The new Planning Act addressed these problems by enabling Council to delegate the administration of development control to an appointed development officer. The act requires that council appoint a Development Officer when it passes a by-law, and it delegate its subdivision administration and approval power to a Development Officer.
Proclamation of the Act in 1970 was followed immediately by a number of appointments of Development Officers who were already employed by the municipality in some other capacity, so the first Development Officers came from a variety of backgrounds....many were building inspectors, some were planners or technicians, while others were administrators.
Initially the role of Development Officer was perceived to be somewhat restricted and a simple administrative job. However as the first Development Officers encountered more complex problems and developments, it soon became apparent that the job demanded more skills than originally anticipated. This combined with the varied backgrounds caused an early need to provide training and professional development for Development Officers.
