Fall/Winter 2008
Table of Contents
- Sichuan Earthquake
- The Graduate, Stephen T. Gertsman, P. Eng.
- "Greening the Building Code" Powerpoint Presentations
- Information Update
- Changes to the BC Building Code
- List of New Members
- Plan Check Process Guide for Four Storey Buildings
- BOABC Courses
- Fundamentals for Energy Efficient Construction
- The Value and Purpose of BOABC and ACBOA Certification
- BOABC AGM & Conference
- 2009 BOABC Membership Dues
- BC Building Officials Wage Comparison
Sichuan Earthquake
The Sichuan Earthquake in May of 2008 claimed nearly 90,000 lives in China. Can this happen in Canada? You will have to decide.
Six months after the quake, BOABC attended the area devastated by the 19th deadliest earthquake of all time. The PDF document below outlines what went wrong, and what we need to do in Canada to prepare for a disaster of this magnitude.
Sichuan Earthquake Followup [PDF - 11230 KB]
The Graduate, Stephen T. Gertsman, P. Eng.
Bob Buckland, who writes the "Graduate Column", was fortunate enough to speak with Stephen Gertsman, who retired in 1996 from the Corporation of Delta. Steve kindly agreed to have Bob compose a Graduate column about his life and career experiences in the Building Industry. Please click below.
The Graduate [PDF - 3145 KB]
"Greening the Building Code" Powerpoint Presentations
Please click below to view the "Greening the Building Code" Powerpoint Presentations from September 2008.
City of Vancouver Green Building Strategy [PDF - 13660 KB]
Overview of the BC Building Code Part 10 [PDF - 745 KB]
Introduction to ASHRAE 90.1 [PDF - 536 KB]
Energuide 77 [PDF - 841 KB]
Energy Efficiency [PDF - 664 KB]
Information Update
The following documents are related to the BOABC November Education Seminar and the sessions on "Six Storey Wood Frame Construction" and the AIBC session on "Understand the Architects Act".
The first document is a "Historical Perspective on the Rational for Building Heights in the BCBC", recently commissioned by the Building Policy Branch.
The AIBC documents are two Practice Notes just released. Practice Note 12 explains why "Qualified" Letters of Assurance are not supported. Practice Note 15 is on the acceptable use of "Letters of Assurance for Phased or Partial Occupancies". These documents can be downloaded and copied for reading.
Senez Reed Calder Final Historial Report [PDF - 750 KB]
Practice Note 12 [PDF - 175 KB]
Practice Note 15 [PDF - 181 KB]
Changes to the BC Building Code
For information on the proposed "Mid-Rise Wood-Frame Construction" changes to the BC Building Code to accommodate an increase in building height, go to the Office of Housing and Construction Standards web site at www.housing.gov.bc.ca/building/wood_frame/index.htm
The Office of Housing and Construction Standards web site also has the Summary and Text of Code Changes for the Energy Efficiency and Water Efficiency Requirements introduced on September 5th, 2008 in BC. They can be found at www.housing.gov.bc.ca/building/green/index.htm
List of New Members
Welcome New Members!! Enclosed is the list of new BOABC members from April to December 2008. Currently the overall number of BOABC members in all categories exceeds 675.
Due to 'baby boomer' and early work force retirements, which have accelerated over the last three years, it is estimated that nearly 50% of all BOABC members are new to the Association within the last five years.
New Members List [PDF - 73 KB]
Plan Check Process Guide for Four Storey Buildings
Perry Halabuzza and Daryl Birtch delivered a PowerPoint Presentation of a plans examination exercise of a four-storey multi-suite residential or apartment building at the BOABC Education Seminar in Richmond on November 20th, 2008.
This study guide provides insight on plan review techniques and key issues to look for. This can be seen in PowerPoint "normal view" which includes Presenter views. Please click below.
Four Storey Plan Review [PDF - 615 KB]
BOABC Courses
The BOABC list of Group Study Sessions available for delivery in 2009 can be found under "Education" or by clicking below. Contact your BOABC Zone Director who will organize the Group Study Session. A minimum number of participants are needed to facilitate delivery. Please click below.
BOABC Study Sessions [PDF - 49 KB]
Fundamentals for Energy Efficient Construction
At the BOABC November 2008 Education Seminar, Troy Glasner, President of e3ecogroup, presented a two-day comprehensive course overview of Building Science Principles associated with Energy Efficient Construction. The PowerPoint presentation, Fundamentals for Energy Efficient Construction, can be found under "Education" or by clicking below.
