Please be advised that as of April 4 2020 the issuance of permits are subject to all restrictions and prohibitions under the law. More specifically, the permit does not mean that construction can be carried out in contravention of any Act, Regulation and/or provincial order prohibiting construction deemed non-essential. Please note that you must review the list of construction projects deemed essential and it is recommended that you seek legal opinion to determine whether the project is deemed essential under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and its Regulations, as amended, before proceeding with construction in order to avoid contravention of the law. Construction projects deemed non-essential are prohibited. Please further note that Inspections will only be carried out on construction projects deemed essential under the EMCPA and its Regulations, as amended.
For the current list of essential workplaces including essential construction, please visit this website.
We will continue to inspect unoccupied homes under construction, and the list of construction projects deemed essential under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and its Regulations, as amended subject to the following protocol.
Prior to scheduling an Inspection, the Inspector shall confirm that no persons are in the area other than the Site Supervisor, and that the two-metre "physical distancing" will be respected during the Inspection. This confirmation shall be received both in advance of scheduling the Inspection, and again on site, prior to undertaking the Inspection. Should an Inspector encounter a situation he/she is uncomfortable with, the Inspector shall remove himself/herself from the site and contact the CBO or acting CBO for further guidance.
Inspection staff have been advised not to enter occupied areas of the following building types for the purposes of carrying out their duties:
- Occupied dwellings, including homes, apartments and condo units;
- Long-term care facilities, seniors' residences and retirement homes;
- Hospitals;
- Operating/ existing Daycare facilities; and
- Inspections where the public or construction workers has not been restricted (for example malls, retail stores).
Any requests for Inspections to which the above applies shall be deferred until further notice. Consideration may be given to professional (engineers, architects) field review reports, coupled with sufficient evidence of code compliance, to permit work to proceed in the absence of Inspections; however, these will be reviewed, documented and followed-up upon by the Building Inspector on a case by case basis. Please understand these associations are also proceeding cautiously and may not continue to provide general field review services.
The safety of all workers is of utmost importance. Our goal is to continue service levels wherever possible. If the development community could limit the number of people on sites during Inspections, we will have more flexibility in the types of Inspections we can continue to do.
Inspections can be booked by phone (905-953-5300 ext. 2400) or email to
buildings@newmarket.ca .
