MINUTES OF THE FIRST PLUMBING SUB-COUNCIL MEETING OF 2016

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE FIRST PLUMBING SUB-COUNCIL MEETING OF 2016 DATE: January 26, 2016 TIME: LOCATION: PRESENT: 9:00 a.m. 2:15 p.m. Radisson Edmonton South, Edmonton Sub-Council Members David Hughes, Chair Wayne Ducharme Charles Hallett Mark Harrold, Vice Chair Ken Helmer Lawrence Hess Peter Koenig Quenton Kusiek Ken Morrison Kenneth Wigmore Garnet Young Safety Codes Council Tyler Wightman, Erin Stroud Alberta Municipal Affairs Sidney Manning, Alf Durnie, Claude Valliere, Harry Li REGRETS: RECORDER: Mark Cardwell Sandi Orr 2016 MEETINGS: Tuesdays: March 22 Calgary; May 3 Red (REVISED): Deer; Tuesday, September 13 Edmonton

2 A. Call to Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and a round table introduction was held. B. Adoption of Agenda Kenneth Wigmore / Charles Hallett moved to adopt the agenda, as circulated; CARRIED C. Adoption of Minutes The cover page of the minutes was corrected to read: MEETINGS Wayne Ducharme / Lawrence Hess moved to approve the November 3, 2015 meeting minutes, as corrected; CARRIED D. Business Arising from the Minutes & Review of Action Items E Composting Toilets and Waterless Urinals It was reported that a posting was recently released for the position of Chief Building Administrator. It is hoped that once the position is filled that this item will move forward. E b) Variance Policy Review There was nothing new to report. E Water Reuse Alternative Solutions Update It was reported that although municipalities are challenged with how to manage the process, there has been no feedback that suggests the variance isn t working. It was noted that when the Plumbing Code Regulation is adopted the Variance will change to an Information Bulletin as the National Plumbing Code states that water reuse is allowed but up to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to determine how to manage this. The current variance allows the AHJ to not allow water reuse if it doesn have the resources to manage it. The STANDATA Working Group will be asked to assist the Chief Plumbing Administrator with the review and wording for the new Information Bulletin. Clarification was provided on the previously determined maximum system of 25 cubic metres per day. Anything over and above this would require a site-specific variance. Alberta Environment is looking at developing policy for reclaimed water. If AMA is given the direction to look at systems over 25 cubic metres, then this will have to be discussed further by the sub-council. Some sub-council members believe that all systems should be managed under the Safety Codes Act and that rules need to be in place for all sizes of systems as water reuse will only become more popular. All of these systems would require a plumbing permit so it would make sense to keep this with the Plumbing discipline. MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 2 of 10

3 Other sub-council members expressed concerns with this being under the plumbing discipline as the safety codes are for construction and installation, and plumbers don t have the training to monitor water quality. This led to a discussion regarding larger systems already in place and the following clarification was provided: The hospital in Calgary is being managed under Alberta Health The Edmonton Airport is being managed by the municipality with specific requirements from Alberta Environment and Alberta Health, with independent testing laboratories being used The Calgary Airport was approved for a site specific variance but is working with AMA to put together a plan to manage this It was further suggested that a municipal bylaw would be an appropriate path forward and it was clarified that there is nothing in the Act that would prevent creating such a bylaw. E Continuing Education for Safety Codes Officers It was reported that a learning management system is required for self-reporting and this has delayed the implementation until at least E Water Reuse Centre of Excellence It was reported that the Centre of Excellence is now accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and currently they are the only certification body in the world accredited to test to CSA Standard B A brochure has been developed in order to also explore other markets. This item will be removed from the agenda and any new items relating to this will be brought forward as needed. [Paches] E storey Wood Framed Buildings It was reported that since these building have to be engineered, it was uncertain whether there were any issues to be addressed with the existing STANDATA for 4-storey buildings. It is noted that this will be included during the review of all STANDATAs. The Working Group will need to review this and bring forward recommendations. E NPC Working Group It was reported that a three column document needs to be created once the code is available. Currently the working group is reviewing all revisions and errata. This work will continue after the sub-council meeting is finished. The draft regulation was shown on screen which includes consistent wording that is already contained in the Gas Regulation. It was noted that if there are any Alberta amendments this will be contained in a separate publication rather than imbedded in the regulation. MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 3 of 10

