The best way to go about…

The best way to go about creating an Administrative Authority would be to allow organizations like the OBOA to self regulate the building officials similar to the PEO with aspect to training,CPD and registration within province. The OBOA already creates the best training in the industry and has some of the best partners within the industry. They have can provide building code review, provide guides and breakdowns to allow for consistency across the province. Allow the OBOA to audit each and every municipally annually for qualification/registration/consistency with an actual penalty to those who ignore requirements but still practice. Also allow for the OBOA to create a disciplinary committee to enforce these issues.

With building code harmonization we may look at ACBOA providing the technical information and qualifications and the OBOA enforcing it inter-provincially. This may allow for national registration/qualification - open door for many more potential workers in the market and colleges nationally provide the same course/rules.

The OBOA can create a small joint building committee (similar to RCA) to aid munipalities in need for and to retain qualified individuals.

The Administrative Authority should look at a greater picture and tackle qualifications for builders, plumbers, designers and others in the industry. Make builders liable for their own actions by requiring a legal qualification. This can be done by creating a public registry of builders who have had specific training by the AA on building code/ethics/etc. specific to builders that provide disciplinary action/ratings/legal information by region etc. That must be provided to a Municipal building department at the time of application. (Similar to a BCIN) Provide penalties for practicing without qualifications (similar to the Ministry of labour) because we make such a big deal about worker safety but not actual safety in building for which people live. Failure to provide this information or qualification can result in legal action with substantial fines. This will not only shrink the black market economy within the building industry but provide further consistency and safety across the province. Also create a levy and registry specific to each job/location specific to that builder as a requirement prior to getting a building permit (submit an approved registered number/qualification number at application time). This will also promote consistency throughout the building industry and allow local builders resources beyond the building department for answers and tools to aid in the any/all jobs. Add the requirement for insurance on all jobs, construction sites and the builders themselves to aid the MOL.

Make the builder/jobs registry public to allow for agencies like stats can, MPAC, ESA, etc to be able to do their jobs more effectively.

Designers and septic installers must also have CPD and be registered through the AA but have them contribute to each job instead of relying on the Municipality taking money

The AA should also look at work arounds like having homeowners do their own construction (on paper to by-pass Tarion/CRA/etc.), Have each homeowner sit through a course (registration and pass supplied to the building departments prior to starting) detailing their responsibilities under all the required laws/requirements are needed (this knowledge is ignored) Also penalties to builders who use this as a work around with having jobs (provincially) audited and have building officials given further powers to ticket these individuals/report the builders. (updating the permit application with a assigned number to homeowners may also be helpful)

For those starting without permits, the suspension of qualifications/licencing, and severe fines for those who practice without.

Doing this will not only open up the building branch to deal with Ontario specific code requirements (that are reviewed and guides/intent created by the OBOA), strengthen the AA in the industry to work specifically on the industries biggest issue, reduce fraud/black market building industry, promote healthier/more affordable building due to industry consistency. This will also provide municipalities relief because during legal proceedings by minimizing lawsuits/providing more parties to be involved in any lawsuits that move forward and lower the risk of the municipality falling victim to the 1% rule.