Engineer banned for 'incompetence' on design of Vancouver Island highrise

A B.C. engineer has been banned from the profession and fined because a highrise he designed in Langford, B.C., was so unsafe that its occupancy permit had to be revoked.

Engineers and Geoscientists B.C., the regulatory body for the professions, said Brian McClure admitted in a consent order that the structural design drawings for the 11-storey building were deficient.

It said in a statement that aspects of the building's seismic design and gravity load resisting system didn't comply with B.C.'s building code, and "significant defects identified in the structural design drawings demonstrated incompetence.''

The consent order lists nearly 20 problems with the design.

"The existence of the defects ... demonstrates incompetence on Mr. McClure's part," it read.

The occupancy permit was revoked for the 90-unit rental building, then called Danbrook One, in December 2019 after an independent review by the City of Langford identified several safety concerns.

The statement said McClure's registration with Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. has been cancelled, he's been fined $25,000, and he's agreed to pay $32,000 in legal costs.

McClure agreed not to reapply for his licence for at least two years, according to the order. If he does reapply, he'll need to meet more than half a dozen conditions to have a chance — including more training, positive references and a letter explaining why he wants his licence back.

The building has been renamed RidgeView Place and granted a new address. Units are back on the rental market after the owner, Centurion Asset Management, announced in March that it was completing the structural systems upgrade on the highrise.