Comments based on questions…

Comments based on questions proposed in "Proposed Enhancements to Ontario's Building Code Services Discussion Paper Fall 2022"

1.1. Yes I agree to the use of a digital copy of the Building Codes but it must only be allowed in strict circumstances since cheating is much easier now.
1.2. The exams allowing use of a digital building code should only be given in person with a proctor(s). The digital copy should only be given on an approved computer/device with NO access to the internet. 1.3. Think carefully all the ways cheating can happen before approving anything. Ask some young students how they could cheat, the younger generation is very resourceful! (I taught at a College in 2021 and got to see it first hand)

2.1 Drawback: you are removing questions that may highlight other parts of the code and therefore the test may not cover everything it used to. I would keep it to the number of questions if you cannot easily reduce the number and extend the time of the exam. That way people can chose to take it in 3-houirs or take some extra time if required.
2.2 Is there a way to split the exam into sections to allow breaks in between? If split into 2 sections, you can give the first part of the exam with an estimated time (say 1.5 hrs), but allow 2 hrs total. After a break (preferably where no one has access to a phone), then repeat.

4.1 How will the Ministry assess the quality of pre-existing credentials? This would take a lot of time and effort to investigate everyone's previous qualifications. If you cannot afford to have proper investigations then you should keep the BCIN exam as a requirement.
4.2/4.3 Have an interview with the candidate and some industry experts to determine their knowledge. The candidate should be able to talk easily about their past experience and the interviewers can ask questions to assess the candidates ability. If patterns are seen after many interviews the process can be changed to a written application to streamline the process. IF you just start with written applications you cannot know if it's the actual candidate filled it out (promotes cheating).

5.1 Concern: By combining exams some questions/code areas may be removed in the exam. By removing some aspects of the exam you are putting the public at risk since you are passing practitioners that don't know all areas of the building code. These are important jobs; taking 2-3 years to learn is not a long time.

6.1 Sounds good!