Building Science for Energy Efficient Construction [PDF - 3527 KB]
The Value and Purpose of BOABC and ACBOA Certification
On December 5th 2008, BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced the new labour mobility provisions negotiated under Canada's Agreement on Internal Trade [AIT]. Effective April 1st, 2009, "people with a specific professional or occupational certification in one province or territory will be recognized as qualified to practice their profession in all provinces and territories where their profession or occupation is regulated".
In the AIT Labour Mobility Chapter, it states that any qualified worker in one occupation in one province or territory must be granted access to similar employment opportunities in all occupations in any other Canadian jurisdiction. The three main barriers that limit interprovincial movement of workers are: residency requirements; occupational licensing, certification and registration practices; and differences in occupational practices.
The goal of the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials' Associations [ACBOA], working with the federal agency Construction Sector Council and the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation [CMHC], is to complete a National Occupational Standard for Canadian Building Officials. This has been accomplished. A National Certification system has been put in place. As of December 2008, the Building Officials' Association of BC, which has 675 members, has over 200 members who have acquired both BOABC and ACBOA certification as Building Officials.
Under the ACBOA National certification system, there are six levels of designation. The Three Associate levels are: Associate Housing, Associate Part 9 and Associate Part 3. They are similar to the BOABC Level One, Two and Three designations, but without the BOABC work experience requirement as a Building Official qualification.
The ACBOA titles: Canadian Certified Building Official - Housing; Canadian Certified Building Official - Part 9; and Canadian Certified Building Official - Part 3 are similar designations and are comparable to the BOABC Level One, Two and Three designations. For ACBOA you must pass all the ACBOA examinations, be appointed as Building Official for 2, 3 or 5 years minimum per level, and have performed a minimum of 60 Part 9 or 60 Part 3 inspections or plan reviews to obtain either one of the three CCBO national designations. The title CRBO, Canadian Registered Building Official, is an individual who achieves all three CCBO designations.
In addition, a special provision was placed in the ACBOA program that permits an "Exemption for Experienced Building Officials" effective to December 31st, 2008. In this provision, if an experienced person has a minimum work experience as a Building Official of five years out of the past seven, or six years of the past eight, or a minimum of eight years out of the past ten, they are exempted from the need to complete ACBOA courses and/or pass exams to acquire certification.
In other words, up until December 31st, 2008, those experienced persons from all jurisdictions in Canada, who have been appointed provincially to enforce the Building Code for Part 9 and/or Part 3 buildings, can obtain ACBOA designations based primarily on their work experience. This provision was put in place to accommodate those persons who have gone through a variety of provincial certification and experienced based, testing, study session or equivalencies requirements in awarding levels of competency.
To maintain certification, an ACBOA nationally certified Building Official must remain in 'good standing' [paid dues] in an ACBOA affiliated Provincial Association [which the BOABC is]. They must also continue to comply with the BOABC Code of Ethics and must continue to be compliant with the Maintenance program, the BOABC Continuing Professional Development program. Overall, the purpose of National Certification is to promote more credibility, respect, recognition and improved labour mobility from one jurisdiction to another in Canada.
On May 3-6, at the BOABC Education and AGM Conference in Nelson, BC, ACBOA will hold its next National Directors meeting. One of the discussions will be on 'reciprocity' - the mutual relationship between national and provincial certification designations and how all jurisdictions will conform to Canada's Agreement on Internal Trade which comes into effect, April 2009.
Richard Bushey
Executive Director
Building Officials' Association of BC
BOABC AGM & Conference
The dates for the BOABC AGM & Conference have been confirmed for May 3rd - 6th, 2009 at the Prestige Lakeside Resort Hotel in Nelson, BC.
Conference Registration Forms will be available on the website in February/March 2009.
The Spring Exam Schedule will be posted simultaneously.
2009 BOABC Membership Dues
The 2009 BOABC Membership Dues Notices will be sent out to the Membership in January/February 2009 by post.
CPD points will be reported to you on your Membership Dues Receipt Card once you have paid.
BC Building Officials Wage Comparison
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has developed a Wage Rate Comparison Spreadsheet. The data was collected over several months in 2008, from a number of Municipal and Local Authority sources in British Columbia. These figures may have changed. Please click below to view the pay grid.
Wage Comparison Spreadsheet [XLS - 17 KB]