Catalyzing Innovation: One Ontario and TerraQuest Partner to Streamline Development Approvals Process
TORONTO, May 1, 2023
The Canadian housing crisis has made housing affordability a key issue for governments, but authorities struggle with complexity and backlogs, while developers face lengthy, costly development processes. As the housing supply shortage continues, there is mounting pressure to improve efficiency and accelerate development across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
RESCON's advocacy for increased transparency and innovative solutions in the AEC industry has been influential in addressing the nation-wide issue of slow development and combatting the housing crisis. For years, RESCON has been at the forefront of promoting new ideas and approaches to the development approvals process, recognizing the need for more efficiency and speed in the construction industry.
As a long-time supporter of AECO Innovation Lab, RESCON has been instrumental in promoting AECO’s collaborative research-led digital platform, One Ontario. The platform aims to enhance transparency, collaboration, and insights by standardizing and structuring data exchange. By streamlining the development approvals process, One Ontario will reduce the amount of time required before construction can commence. The solution simplifies the development approval process for all stakeholders, leading to faster approvals and cost savings in construction.
AECO is excited to have recently announced a significant One Ontario update. The company has partnered with TerraQuest Solutions to leverage One Ontario in localizing TerraQuest's Planning Portal for the Canadian market. TerraQuest is a well-established provider of digital, data, and technology solutions in the planning, infrastructure, and property sectors in the United Kingdom. They operate the national Planning Portal, which allows the submission of all online planning applications to councils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
For nearly a decade, AECO’s team has been studying the challenge of the development approval process, including a four-year project examining systems around the world. From this research, England emerged as a leading jurisdiction in this space, largely due to the innovative Planning Portal. After careful consideration, the Planning Portal was selected due to its impressive software solution and strong compatibility with Canada's regulatory environment. By partnering with TerraQuest, AECO is able to combine expertise in technology solutions, from digital product development to organizational change management, to support provinces in their digital transformation journey.
“The AECO-TerraQuest partnership is bringing a much-needed proven product into the Canadian market starting with Ontario and scaling it across other provinces. The purpose of the platform is to streamline the development approvals process, allowing for standardized approvals intake and more efficient communication between collaborators. We believe that this is an amazing opportunity for AEC industries in Canada to move forward digitally,” said Arash Shahi, CEO of AECO Innovation Lab.
The One Ontario platform is designed to enhance connectivity between all organizations and systems participating in the development approvals process. This will enable the structured and standardized flow of data between authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs). By integrating TerraQuest's well-established system, which handles over one million visits per month and processes approximately 740,000 applications annually, into the One Ontario platform, there will be a significant improvement in collaboration and streamlined processes. Ultimately, this will enable better data-driven decision-making for both individual applications and policy-level decisions.
One Ontario serves as more than just a means to streamline the development approvals process. Through its partnership with TerraQuest, the platform is also poised to lay the groundwork for future innovative building applications. “We’re excited to foster co-innovation”, says CEO of TerraQuest Geoffrey Keal. “TerraQuest will be supporting AECO’s collaborative network of partners to develop digital twin technology which is something we are eager to bring back to the U.K. market.”
Government officials, industry members, and regulatory agencies alike are recognizing the need for digitalization in the AEC sector to meet the demands of an ever-evolving regulatory environment. Enabled by RESCON’s strong advocacy and support, One Ontario is set to unlock the full potential of digitalizing the Canadian built environment, beginning with the digital transformation of the development approvals process.
