Design professionals are required by their governing legislation to affix their seals to final drawings, designs, reports, etc. that are submitted to municipal building departments. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in reports of seal fraud and forgery, creating potential liabilities for both designers and building officials. Further, the digital transformation that is sweeping the design and building sector means that the electronic transmission of documents has become the norm. This means digital seals and signatures, and therefore presents a new set of challenges and opportunities relative to fraud prevention on the part of practitioners, and authentication on the part of building departments.
This recorded webinar featured a panel representing designers, building officials, regulators, and a technology service provider, discussing the needs, challenges and available solutions that revolve around the digital interface between designers and the municipalities that issue permits. The focus is on the practical – processes, tools and technologies that provide for regulatory compliance by the designer, and that are also usable at the “front desk” level within building departments. While seal security and authentication will be a primary focus, the panelists will also discuss broader issues of file format compatibility, and revision/version control.
This recording is intended for engineers, architects, and any other designer making submissions to municipalities, and the building officials within those municipalities, including plans examiners and CBO’s.
Moderator:
- Bruce G. Matthews, P.Eng., Executive Director, ACEC-Ontario
Panelists:
- Harry Coifman, Director, Continuous Improvement, WSP Canada Inc.
- Sherin Khalil, P.Eng., Practice Advisor, Professional Engineers Ontario
- Kristi Doyle, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Architects
- Chris Nagy, CBO, Town of Huntsville, OBOA Director
- Leslie Wright, Digital Transformation Specialist, City of Windsor, OBOA Director
- Charles Tremblay, Director, Digital Transformation, Notarius
About EABO: The EABO is a joint liaison group comprised of the Ontario Association of Architects, the Ontario Building Officials Association, Large Municipality Chief Building Officials, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Ontario and the Building Department of the City of Toronto. The EABO works to find common positions or industry standards/practices related to the execution and delivery of design and construction work related to the buildings, recognizing the specific roles and responsibilities of each of the organization.