Some Ontario building officials issue permits without BCINs

Some municipalities are not requiring building code identification numbers (BCINs), according to the Professional Engineers of Ontario.

Engineering

Building officials in some key jurisdictions now are issuing building permits without requiring building code identification numbers (BCINs) from professional engineers, according to the profession’s regulatory body.

In an ad that ran last weekend in a Toronto newspaper, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) said the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is expected to issue a clarification bulletin to municipalities in the wake of a recent landmark court case.

But building departments in Barrie, Kitchener, Milton, Mississauga, Pickering and Toronto already are complying with the May 17 ruling that confirmed PEO’s authority to regulate the practice of engineering, the organization said.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that professional engineers and engineering firms are no longer subject to the designer qualification and registration regime established under Bill 124, legislation that amended the Ontario Building Code Act.

“It appears that building officials are interpreting the decision in the spirit in which it was intended,” John Gamble, president of Consulting Engineers of Ontario, told Daily Commercial News. “Clarification from the ministry would, however, be extremely helpful.”

Municipalities are responsible for enforcing the Building Code Act. But the ministry is expected to inform municipalities that it expects them to take timely steps to implement the court decision.

In questions and answers posted on its web site, the ministry confirmed that professional engineers are no longer required to provide BCINs with permit applications or general review reports.

Dave Kueneman, general manager of the ECE Group, a division of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, said his firm has been advised by an official in the City of Toronto’s building department that BCIN numbers are no longer needed.

“We didn’t receive any official advice, but we were advised over the phone that was the circumstance and that they expected other municipalities would follow suit,” Kueneman said.