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Building Officials’ Association of British Columbia

---------- BOABC ---------- Promoting Building Safety and Professionalism

Suite 145 – 10451 Shellbridge Way

Richmond, British Columbia V6X 2W8

BOABC

Quarterly Newsletter

July 2019

TYPE TAGLINE HERE IN THIS ISSUE

The BOABC Executive met on May 28th, 2019

Executive Members are looking forward to another successful year for the Association. The Executive met several times during the AGM and Spring Conference. We thank the Executive Members for their hard work over the past year. We appreciate any outgoing member’s dedication and volunteerism to the Association. We welcome the new members to the Executive Committee (Board), Brian Marcell – Director – Vancouver Island North Zone and Trevor Welsh - Secretary.

BOABC Annual Report

We are pleased to announce that our first ever Annual Report was released earlier this spring. The report has been posted on the BOABC website members only section.

BOABC – Working with the Province of BC – The Building Act and the Administrative Agreement

The administrative agreement calls for mutually agreed performance objectives, measures and targets in relation to the qualifications of building officials. The BOABC collaborates regularly with the

Government of BC to track progress and success in fulfilling its obligations to the Agreement.

The Association is working hard to achieve all requirements of the Administrative Agreement. Much of the onging work, targets and performance objectives are reflected in the BOABC Five Year Business Plan covering the period April 1, 2109 through March 31, 2024 & now posted on the Association website members only setion.

As identified in the Annual Report & Busiiness Plan, BOABC’s core pillars of responsibility and activity moving forward are:

• Ensuring safe buildings for British Columbians,

• Professional development and educational requirements – with a focus on recruiting, hiring and retaining members in the field,

• Political/government relations, • Building industry and stakeholder

relations, • Acting as the Registrar for Qualified

Building Officials, • The advancement of the interests of

building and plumbing officials in the public domain,

• Increasing, promoting and ensuring competency and professionalism of qualified building officials,

• Consistency in the interpretation, application and enforcement of Provincial building regulations,

• Greater member services – providing general informational, administrative, conference, trade show and meetings.

The BOABC, through the administrative agreement, is working to create a vibrant, active, supportive and influential membership. The next five years will be instrumental in continuing to refresh, enhance and maintain the resources necessary to move forward aggressively towards fulfilling the joing objectives of the BOABC, the Province and various stakeholders such as:

• British Columbians, • Minister and Ministry of

Municipal Affairs and Housing, • Office of Housing and

Construction Standards, • Municipal governments

throught BC, • Union of BC Municipalities, • Other Industry Associations, • Other Professional

Associations,

BOABC QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – JULY 2019 | Issue # 4 2

• Professionals affiliated or working with BOABC,

• Suppliers to Building Officials and the Building Community.

MEET MANJJT SOHI

BOABC PAST PRESIDENT

Manjit S. Sohi is currently sitting on the Executive Committee (Board of Directors) as the Past President. The Past President is a wealth of information on past Board decisions and deliberations and is also the one to pass the torch on all the relationships that have been built with our stakeholders over his term as President.

Manjit S. Sohi has over 25 years of experience as a Building Official, Chief Building Official and Manager of Permits and Inspections with the City of Abbotsford, City of Langley, City of North Vancouver and the District of West Vancouver.

Manjit is currently managing partner of ICE Development Ltd. and is responsible for overseeing the administration and management of its construction business. His duties include bylaw and Code compliance for ICE projects.

Manjit received his Bachelor of Science degree from India and his Certificate in Building Technology from BCIT, and a Certificate in Local Government Administration from Capilano College.

Manjit is Vice President of the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials Associations (ACBOA). Manjit is a member of the Accreditation Committee of International Accreditation Service Brea, CA USA. he is member of the Governing Committee of the ICC Global Membership Council.

Manjit holds the titles of both BCQ (Building Code Qualified), and CRBO (Canadian Registered Building Official).

MANJIT SOHI – PAST PRESIDENT

msohi@boabc.org

It is with regrets we announce the passing of Gil Cobb on April 2, 2019.

