“It is essential for a certificate of conformity to be issued for work after the construction site has been supervised. This would ensure that the building is properly constructed and that the client is actually receiving what was agreed upon,” explains Kathy Baig, Eng., FEC, MBA, President of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.
Mandatory work supervision: many benefits
The brief submitted by the OIQ to the National Assembly's Committee on Planning and the Public Domain points out the many benefits of mandatory work supervision. In fact, mandatory supervision would make it possible to:
- decrease the number of situations that endanger the health and safety of occupants;
- reduce the financial losses and stress caused by construction defects;
- ensure that best practices are applied to all types of projects;
- meet the demands made by numerous observers and stakeholders, including consumers;
- catch Québec up to a situation that already exists in the other provinces.
Building inspections
To ensure that the bill's objectives are achieved, the OIQ recommends clearly defining the role of building inspectors in the interest of consistency between the various construction laws. Building inspectors should also be held to standards of competence and have professional liability insurance.
Divided co-ownership
A building’s maintenance log is a document that is essential to its integrity and safety. To ensure that this document is trustworthy and credible, the OIQ recommends that it be prepared by a competent professional.
The eight recommendations made by the OIQ are detailed in the brief submitted to the Committee on Planning and the Public Domain for the consultations on this bill, which will continue until May 13.
About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) has a membership of 62,000 engineering professionals in all fields, except forest engineering. The OIQ strives to be a reference for professionalism and excellence in engineering as well as a unifying organization. Its mission is to protect the public by acting to ensure that engineers serve society with professionalism and integrity, in compliance with the laws, regulations and standards that govern the profession and in the public interest. For more information, go to
www.oiq.qc.ca. .