INNOVATION May-June 2017

New Guidelines Available for Riparian Area Assessments and Flood Mapping Professional Practice Guidelines –

been appended to the Riparian Areas Regulation, until now professional practice guidelines for riparian assessments had not been available. APEGBC, the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP) and the College of Applied Biology (CAB) produced the guidelines, with input from the BC Institute of Agrologists, and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC). APEGBC, ABCFP and CAB are working to provide related training opportunities later this year. Flooding Mapping in BC Professional Practice Guidelines – Flooding Mapping in BC provide guidance on professional practice for APEGBC members who prepare flood maps for river, creek and coastal flooding in BC. The guidelines describe the standard of care APEGBC members in the Lower Mainland, on southern Vancouver Island, and in the south Okanagan. It enables building owners to voluntarily build to the requirements in the BC Energy Step Code or be incentivized or required to do so under local government bylaws and policies. The Building and Safety Standards Branch is consulting with APEGBC and AIBC regarding the revisions to Letters of Assurance under the BCBC as a result of this amendment. Guidance will be provided on their use through a bulletin and practice guidelines for whole building energy modelling services, both now being developed. Additional education materials and training opportunities will be available from APEGBC and the Energy Step Code Council in coming months. v Resources are available at www2.gov. bc.ca/gov/content/industry/construction- industry/building-codes-standards/ energy-efficiency/energy-step-code.

should follow in providing professional services related to this professional activity, and specify the tasks APEGBC members should perform to fulfill their professional obligations. The flood mapping guidelines were developed with support of the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure – Emergency Management BC. Professionals carrying out riparian area assessments or flood mapping in BC need to be aware of their obligations regarding the appropriate standard of care for this work, and are urged to familiarize themselves with these professional practice guidelines. Find the guidelines at apeg.bc.ca/ guidelines. For information, contact an APEGBC professional practice advisor, at practiceadvisor@apeg.bc.ca

Legislated Riparian Area Assessments in British Columbia provide guidance and establish the standard of practice when carrying out riparian assessments consistent with BC’s Riparian Areas Regulation. The guidelines clarify issues around carrying out riparian assessments, including matters related to the respective roles and responsibilities of various registered professionals involved in a riparian assessment. Residential, commercial, industrial, and other development activities can directly affect nearby aquatic habitats. Legislation requires that a riparian assessment be completed by a Qualified Environmental Professional before a development permit can be issued for work in that area. Although assessment methods had Effective April 7, 2017, the BC Energy Step Code has been introduced as an amendment to the 2012 BC Building Code (BCBC). The BC Energy Step Code is a voluntary compliance path within the BCBC (via new Subsections 9.36.6. and 10.2.3. of Division B) that establishes progressive performance targets (or steps) to support transformation from the current energy-efficiency requirements in the BC Building Code to net zero energy– ready buildings by 2032. On December 15, 2017, section 5 of the Building Act will require local governments wishing to set higher energy-efficiency standards than those in the BCBC to do so using the BC Energy Step Code, while current local government bylaws with technical building requirements will be rendered of no legal force. The Energy Step Code will apply to new residential construction province-wide, and to multi-unit and commercial buildings

Introduction of the Energy Step Code as an Amendment to the BC Building Code Peter Mitchell, P.Eng., Susan Hayes, P.Eng., Harshan Radhakrishnan, P.Eng.

OQM Organizational Quality Management Program The following organizations have recently received OQM Certification. Find out more at apeg.bc.ca/oqm.

ABM Engineering Services BEST Consultants Building Science Engineering Inc. CH2M HILL Canada Limited FWS Group of Companies Interior Dams Inc. NEXT Environmental Inc.

NRS Engineering Ltd. Starline Windows Ltd. Tetra Tech Canada Inc.

61

M A Y/J U N E 2 017

i n n o v a t i o n