OpenHall for local governments

hello@openhall.ca

City Hall that never closes.

OpenHall turns everything your local government publishes into plain answers, a free lot report for any address, and a straight line to the right desk. Your residents walk in already knowing what they need.

Do I need a permit for a backyard fire right now?No. 214

No. Recreational fires are exempt from the open burning rules and are currently allowed 1. Category 2 and 3 open burning is still prohibited 2.

It has to be for cooking or heat, in a fire pit no larger than 24 inches across 1.

From the City’s pages

  1. Current Fire Restrictions checked Oct 29, 2026
  2. Fire Permits checked Oct 29, 2026

A real answer from the live Campbell River site, built entirely from the City’s published pages.

One switch, five things change

Everything you publish, in one place, answered the way people actually ask.

  1. Residents get answers

    A plain answer in seconds, any hour, with your page linked under it, and the right phone number the first time.

  2. The counter gets its time back

    Fewer repeat calls. Questions the records can’t answer arrive as written notes, already worked out, at the right desk.

  3. Council sees what people need

    A monthly report of what residents asked and where they got stuck. Which pages fail people, in numbers.

  4. Builders and businesses get a front door

    A free lot report for any address: zone, what can be built, setbacks, and flood, stream and farmland flags. Your community reads as easy to build in.

  5. It fits money you already have

    BC communities are already funded to speed up approvals and digitize permitting. OpenHall is that work, facing the public.

It stays right

A guide people can’t trust is worse than none. So accuracy is the service, not a feature.

  • Every answer cites its page. Residents can check it, and staff can stand behind it.
  • Your reading wins. When staff flag an answer, it’s corrected within one business day, everywhere it appears.
  • Checked every night. New bylaws, rates and schedules are picked up as you publish them, with nothing for staff to send.
  • It knows its limits. No legal advice and no decisions. If the records don’t answer it, a person on your staff does.

What BC has already spent on this problem

Faster approvals and clearer information have been funded for years. The front door is still missing.

$27.9M

in provincial development approvals grants to local governments since 2021.2021–24 2026

$51M

in provincial housing capacity funding to all 188 local governments in 2024.source

July 2026

Victoria launched its own AI assistant for zoning and permits. Most communities can’t build one.source

Already live in Campbell River

Built entirely from the City’s published pages, with nothing sent by the City.

59

City pages loaded across taxes, utilities, garbage, permits, zoning, parks, safety and council.

20

department contacts, so every answer ends with the right number.

~1 min

for a free lot report on any address in the city.

Try it yourself

How it gets set up

Nothing to install and no new system for staff to learn.

  1. 1We load what you publish

    Your website, bylaws, schedules, fees and contacts. You don’t send us anything to start.

  2. 2Your staff check it

    Anything we’ve read wrong, your reading wins, and it’s fixed everywhere.

  3. 3It goes live

    At your own address, linked from your site, under your community’s name.

  4. 4We keep it current

    New bylaws, new rates, new schedules, picked up as you publish them.

What it isn’t

It doesn’t replace anyone. In most communities there aren’t enough people at the counter to begin with. OpenHall gives the people you have their time back.

It doesn’t give legal advice or make decisions. It explains what your published records say, links the page, and hands anything else to your staff.

It doesn’t own your information. Your records stay yours. Residents’ notes go to your staff, and the question log is anonymous.

Founding communities

We’re setting up OpenHall with a small group of BC communities first. Founding communities shape what gets built and pay a founding rate.

One published price for everyone after that, set by population. No setup fee.