It’s our first time in Meadow Lake for an SBOA Conference, and the experience has been outstanding. I want to thank Neil Marsh, our local host committee team leader, and Brant Hryhorczuk, your Conference Committee director for putting on such a great event and informative and interesting agenda. Great job and thank you to our hosts!
I can tell you that my report today looks a lot different than it would have prior to October 8th. The executive’s focus on our important initiatives such as training opportunities and pushing Building Official licensing program updates with the Government of Saskatchewan have been put aside for now.
As everyone well knows by now, the Government of Saskatchewan is pursuing an initiative for an Alternative Compliance Model (ACM). As you have hopefully seen through our information sharing, we feel the model weakens a Municipalities ability to provide public safety. The Alternative Compliance Model is being debated by stakeholders through a consultation package that offers a very unfair, one-sided, biased view of the subject and that is very short in scope.
We have committed to our membership to engage all of you for input. This will start our campaign to Fall 2015 Newsletter Volume 43, 2015 Dale Wagner: Editor Saskatchewan Building Officials Association Inc. SBOA Fall Conference, October 21 to 23 Meadow Lake, SK President’s Report, October 22, 2015 let all stakeholders, (in particular the municipalities and local authorities who this affects most), know the impact we have on public safety every day. We will demonstrate that a Building Official working on behalf of local authority offers the most effective means of assuring safe, accessible, and compliant buildings where we all live, work, and play.
We have recently made great strides towards our other crucial initiatives. We have very positive news on the licensing and education fronts which we have been pursuing. But the Alternative Compliance Model initiative from the Government of Saskatchewan has put all our initiatives on hold for now. The use of SBOA volunteer and financial resources for our response to the ACM does not move any of our key initiatives forward. It does not enhance the education and professional development of Building Officials. It does not improve our members’ opportunities to advance their careers. But it has somehow become a priority for the Government of Saskatchewan Building Standards and Licensing branch above all of our own, and we will do what is necessary.
Sincerely,
Chris Gates, LBO3, A.Sc.T., CRBO
President SBOA