Gil began his career as a Building Inspector for the City of Terrace and then moved over to the Village of Gold River. In 1989 through 1992, Gil worked for the City of Nanaimo. Gil’s career finished in the Town of Smithers as the Chief Building Official and Manager of Development Services through 1992 until his retirement in 2002. Gil was active throughout his career in the Building Officials Association of BC, serving as a zone director for many years. He spent many years leading the push for professional standards and continuing professional development.

Gil was an active outdoors man and found joy in being in nature. Gil leaves behind Deborah, his wife of 30 years, his sons Brett (Kelly), Jason and Nathaniel, his brother Vernon, nieces Crista and Angelique and four grandchilder, Rachel, Desiree, Kaylee and Brayden. Gil is also survived by his two previous wives, Sharen Kay and Victoria. Many close friends and long-time friends also mourn his passing.

ACBOA ACBOA administration and corporate functionality is now being conducted through the BOABC office. This requires part-time staffing and associated costs which are funded by a $30,000 plus contribution annually from ACBOA. This is a great step forward for both organizations.

The new provincial qualification requirements for Building and Plumbing

Officials established in the Building Act came into force on February 28, 2017 through an administrative agreement between the Province of BC and the Building Officials Association of BC. With the institution of those mandatory qualifications it has become one of the best times to begin or continue down the career path of becoming a Building and/or Plumbing Official. The steps for qualification can be found on our website at https://boabc.org/becoming-a-building-and-or-plumbing-official/

Interested in Becoming a Building or Plumbing Official?

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BOABC EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

Executive

Acting President – Brian Champlin

CEO – Dave Schioler

Past President – Manjit S. Sohi

Vice President of Certification and Member Services – Zara Rockwell

Vice President of Examinations – Brian Champlin

Vice President of Education – Wayne Robinson

Vice President of Plumbing Officials – Andy Wilson

Director at Large – Wayne Robinson

Director – South Central Interior Zone – Jeremy Frick

Director – Central and North Interior Zone – Blaine Harasimiuk

Director – Vancouver Island North Zone – Brian Marcell

Director – North West Zone – Todd Loucks

Director – Lower Mainland Zone – Belinda Moen

Director – Lower Mainland Zone – Jacek Redlinski

Director – Kootenay Zone – Andy Christie

Director – Vancouver Island South Zone – Chris Leek

Registrar – Arne Dohlen

Secretary – Trevor Welsh

Provincial Government Appointee – Don Pedde

Treasurer – Colin Bollinger

Historian – Bob Buckland

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Information for each Executive Member can be found at www.boabc.org

There have been some recent updates to the Pronto online exams online exams information as well as the examinations FAQ section on the website.

These updates can be found by looking under the Education/Exams/Certification tab in the Examinations section of our website:

Click on Examinations FAQ questions and review the following 2 questions:

How do I register for an exam?

How long does my preauthorizatio nfor one exam last?

Click on Pronto Online Exams and review Item #4 – Items allowed/Prohibited during the exam.

FAST FACTS – OVERALL BOABC EXAM PASS RATES – PRONTO (APRIL TO JULY, 2019)

Level 1, Exam 1 – 65% Level 1, Exam 2 – 54% Level 2, Exam 5 – 67% Level 2, Exam 6 – 67% Level 3, Exam 7 – 90% Level 3, Exam 8 – 70% Level 3, Exam 9 – 100% Level 3, Exam 10 – 89% POABC Level 1 – 77% POABC Level 2 – 100%

In 1985 discussions began regarding interest in forming a Plumbing Inspectors Association. The support was overwhelming and work proceeded in the creating of the Plumbing Officials Association. Many years of work by the Association Members led to the creation of the Certification Program, a core goal of the Association. The Building Act received Royal Assent in 2015 and the POABC dissolved and became a part of the BOABC in 2017. Andy Wilson is the current VP-Plumbing.

Pronto Exams

POABC

1

Certification Process

In the interests of expedience for our membership, the Association has taken the steps to delegate the formal certification process to an office function. Given that it can and often does affect the promotion and livelihoods of BOABC members, an efficient process substantially cuts down on wait times. This has been working extremely well for membership and staff is now regularly up to date with providing the appropriate certification to membership. This does not take away from a Zone Director delivering in person a ceremony for a Registered Building Official or other designate.

