INNOVATION May-June 2019

D I S C I P L I N E A N D E N F O R C E M E N T

its disposal, including practice guidance and audits of an individual’s professional practice. “This is a rare but very serious offence, for which we sought the maximum fine available, and ensured that this individual can no longer practise engineering,” said English. “We will not hesitate to act in any situation where we believe that our standards are not being upheld.” The full text of the Consent Order is available on the Disciplinary Notices page of our website, at egbc.ca/discipline-notices. Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s website contains information on the complaint, investigation, and discipline processes. You can contact us at 604.558.6647 or toll-free at 1.888.430.8035 ext. 6647, or by email at complaints@egbc.ca. UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE AND MISUSE OF TITLE ACTION: CHARLES PRICE, LAKE COUNTRY, BC Charles Price was a former professional engineer who ceased to be a member of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC on January 5, 2010. Throughout 2018, Mr. Price engaged in professional engineering work in connection with a carport that was the subject of a building permit application. He signed and applied the likeness of his former professional stamp to Letters of Assurance that were submitted to an authority having jurisdiction, and used the designation “P.Eng.” on correspondence. The association entered into a letter of undertaking with Mr. Price on March 26, 2019, in which Mr. Price admitted that his actions contravened the Engineers and Geoscientists Act . He agreed to refrain from engaging in the practice of professional engineering or representing himself as a professional engineer in the future. He also paid the association $5,000 in damages, and agreed that the association could refer to the admissions in the letter of undertaking in future legal proceedings if he breached any terms of the letter of undertaking. The full text of this letter of undertaking is provided at egbc.ca/Complaints/Unauthorized-Practice . Court orders and settlements relating to many of the association’s other unauthorized practice and misuse of title files are available on our website at egbc.ca/ Complaints/Unauthorized-Practice . To report unauthorized practice or misuse of title, email enforcement@egbc.ca .

DISCIPLINARY NOTICE: JOHN BRYSON, VANCOUVER, BC Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia has concluded disciplinary action against John Bryson, a structural engineer whose design of a high-rise residential tower in Surrey, BC, failed to meet the building code. Mr. Bryson admitted that he demonstrated unprofessional conduct and acted contrary to the association’s Code of Ethics. In a Consent Order, Mr. Bryson admitted that his structural design for the building did not comply with the 2006 BC Building Code, to which he certified it had been designed, in particular with respect to seismic and wind loads. Additionally, Mr. Bryson admitted that, as the registered professional responsible for the design of the building, he failed to undertake an adequate design process, utilizing an approach of using certain less conservative requirements from the National Building Code 2010 while not using other more conservative requirements from the same code. Mr. Bryson also admitted that he breached the association’s Bylaw 14(b)(4) and demonstrated unprofessional conduct by failing to ensure that an appropriate independent review of his design was completed. Mr. Bryson was charged with unprofessional conduct and resigned his engineering license. He must pay a fine of $25,000—the maximum allowable under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act —and must pay the association $215,000 towards legal costs. “The public deserves to have confidence that their homes are being designed to the current standard, and it’s a serious matter when that trust is betrayed,” said Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Ann English, P.Eng. “This individual failed to meet the professional and ethical standards required of him as a professional engineer.” Engineers and Geoscientists BC has notified the building permitting officials of municipalities and regional districts across the province of this disciplinary outcome. The City of Surrey was informed of the investigation and was provided with the expert reports obtained by the association as they were completed. Engineers and Geoscientists BC is committed to upholding a high standard of practice and ethical conduct for BC professional engineers and geoscientists, supported through the regulatory tools at

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