Kitimat council has received a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at improving the District’s development approvals process, following a months-long review conducted by Stantec Consulting.
The final report outlines 16 recommended actions, including consolidating application forms, publishing applicant guides, and expanding the use of online tools to display active development projects. Other measures aim to clarify public notification rules and improve transparency through new GIS layers and dedicated webpages. The plan organizes actions into short-, medium-, and long-term timelines.
Among the long-term goals is replacing the District’s outdated internal software system with a modern permitting platform that would enable digital submissions, fee payments and application tracking.
Stantec also advised preparing internal and external guides to help staff and applicants better navigate the approvals process. Council will also revisit development application fees—unchanged since 2013—to ensure they reflect actual service costs and align with other municipalities.
“I liked the steps proposed,” said Councillor Mario Feldhoff. “What drove this review in the first place [was] housing needs and targets, streamlining the approval review to get homes built.”
The recommendations align with new provincial housing legislation, including Bill 44, which mandates shorter approval timelines and encourages municipalities to boost housing supply. Kitimat’s interim Housing Needs Report estimates the community will need 627 new housing units within five years and 1,304 over the next 20.
The final report and accompanying Implementation Plan, dated May 30, were presented to council June 9. Council then unanimously approved a motion to receive the report, and that the implementation plan be approved as proposed.
“I started circling all the action items I liked but eventually stopped because I was circling everything,” said Councillor Graham Pitzel, signalling strong support across the table.
Work on the Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) began in autumn 2024, supported by funding from the Union of BC Municipalities. The review followed a three-phase structure, with consultants hired through a competitive Request for Proposals process. Phases 1 and 2 wrapped by February, and a summary was presented at a special council meeting later that month.
The DAPR also complements ongoing work on Kitimat’s Official Community Plan, which must be updated by Dec. 31 to reflect current and future housing needs. That effort is being carried out through the Complete Communities Study and Housing-Focused OCP Update Project.
While council was broadly supportive of the report, members noted that further discussion will be needed to determine the sequence and pace of implementation.
