Many municipalities across Ontario are having a hard time finding building officials and it doesn’t look like there is relief in sight any time soon.
Why? There are a few reasons.
More than 50 per cent of existing building officials are eligible to retire. In recent years, amendments to the Ontario Building Code and energy-efficient building requirements are making the world of building officials even more complex and time-consuming.
Add to the scenario the expected uptick in building secondary dwellings, tiny homes and the Ontario government’s intention to build 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years and you have the perfect storm ahead. Building officials are already in high demand, according to the Ontario Building Officials Association.
Champlain Township council has endorsed a resolution from the Municipality of North Perth which is asking the province to provide support to municipalities to fill vacant building official positions.
According to the Ontario Building Officials Association, “Working as a Building Official is about making sure homes, buildings and structures in our communities meet the provincial building code and are built right. This means examining and inspecting building construction and interpreting and applying the Ontario Building code.
As a Building Official, you’ll work at a municipality and play a vital role collaborating with home owners, developers, contractors, architects and engineers in the planning, building and growing of communities.”
You can learn more about how to become a building official here.
