Whereas the Government of British Columbia passed the new Building Act in 2015 and mandatory certification requirements for Building Officials come into effect in March 2021; And whereas the Act requires that a Level 3 certification will be required for Building Officials for the review and permitting of all complex projects; And whereas the Building Officials Association of British Columbia BOABC certification exams have an average 41 failure rate due to the complexity of all certification exams and Level 3 takes a minimum of 4 years to obtain; And whereas there is already a shortage of qualified Building Officials: Therefore be it resolved that the Province be requested to work with Building Officials Association of British Columbia BOABC to ensure that enough Building Officials are certified and more candidates are attracted to the profession to meet the requirements of the Building Act, effective March 2021.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Government is actively supporting the transition towards mandatory qualification for building officials by February 28, 2021. Ministry staff are continuing to work with BOABC and other partners to communicate the new requirements, develop and deliver accessible training modules to support exam readiness, and create new classes of building officials in recognition of the need for greater flexibility, particularly in smaller communities. Work to date has included creating a formal learn-on-the-job program and supplementary training opportunities to improve onboarding and skills progression for new and existing building officials as they advance their qualifications. BOABC has also begun to move training courses and qualification exams online to improve access for all members. Further, two new classes have been introduced to add flexibility for local governments in terms of who can do the more complex projects. For example, instead of using Level 3 Building Officials or registered architects or engineers, members of the new Level 2 Professional Reliance Building Officials class will be able to permit complex projects by accepting Letters of Assurance. These new classes have been advertised publicly through the Ministry website, through the BOABC mailing list and website, and at numerous conferences for local government representatives. The Ministry notes that BOABC in their 2018-19 Annual Report that of all of those who took the qualification examinations during that reporting period, 67 percent of them passed averaged for all exams.