Four South Shore municipalities are making it easier to build and develop across the region with the launch of a new shared online building permit portal.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL), the Town of Bridgewater, the Town of Lunenburg, and the Region of Queens Municipality have introduced a single digital platform that allows residents, contractors, and developers to apply for and track permits anytime, from any device.

The portal streamlines the application process while maintaining existing inspection services and standards. Users can create one account to manage projects across all four municipalities, helping reduce duplication and improve efficiency.

“This is a smart regional partnership that improves service and makes the process easier for everyone involved,” says Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile. “It’s a win for residents, builders, and staff.”

To support the rollout, municipal staff are hosting “Coffee & Create Your Account” sessions this week at local building supply stores in Lunenburg and Queens counties, offering hands-on help for users to get started.

Full details, including session dates and portal access, are available on municipal websites, and the next events are as follows:

July 15 – Buck’s Home Building Centre, Cookville (7 a.m.)
July 16 – Mary Lake Home Hardware, Caledonia (8 a.m.)
July 17 – Castle Building Centre, Blockhouse (7 a.m.)

Learn more about these events by contacting angela.corkum@modl.ca or call 902-903-4855.

This initiative reflects a growing trend toward regional collaboration and digital service delivery, improving access and convenience for residents while making better use of municipal resources.

Interviews are available with municipal representatives upon request.

 Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens is looking to speed up the building process.

At their last meeting, council decided to add another planner to the department to clear up a backlog and allow permits to be issued more quickly going forward.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality is seeing a 90 percent increase in permit applications.

“We need to speed things up,” said Norman. “When you have a large commercial development or even someone needing to replace their roof or to put a small addition on. When they’re waiting six and seven weeks to have their permits processed, that is a long time wait.”

Norman says landing a planner could be a challenge as the Region of Queens isn’t the only municipal unit looking to add to their planning staff.

She says the Town of Lunenburg has posted a job ad for a planner and Halifax is looking to hire three.

Norman is hopeful the quality of life in Queens will attract qualified applicants.

“Professionals are widely sought so we’re going to spread our net wide,” said Norman. “The Region of Queens is a great place to live. Anyone that is looking for great cultural life, natural attributes, closeness to Halifax, Yarmouth, Annapolis, we have it all.”

Norman says they’re looking bring a new planner on board as soon as they can.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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