Zero By-Law Backlog

Zero backlog never meant zero open files.

It means zero overdue by-law enforcement files—every complaint either resolved or actively progressing within a published service standard.

There are ten principles of addressing the Backlog, each interplays with the other, and the order of these principles does indicate priority of one principle over another.

Zero Backlog by 2027

1. Define the backlog
   A file becomes backlogged when it passes its applicable service deadline without resolution, documented enforcement action or a valid reason for extension.

2. Publish service standards
   Set clear response and resolution targets for each complaint category. Residents should know how long a noise complaint, property-standards investigation or illegal-construction file should take.

3. Complete a citywide file inventory
   Review every open file, identify its age and status, and separate active investigations from dormant, duplicated or administratively abandoned matters.

4. Create a 12-month Backlog Command Centre
   Establish a temporary management structure responsible for measuring the backlog, removing procedural bottlenecks and reporting progress every week. Support the By-Law Enforcement Team and the Prosecutions Team at the POA Courthouse to keep matters through the system if prosecutions are being delayed.

5. Deploy an Enforcement Backlog Response Team
   Assign a temporary team exclusively to older overdue files so regular officers can continue handling new complaints without continually rebuilding the backlog.

6. Triage according to risk
   Prioritize immediate threats involving fire safety, dangerous construction, overcrowding, accessibility, health risks and serious recurring violations.

7. Give every file an owner
   Assign responsibility to a named officer or team. Residents should not have to restart their complaint whenever it moves between departments. Complainants should have a consistent point of contact. Prosecutors should have reliable and delay free source of information and confirmation for matters that escalate along that path.

8. Use automatic escalation deadlines
   Files that remain unresolved beyond defined milestones should automatically move to supervisory review, legal action or another appropriate enforcement step.

9. Publish a public performance dashboard
   Report complaints received, files resolved, overdue files, average response times and results by enforcement category. Protect personal information while making system performance visible. This allows council and the public to hold city staff accountable, identify bottlenecks or procedural issues, and address them systematically and methodically.

10. The Zero Backlog Target
    By December 31, 2027, Brampton will have zero overdue by-law enforcement files. New complaints may remain open while they are properly investigated, but no complaint should disappear into an indefinite queue. If there is a reason why this has not been achieved, report to the public with honesty and transparency that the delay exists, the steps being taken to fix the problem, and if possible, a revised timetable.