Government delays stall Londoner’s plan to build new house

All he wanted was to replace a damaged home. But a year and a half after getting an OK from city hall and months of red-tape delays from the province, a Londoner will have to wait through the winter before getting shovels in the ground.

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In a province leaning on municipalities to fast-track housing – they want 1.5 million units built by 2031 – Darryl Torhjelm says Queen’s Park must not appreciate the further construction delays this setback has caused and the significant costs he will incur in a hot construction market.

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“I don’t think they understand how holding things up for so long is not only counter-productive but very costly,” he said. “They’re in the news all the time saying how they’re doing all they can, but then in the background, there’s no sense of urgency.”

Torhjelm, a real estate hobbyist and local landlord who manages multiple properties, received a completed archaeological review of a plot last week in the Blackfriars area, four months after it was ordered in a process that usually happens in one month.

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This was triggered by a minor variance from shifting a proposed house at 226 Cooper St. – near the Oxford Street-Wharncliffe Road intersection – closer to the lot line to accommodate a side driveway and garage required by city hall.

The process started when he acquired an existing home on the lot. Due to an unstable foundation, and some break-ins from people stealing copper, Torhjelm decided he would tear the old home down and build new. He said because it’s on a flood plain, he’s restricted by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority to build only a single family dwelling.

Starting in 2022, he jumped through the hoops to get a demolition permit from the city, and the city’s committee of adjustment granted him the minor variance building permit in July on the condition an archaeological assessment be done.

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Torhjelm was surprised by the $4,000 bill to conduct the assessment, especially on a lot that already was developed. But after the completed assessment, which found nothing, was sent to the province on Aug. 8, he was confident he could get the house finished by Christmas.

“I could see it, if it’s vacant land, or you’re developing something new and you’re concerned maybe there’s a burial site here, but in a city with an existing lot that’s already had a house on it. . . I’m thinking this is so much red tape,” he said. “If that’s very important, OK, but let’s make the process quicker.”

Matthew Haruta, the archaeologist hired to survey the property, said that, in line with the typical expedited review request of 20 business days, an initial deadline was set at Sept. 6. The deadline came and went, and the province gave a new deadline of Sept. 22.

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By Oct. 18, the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism’s heritage branch warned they still had not completed the review, and anticipated it would take another few weeks. No reason was provided, Haruta said.

In late November, Torhjelm reached out to the city for help in reaching the province, and was told their backlog was severe and his review might not get finished for another six weeks. Haruta finally heard back from a provincial official last week, and the review is now done.

While he’s happy, finally, to have the go-ahead to start building, when spring arrives, Torhjelm is bothered most by the disconnect between government leaders calling for more housing to be built and for less red tape while, behind the scenes, there are still immense delays.

“If I was the boss overseeing this, I’d be going right to the minister and saying ‘Hey, I need 50 bodies now because yeah, you want more houses, here’s the bottleneck. Let’s get her fixed,’” he said.

The London Free Press reached out to the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism asking for an explanation for the delay, but did not hear back before deadline.

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@jackmoulton65

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