INNOVATION March-April 2017

as soc ia t i on notes

Ceremony Celebrates New and Life Members, Fellows APEGBC CEO and Chief Registrar Ann English welcomed almost 100 new members and licensees at the February 21 APEGBC Induction Ceremony. In addition, 14 new APEGBC life members received their gold foils, and 12 recent BC recipients of Engineers Canada fellowships were recognized. APEGBC hosts induction ceremonies three times each year.

Fellowship recipient Mukesh Nagpal, P.Eng., who also received APEGBC’s 2016 R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award, with APEGBC CEO and Registrar Ann English, P.Eng.

New Professional Practice Associate Director Appointed APEGBC has appointed Lindsay Steele, P.Geo., to the role of Associate Director, Professional Practice. As a professional geoscientist, Steele is a passionate advocate of good professional practice for geoscientists in BC and has developed a high level of understanding when it comes to supporting the practice of professional engineering in a wide variety of fields. Her industry background as project geologist and general manager of geotechnical services for a mineral exploration company, as well as a junior mine geologist for the Rabbit Lake uranium mine in Saskatchewan, allows her to call upon solid practical experience when supporting APEGBC members and licensees in their professional practice. Since joining the association as a practice advisor in 2015, Steele has achieved certification as an ISO 9001:Lead Auditor, which has enabled her to take on a primary role in audits and

training carried out under APEGBC’s Organizational Quality Management (OQM) Program. APEGBC supports members, licensees, governments at all levels, OQM companies, the public and other stakeholders as they deliver on the highest standards of professional and ethical behaviour, and engineering and geoscience best practices. In her new role, Steele manages development of APEGBC’s professional practice and quality management guidelines, practice advice services, and OQM Program, as well as oversees APEGBC’s professional practice committees and working groups.

Lindsay Steele, P.Geo., APEGBC's new Associate Director, Professional Practice

BC Amends Building Act General Regulation The Province of BC has amended the Building Act General Regulation to include additional items to the unrestricted matters list. Unrestricted matters are matters

1. Unrestricted over the Longer Term a. Protection of Heritage Properties 2. Temporarily Unrestricted a. Firefighting Water Supply (Fire-Flow Demand) b. Flood Construction Level Requirements 3. Temporarily Unrestricted with Time Limitations a. Fire Sprinklers and Fire Sprinkler Systems

regulated in the BC Building Code (or other provincial building regulations) for which local governments retain authority to set their own technical building requirements in bylaws. Under section 5 of the Building Act , if a matter is regulated in a provincial building regulation, any requirements for that matter established

b. Accessibility of a Building c. Adaptable Dwelling Units

Items 3a, 3b and 3c are temporarily unrestricted only if the bylaw(s) specifying the technical building requirement(s) for the matter is enacted on or before December 15, 2017, and is not amended after that date as it relates to the matter. Information about these changes is available at www.gov.bc.ca/ buildingact.

in local government bylaws will be of no legal force after a two- year transition period ending December 15, 2017, unless the requirements concern unrestricted matters. The Building Act General Regulation came into force in June 2016 with an initial list of unrestricted matters. The amendment adds the following items to that list:

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