Summary of positive themes

Based on the data testing and fieldwork conducted by Internal Audit, the following positive themes were noted:

Policies and procedures for planning and development

• ● Review and Update to the Official Plan - The Official Plan is reviewed on a 5 year cycle, initiated by the City Planner through research and analysis on the City's demographic, population, economic, and environmental trends to identify which sections require an update. A report is subsequently presented to council identifying sections requiring an update. The City Council makes a decision on the proposed updates, after which a draft of the updated Official Plan (or sections) is sent to the Ministry of Municipal Housing and Affairs for final review and approval. The past five (5) updates to the Official Plan between 2012-2013 were all approved by the Ministry.
• ● Authority for Approval of Planning and Development Applications - As per legislation set out in the Planning Act of Ontario, the authority to approve Site Plan Approval and Minor Variance applications are delegated to City staff or the Committee of Adjustment respectively. Other applications such as Rezoning, Subdivision, and Condominiums are reviewed by the Development and Heritage Standing Committee and finally approved by the City Council. Internal Audit inspected a sample of 10 planning and development applications and noted that all of them were approved by the authorized approver as per the Planning Act.
• ● Standardized Forms and Reporting Templates - Through inspection of the application forms and reporting templates for Site Plans, Rezoning, Minor Variances, Subdivisions/Condominiums, and Part Lots, it was noted that the Planning and Development Services Department has a set of standard forms and reporting templates for each of the various types of application processed through the department. The forms to be filled out by applicants outline key requirements (such as drawings, evidence and report of specific studies performed, etc.) for each application type which provides guidance for both staff and themselves in the application submission process. The reporting templates provide the planner on file guidance on the key steps to be completed/analysis performed such as consultations with public, internal departments, and external agencies which he/she fills out based on the application review and processing and is sent to the authorized approver for final review and approval.

Planning & development application processing

• ● Pre-consultation meetings - An application pre-consultation meeting is mandated by City by-law which allows the applicant to meet with the members of the Planning and Development Services department, in addition to any other relevant departments such as Traffic, Public Works, etc. to identify documentation including studies performed, drawings, etc that may be required for their specific circumstances. This allows for a smoother application processing in the later phases. For 10 applications sampled, all applications had an appropriate pre-consultation meeting performed. In addition, there also exists a pre-submission form which can be filled out if the applicant requires multiple types of approvals such as Rezoning, Site Plan, and an Official Plan Amendment. This form enables the applicant to share such details for preliminary review and analysis by the Planning and Development Services Department before the application is formally submitted.
• ● "Planning Site Plan Applications Control" Report - The Manager of Urban Design receives a report on a monthly basis, generated automatically from the AMANDA system, which has the list of current Site Plan Approval applications within the AMANDA system (including closed/completed) with details such as property addressed, status of the application, start date, and processing time up to date. The periodic review of this report allows the Manager of Urban Design to assess the progress of applications and identify which are delayed in order to investigate further. Issues identified serve as a key input for discussion at the Site Plan Approval weekly meetings mentioned below.
• ● Development Triage Team - The Planning and Development Services department has a development triage team with representation from Planning, Building, and Operations department. The team meets on a weekly basis to discuss status, progress and issues related to complex applications that have been received by the Planning and Development departments which require consultation with staff from various departments to reach a resolution and move ahead the application. Members of other departments are invited to these meetings on an as-needed basis. In addition to this any upcoming applications (that has gone through the pre-submission process) are also brought up, as necessary, by one of the members of the Planning Department.
• ● Periodic Team Meetings - Through inspection of meeting minutes and agendas it was noted that the Planning and Development Services department has multiple meetings on a periodic basis in addition to the Development Triage Team meetings mentioned above.