INNOVATION March-April 2016

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specifies the roles and responsibilities of the government, its agencies, and its partners. Despite this progress, much work remains to be done, and the costs are daunting. Many tall buildings (more than six storeys) are in need of seismic retrofitting, and governments at all levels must make resources available to replace our ageing subsurface infrastructure (water, gas, and sewer lines). Thanks to appropriate seismic provisions in our building code and modern engineering design, many buildings have been constructed or retrofitted to withstand a moderate earthquake. In my view, loss of life in such an event probably would be small for buildings that meet the higher seismic standards. However, we have just started revising our building code to prevent structural damage that could leave a building intact or life-safe, but render it unfit for occupation or use. We need to incorporate into the code performance-based measures that will help to ensure our building stock can survive a strong earthquake without catastrophic structural damage. 5 Perspectives APEGBC has assembled five professional perspectives on our state of earthquake preparedness. The authors of these editorials are experts on this topic and share their views on the following aspects of earthquake preparedness, resistance and resiliency:

• Seismic upgrade of high-risk buildings and performance-based design of new buildings; • Measures taken by the Vancouver Airport Authority to minimise the impact of a large earthquake; • The role of the Board of Structural Engineers Association of BC in educating clients about the level of earthquake performance expected from new and existing buildings, and in suggesting options for improved performance of our building stock; • Development of sustainable and innovative building materials that will help improve structural resiliency in the event of an earthquake; and, • Challenges involved in ensuring the integrity and safety of pipelines. Dr. John Clague, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.), is Shrum Professor of Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). He was a Research Scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada from 1975 until 1998. Since that time, he has been a professor in the SFU Department of Earth Sciences, where he is currently Canada Research Chair in Natural Hazard Research. Clague is Past President of APEGBC and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

OQM Organizational Quality Management Program The following organizations have recently received OQM Certification. To find out more, visit apeg.bc.ca/oqm. Access Engineering Consultants Ltd. Amec Foster Wheeler Americas Limited– Mining & Metals, Power & Process CitiWest Consulting Ltd. Embark Engineering Limited Golder Associates Ltd. MacLeod Nine Consultants Ltd. Monaghan Engineering & Consulting Ltd. Scouten Engineering Ltd. Sorensen & Associates Engineering Ltd. Thurber Engineering Ltd. TRUE Consulting (Kelowna) Ltd. West Coast Road Testing & Consulting Ltd. Western Element Engineering Westrek Geotechnical Services Ltd. Zoom Engineering Ltd.

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