to share information and get responses.

Medeiros says Brantford used to have data stored in various spreadsheets and files. Now, everything is in one place.

We can report on the data and we can quantify it,” he says. “It functions like a database, so it’s not just a workflow tool for us to do business; it’s improved communication and our records management.”

Staff also benefited from automating time-consuming tasks, such as application entry, giving everyone more time to focus on more important things as the city grows.

More Collaboration in the Future

While citizens and staff have directly benefitted from the digital transformation in Brantford, Olson says it’s also eased the work of developers — especially those working in multiple communities that use the same software.

His team has looked for ways to make the most out of Cloudpermit, harnessing integrations to use local GIS information, simplify reporting, and create public-facing maps that give residents a tool to see building and planning permit activity in their community.

Local governments that use the same system can learn from each other’s experiences and processes, and Olson says it’s been a big benefit to work together across city borders on this digital goal.

We get a lot out of it, and I think they get a lot out of it too,” he says.

As Brantford prepares to add public works to its online platform, Olson says there have been a lot of advantages to choosing a younger software company that is rapidly growing — and is open to feedback from the governments it serves.

It’s fun feeling like you can help shape the direction of the product, and I know that’s happened for us,” he says. “That’s a really good feeling because you don’t often get that in the same direct way with other companies.”

A Shared Success

Overall, Olson says the digital change has been a win-win for everyone involved. Rather than work with fragmented information in different files and paper records, he says the city now has a unified database, helping everyone work together.

There were so many benefits from moving this into a digital platform for everybody — customers, staff, organizations — where everyone wins,” he says.

This article was originally published in the Ontario Building Officials Association’s Journal issue 148.