Jaffer pledges ‘30-Day or Yes’ policy to end permit delays and keep jobs in Edmonton
Edmonton, AB (Aug. 11, 2025) – Today, Edmonton Mayoral Candidate Rahim Jaffer today announced a bold new policy to put an end to the chronic permitting delays that are driving jobs and investment out of the city.
Under Jaffer’s “30-Day or Yes” commitment, all business permit applications in Edmonton must be approved or denied within 30 days. If the City fails to process an application within that timeframe, it will receive an automatic approval.
“This policy will put City Hall bureaucracy on notice: I have high expectations for timely service,” Jaffer said. “This is about sending a clear signal – Edmonton is open for business. We will not lose another job or another investment to the region because of red tape delays at the City.”
Jaffer said that at his Revive Edmonton Town Halls, he has heard countless stories from frustrated business owners stuck in months-long permitting delays. One example is the Transit Smokehouse & BBQ – which was just voted the best BBQ in Edmonton – which waited more than ten months for approvals, putting them at risk of shutting down before they could even open.
“It’s heartbreaking to see businesses in Edmonton forced to wait ten months or more just to get a permit,” Jaffer said. “I’ve sat across the table from hardworking entrepreneurs, like the owners of Transit, who poured their hearts and savings into their dream, only to be trapped in red tape for nearly a year. No one should be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy before they even open their doors. This is destroying livelihoods – and it ends when I’m mayor.”
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