Guys - I know this has been a hot topic in the past, with a lot of opinions and conflicting information. I don't know when the city got this new feature, but they now have a LIVE CHAT option for questions regarding building and development permits, and it's great!
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Pages/H...ement-Hub.aspx
Hours are Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
I had a question for a relative, and opened a chat window this morning at 8:10 AM, and by 8:30 I had an answer to my question, a couple of suggested next steps. I clear understanding of what might happen if things "went wrong", and best of all a transcript of the chat emailed to me with reference links if I needed to look back later.
It's a pretty great system, and much faster than standing in line at the city hall desk, which was my next plan.
Anyway, hope this helps someone.