Certification Summary April 2019 to June 2019

Level One – 9 members

Level Two – 8 members

Level Three – 12 members

Plumbing Level One – 5 members

Plumbing Level Two – 0 members

RBO to BCQ – 0

BCQ to RBO – 1

RBO – 12 members

Continuing Professional Development

Currently, the BOABC has a formal CPD Policy in place. Members are obligated to self-report their CPD progress during the calendar year. This step in the process helps BOABC to analyze what courses members are taking throughout the year.

The Association tracks and monitors members progress for CPD throughout the calendar year. This analysis will be

sophisticated and improved over the next 5 years. These improvements will allow for a better and quicker analysis and reporting system.

Member surveys will take place at the end of every second calendar year, to determine: (a) the level of member satisfaction with respect to CPD offered throughout the past calendar year and (b) whether members have more preference and need for certain types of CPD offerings.

Survey data, member reporting, discussions, reporting from Zone meetings and anecdotal findings will all be utilizied to capture what is needed moving forward in each calendar year.

The BOABC will record the number of qualified building officials who register for each activity and include the results in th Annual Report each year.

A consultant with program evaluation expertise with evaluate the CPD as required.

The CPD program cycle has a one-year time frame for completion. Members are responsible for self-reporting CPD points. Failure to complete your CPD Requirements may result in the removal of your certification. Please take the time to report your CPD Points today.

Newsletter

The BOABC Executive is dedicated to transparency. In an effort to reach more members, we implemented the Newsletter in 2018. We hope you are enjoying the content. If you have any ideas or information you’d like to see in the newsletter contact Zara Rockwell at zrockwell@boabc.org.

BOABC as the Delegated Administrative Authority

The Province of BC has selected BOABC as the administrative authority under the Building Act to administer the delegated delegated authority and in particular the Register of Building Officials (Registry). BOABC CEO, David Schioler, was officially appointed by Minister Selina Robinson as the Provincial Registrar. BOABC has commenced in taking the requisite steps to ensure that the necessary measures are put in place to build the formal ‘Registry’ of building officials.

Building/Plumbing Official Awareness

The BOABC will extend diligent and substantial effort toward enhancing the awareness of building and plumbing officials in the building community and in the broader public domain.

BOABC will develop and promote a career path for building and plumbing officials, utilizing the notion of professionalism at the core.

These efforts will also signal the commencement of a strategic recruiting drive for the industry. While it is generally the municipalities that will hire and recruit specifically, BOABC will advance strategies in awareness and recruitment.

Website and Social Media

We continue to make operational changes to refresh and improve the look and mechanics of our website. Like and Follow us on Facebook.

Over the ensuring five years, the BOABC will continue to adhere and fulfill the

BOABC Certification and Member Services

BOABC QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – JULY 2019 | Issue # 4 5

obligations with respect to Schedule ‘A’ of the Administrative Agreement. In particular, the Association will continue to improve its Code-related training for Building and Plumbing officials at all levels.

On-line course development and release:

Building Level One – Registration Open Now

Building Level Two – Delivery Target Date Februay 15, 2020

Building Level Three – Delivery Target Date November 2019

Plumbing Level One – Delivery Target Date September 2019 – subject to change

Plumbing Level Two – Delivery Target Date Octber 2019 – subject to change

In-Class/In-Person Course Development and Release:

Building Level One – Delivery Target Date August 2020

Building Level Two – Delivery Target Date November 2020

Building Level Three – Delivery Target Date October 2020

Plumbing Levels 1 & 2 – In class ongoing in various locations and sessions. Content will be continually updated through 2019/2020 until all 2018 Code changes have been integrated.

Continuing Professional Development

The Association is continuously working on improving its continuing professional development training offerings.

Online Learning Management System was developed, secured and installed during 2018/19.

Some of the current CPD sessions offered to the members during the 2018 Fall Education Session and the 2019 Annual Spring Conference have been uploaded for online member consumption.

Classroom or in-person sessions will continue to be offered through the Association or in collaboration and with reciprocal educational opportunities with other industry partners such as BC Housing, MIABC, EGBC, UDI, AIBC, HAVAN, CHBA BC and others.

Member assessments will be conducted through Zone Meetings and Surveys to determine the desired and required content.

