City looks to put a cap on bad builders as infill development progresses

Edmonton's mayor says if you break the city's construction rules there will be consequences. CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson explains.

The City of Edmonton is looking to put irresponsible building and development companies in the hot seat.

Complaints of messy construction sites, inconsiderate workers and improper excavations as infill development progresses have catalyzed what Mayor Andrew Knack says is the need to “break out the bigger stick for the ones breaking the rules.”

“I know the vast majority of builders are doing great work across the city … At the end of the day we’re talking about a small percentage, but I want us all to be on the same page about that small percentage of folks who need to be held with greater accountability than they are now,” Knack said during an Urban Planning Committee meeting Tuesday.

The Construction Accountability Program (CAP) was initially created to refuse permits for builders with a history of non-compliant site conditions or poor quality permit submissions. But by law, the city can’t refuse permits based on a company’s performance history.

Instead, the program will identify low-compliance builders and keep a stern eye on them throughout a project by marking them ‘high oversight’ and require a detailed planning document on top of permit applications.

Problem companies would also need to take a training course and pay for a compliance officer to monitor their worksite.

Council will amend bylaws in 2027 to make repeat offenders pay for the extra costs incurred by increased monitoring and training.

“Professional builders who are doing a great job ensure that their sites are safe, that they’re secure, that they’re well-constructed, that the site is well-managed, particularly within the context of infill,” said Bild Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson.

Her industry group supports the city’s new accountability system because she recognizes that not all builders are “created equal.”

“What we’re hoping for with construction accountability is that any new program put into place doesn’t end up penalizing those strong performers and certainly those high frequency users.”

Beverly Zubot with the Residential Infill Working Group says the city’s plan is a welcome step for Edmontonians who have complained about subpar worksites but worries oversight without expertise may not do enough.

“It would be good to ensure that those that required greater oversight hired a geotechnical engineer that would design the construction, the excavation, as well as engineered shoring to guarantee that there would be less damage,” she said Wednesday.

She also worries the city’s plan won’t be able to keep up with the explosion of developer permits in the last two years.

The city has already created a Coordinated Construction Accountability team to investigate complaints.

Elements like the ‘high oversight’ label are set to come later this year.

CAP is a citywide initiative, meaning it will apply to all housing developments beyond infill.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson