Are you in favour of ending the requirement for building inspection for owner-builders in Electoral Area F who have achieved provincial certification as owner-builders?
That’s a question that Electoral Area F Julian Fell wants placed on the Oct. 20 elections ballot in Electoral Area F. Alternate director Jack McLean made a motion to include it on the ballot at the Regional District of Nanaimo board meeting on July 24 on behalf of Fell, who was not able to attend.
“This has great bearing in our area because there’s a lot of opposition to building inspections,” said McLean. “What I would like to see go on, just to give us an idea of what an item critical to an area, what it does to the voter turnout in elections.”
McLean said he would like to know by including this resolution whether there would be more voters fewer.
Chair Bill Veenhof indicated he had some real problems with the motion. Electoral Area E Director Bob Rogers also said he couldn’t support the motion. Rogers indicated that he comes from a family of carpenters and that he has built his own home. He pointed out that they’ve always welcomed home inspectors to check up their work.
General manager of strategic and community development Geoff Garbutt said building inspection is a critical risk-management function that will protect the regional district from significant liabilities and risk factors. The goal is to confirm that a building and its systems adhere to relevant RDN bylaws and also meet B.C. building code to ensure health, safety and protection of persons and property.
Garbutt reassured the directors that the service the RDN has put in place is effective and very efficient.
“We have made significant strides owner-builders are accommodated,” said Garbutt. “The RDN has been recognized across Canada for our innovative inspection process that include conditional occupancy, extended building permitting timeline and typically within area F where we have some of the most entrepreneurial and creative builders, we have every type of alternative building that have been accommodated very efficiently from our custom-made building inspection process.”
Garbutt cited that in 2017, they dealt with 130 building permits in Electoral Area F and only two were developed by owner-builders. There were 727 inspections and through the RDN building inspection service, 144 were rejected with deficiencies.
Fell’s motion failed to garner the support of the directors and was defeated.
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