Coquitlam council criticizes MLA’s bill for axing construction safeguards

An MLA’s effort to speed up housing construction could make new buildings more dangerous, according to several members of Coquitlam council who blasted the bill at Monday’s meeting.

George Anderson, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Nanaimo-Lantzville, introduced Bill M 216 in a bid to expedite the delivery of needed housing and infrastructure.

The bill would require local governments to accept any technical submission certified by a professional under the Professional Governance Act, taking away a city’s ability to demand a peer review.

To suggest the government can’t double-check a technical submission on issues like floodplain protections or slope stability is “outrageous,” said Mayor Richard Stewart.

In making his comments, Stewart reached back to the Code of Hammurabi, which mandated the death penalty for builders in cases where a building collapsed and killed the owner.

“It was essentially a building code,” Stewart said. “We don’t do it that way. . . . But there are some really strict measures that make sure that the roof of a supermarket doesn’t cave in on opening day.”

If there is an issue with a new building, the PGA professional will be held liable, according to the bill.

“I know there’s been talk that the city won’t be liable,” said Coun. Robert Mazzarolo. “That completely misses the point.”

If anyone is being held liable, something has gone wrong. When it comes to construction projects, that something “can be catastrophic,” Mazzarolo said, urging the government to press pause on the idea.

Coun. Craig Hodge was one of several councillors who said he wasn’t sure what problem the bill was supposed to fix.

In terms of process, municipal governments never understood reliance on professionals was a problem, said the city’s chief administrative officer Raul Allueva.

Coquitlam staffers “frequently identify critical errors” in submissions from PGA professionals, according to a city staff report.

Those professionals: “often face significant pressure from developers to sign-off on their work quickly and within budget,” the report stated.

City building departments provide a: “professional expertise that is critical to the review and approval of development and building permits to ensure the safety of the public and the environment,” the report stated.

“It needs to die on the vine,” said Coun. Dennis Marsden.

Council voted unanimously to express their concerns and criticisms in a letter to the Minister of Housing.