In alignment with the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce’s active policy on Creating a Business-Friendly Regulatory Environment, the City of Medicine Hat has made strides in improving transparency, predictability, and efficiency across several departments. These changes reflect a commitment to working with the business community to reduce red tape, enhance customer service, and foster a more supportive climate for business and development.

Planning & Development: Setting Clear Expectations

Historically, developers and business owners faced uncertainty around turnaround times for permits and licenses. In response, the Planning & Development Services (PDS) department has:

• Established turnaround targets for Development Permits, Building Permits, and Business Licenses.
• Launched quarterly performance reporting, improving transparency and reducing staff time spent on escalations.
• The most recent Q3 report on permit application processing times was recently released including:
  • Development Permit applications 
  • Building Permit applications 
  • Trade Permit applications 
  • Business License applications 

Environmental Utilities: Predictable Costs for Developers

Previously, utility installation costs were unpredictable and costly, requiring individual quotes for each project. A trial fixed-price schedule has now been introduced, offering:

• Reduced field staff time for estimates.
• Improved service and a non-cash incentive for development.
• Transparent costs through the published fee guide.

Streamlining Downtown Patio Applications

Downtown patio applications once required routing through multiple departments and annual fees for simple renewals, often triggering unnecessary fees and delays. Now:

• Applications in the Road Right-of-Way go directly to Municipal Works.
• Applications on private property are routed through Planning & Development.

This change has reduced applicant costs, staff time, and turnaround times. Find out more through our post here: https://chamber.southeastalbertachamber.ca/advocacyinsights/Details/revitalizing-downtown-medicine-hat-s-evolving-patio-experience-286213

Open Access to Traffic Data

To support investor decision-making, Municipal Works has published roadway traffic counts online, eliminating the need for direct inquiries and improving public access. These traffic counts are indicative only, and represent aggregated data and not directly related to Traffic Impact Assessments which are part of the development permitting process. The traffic counts can be useful for high level considerations about the movement of motor vehicles. 

View Traffic Volumes: https://citymedicinehat.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c8e40b3e7cdd493d8d324535a5bb9ba7. The disclaimer on the page spells out the limitations.

Airport Parking Modernization

To address frequent complaints about parking machines, the Airport now offers mobile payment options, enhancing passenger convenience and providing electronic receipts. Find out more about the airport here. 

Planning & Development expanded opportunities for shared lease space by:

• PDS removed the 10% cap on floor space usage by additional tenants.
• The requirement for identical operating hours has been eliminated
• Consolidating application forms and provided shared tenancy guidelines: https://www.medicinehat.ca/news/posts/guidelines-for-shared-tenancies-within-a-single-tenancy/

Digital Tools for Transparency

To reduce reliance on phone inquiries and improve access to information

• A search engine for Development and Building Permits has been launched: https://epermit.medicinehat.ca/Planning/Application?category=D
• A Business License Locator is now available online: https://epermit.medicinehat.ca/License/Locator?licenseType=B  

These improvements reflect the City’s commitment to the Chamber’s goal to have regulatory environments that are predictable, transparent, and responsive. By reducing administrative burdens and improving access to information, Medicine Hat is on its way to helping streamline processes and creating an atmosphere that is responsive to the evolving needs of business.