After issuing $128M in building permits, mayor says Vaughan’s ‘golden decade continues’

‘Despite the dark clouds of COVID-19, our golden decade continues to shine bright,’ says Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua

Yorkregion.com
April 27, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

The building permits issued for 2020's first quarter have surpassed the same period in the last three years, said Vaughan mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua during his digital address on April 21.

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gusto for city building hasn’t changed for Vaughan, Bevilacqua explained before the City’s second virtual council meeting.

“During the first quarter of 2020, the City issued 656 permits valued at over $128 million,” Bevilacqua said. “More than 12,300 inspections have taken place over the past three months -- well exceeding 2019, 2018 and 2017 during that same period.”

The mayor reiterated last year’s big figure of how Vaughan has “issued more than $10 billion in building permits since 2010.”

“We continue to advance these critical infrastructure projects because Vaughan remains a city in demand -- the place to be,” he said.

“We are still the same city that issued more than $10 billion in building permits since 2010. Despite the dark clouds of COVID-19, our golden decade continues to shine bright.”

Vaughan placed its business action plan soon after becoming the “first” city in Ontario to declare a statement of emergency on COVID-19 March 17. Council voted to defer the annual stormwater charge for 60 days and cancel the planned 2020 water and wastewater rate increases, and the City reported $1.5 million reduction in its revenue. “But it will result in a boost for family budgets,” the mayor added.

In addition to relieving people of some financial burdens, Bevilacqua has also said that in the last month, “more than 3,500 investigations have been carried out by bylaw staff" after launching Operation Guardian Friday. The operation is an “enforcement campaign to pursue charges for violations of bylaws and provincial orders.”

“All available officers are being deployed to focus on other issues such as waste, litter and debris -- on both City and private property,” he said. “Those who do not keep their private properties clean can face fines of up to $5,000 for each offence. This is just one of the many measures we have taken to keep Vaughan clean.”