Mandatory Code Change Education and Training

Our BOABC code change team and others, worked hard to develop curriculum and deliver Education Conference and roadshow 2018 BC Building Code Change sessions. In-person 2018 BC Building Code Change sessions were well attended throughout the later part of 2018 and well into 2019.

On-line 2018 BC Building Code change education is under construction and will be available in Spring of 2020.

.Energy Step Code

During the course of 2018/19, the BOABC has been extremely active building an Energy Step Code education and training program, inclusive of the construction of competency framework, a building officials handbook, and the design, construction and delivery of specific Energy Step Code/Energy Efficiency educational offerings.

The plan in the more immediate time period is to offer sessions to membership through BOABC’s on-line and in-person Continuing Professional Development program.

In the longer term, the BOABC will be integrating the developed material into its core course offerings.

BOABC On-Line Forum

BOABC’s On-line Forum is up and running in the Member’s Only section.

The Association plans to bring in enhancements to the promotion of interaction on the on-line discussion forum in the upcoming years.

Save the Date – 2019 Fall Education Session

Monday, November 18th – Wednesday November 20th 2019

Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport 8181 Cambie Road,

Richmond

If you are no longer practicing as a Building Official please contact our office at info@boabc.org to update your status.

Also, please keep the office informed of any email, address, job changes by emailing info@boabc.org

Education

BOABC QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – JULY 2019 | Issue # 4 6

BOABC operates by fiscal year April 1 to march 31 in each calendar year.

Over the past few months the Association has now come to terms with the actual cost of fulfilling its obligations under the Administrative Agreement. Securing of human and technological resources is required to complete properly the obligations of the Administrative Agreement and to provide an appropriate and acceptable level of service to the membership.

Over the next few years the BOABC will be focusing on the following:

• Ensuring the necessary financial resources are in place to support all critical success factors, priorties and BOABC general operations,

• Increasing revenue from the core certification education and professional development courses,

• Working to ensure sound revenue streams from alternative sources inclusive of education, professional development and third party sourced funding to ensure that BOABC member dues and assessments are maintained at the most reasonable and affordable levels possible.

2019-2024 Financial Outlook

2019-20 Adopted

Revenue – 1,040,000

Expenses – 1,040,000

Surplus/Deficit – 0

2020-21 Projected

Revenue – 1,185,000

Expenses – 1,075,000

Surplus/Deficit – 110,000

2021-22 Projected

Revenue – 1,411,000

Expenses – 1,080,000

Surplus/Deficit – 331,000

2022-23 Projected

Revenue – 1,527,500

Expenses – 1,237,000

Surplus/Deficit – 290,500

2023-24 Projected

Revenue – 2,015,000

Expenses – 1,539,000

Surplus/Deficit – 476,000

The BOABC did see new revenue come from third party sources such as two significant levels of BC Hydro funding for education and training. The BC Hydro funding was complimented in 2018/19 by funding gained through Zeebex and National Resources Canada. CMHC and BC Housing also provided meaningful resources for the development of core and other education.

Revenue from the Private Sector – Home Builders and other Contractors

These efforts have commenced slowly in 2018/19 and will be moving forward quickly toward our May 2019 Trade Show, Conference and AGM and beyond through an enhanced team approach.

Strategic Priorities BOABC Executive will be meeting September 20 and 21, 2019 to create new Strategic Priorities for 2019 and beyond. If you have any thoughts regarding this, please contact a member of the BOABC Executive.

BOABC Community BOABC intends to soon identify and announce a community or charitable cause that it will support strategically. The Association and its members can soon contribute and the BOABC will be recognized as a socially responsible organization.

BOABC 2019/2020 Fees Regular and Associate Members Fees for 2019/2020 are now due. The fees are $441.53 plus $200 assessment = $641.53 + GST = $673.60.

We have many members who have yet to pay their 2018 membership dues. Please login in to your account at www.boabc.org and pay your invoice.

Improve Access for BOABC

Members and the Building

Community to Education and

Training

Achieve Mandatory

Certification Legislation

Improve consistency of

code interpretation

among BOABC members

Increase Public and Building Community

awareness as to the role and

impact of Building Officials

Promote and Support

Volunteer Involvement

Financials