4 Each of the Alberta specific amendments currently in the Regulation were reviewed and a straw vote was taken on the need to continue including them as Alberta amendments: (6) Water reuse amendment removed one concern noted about removing this as an Alberta amendment (7) Soil or waste pipe serving a clothes washer shall not be less than 500 mm Ken Morrison was asked to take this back to the City of Calgary as they were the proponents of this amendment [Morrison] (8.1) Screw cap in floor drain this was not removed from the upcoming NPC but may be removed during the next code cycle, it was agreed that this might be worth included if doing a publication of Alberta amendments (9) Changing from 1200 mmm to 900 mm no objections noted to remove this as an Alberta amendment (10) T fittings and double Y fittings - no objections noted with removing this as an Alberta amendment (15) It was believed this Alberta amendment is now redundant, no objections noted to remove this as an Alberta amendment (16) Backflow from Fire Protection Systems, reference to CSA Standard B64 is important, would still be able to have approved double check valve assembly as a variance, no objections noted (17) NFPA 13D was referenced in the code which allowed for dead ends, no objections noted It was suggested that the STANDATA Working Group hold off on having any meetings until the National Plumbing Code Working Group has completed their review. E Combination Heating System STANDATA As reported previously, this STANDATA needs to be reviewed and revised to harmonize with the newly adopted Alberta Building Code which references CSA B It was suggested that Figure A-4 be changed to read may. The Chair will review the current draft of the STANDATA, on behalf of the Hydronics industry, and will provide recommendations to the Chief Plumbing Administrator. [Hughes] It was questioned regarding the review of Building STANDATAs based on the 2014 Alberta Building Code. It was reported that none of these STANDATAs are being reviewed at the moment. E. New Business E Reappointment of Peter Koenig to Jan. 31, 2019 The letter of reappointment was reviewed. Kenneth Wigmore / Wayne Ducharme moved to recommend to the Board the reappointment of Peter Koenig to the Plumbing Sub-Council for a term until January 31, 2019, effective February 1, 2016; CARRIED MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 4 of 10

5 E NPC Clause Backflow Protection An excerpt from the NPC 2010 Division B was circulated (Handout #1). Clause 4 is removed in the Alberta Regulation regarding the screw cap. The use of a gate valve gives the homeowner a false sense of security. The types of gate valves being used must be activated manually. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) was asked to get more information on certification of the product and provide this to the Chief Plumbing Administrator. [Harrold] It was clarified that a gate valve is not allowed on the main, only on a branch. It was also noted that some municipalities have passed bylaws requiring emergency shut off valves on building mains outside of the scope of the code. E FT317 Request for Change Form This CSA request for change to a Standard is included in the portal for information in preparation for future automatic code adoption. Any individual is allowed to use this form. E FT357 Request for Interpretation Form This CSA request for interpretation form is included in the portal for information in preparation for future automatic code adoption. Any individual is allowed to use this form. E Food Trucks This issue began at the Electrical Sub-Council and an excerpt from their minutes were included in the portal as information. It was ter recognized that this spans across several disciplines. Relative to the plumbing discipline, it is believed that all food truck facilities require water for hand washing. It was questioned that if plumbing systems are installed in these food trucks, should a permit be required and inspected. It is believed that these systems should be certified to a standard or inspected to the code. It was reported that Calgary and Edmonton inspect these food trucks for licensing purposes. It would be up to other municipalities to decide whether or not to accept the inspection from another jurisdiction. The Chief Plumbing Administrator will circulate a copy of existing correspondence from the Fire discipline relative to compliance of food trucks. [Manning] E Conference An overview was provided of the agenda for the conference. Registration will be open late February / early March If there are any content suggestions, members were encouraged to contact Erin Stroud, Manager of Stakeholder Relations. [All] A discussion was held regarding themed events featuring different disciplines each year. Consensus was reached that the Plumbing discipline would host a themed event at this year s conference. The Chair agreed to help organize the activities. MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 5 of 10

6 E Appointment of Jennifer Ford or Angus Potskin to Jan. 31, 2019 for the Industry Segment of Labour The letter of nomination and each of the candidates qualifications were reviewed. Kenneth Wigmore / Peter Koenig moved to recommend to the Board the appointment of Angus Potskin to the Plumbing Sub-Council for a term until January 31, 2019, effective February 1, 2016; CARRIED F. Standing Agenda Items a) Technical Coordinating Committee Update There was nothing new to report as the next meeting is in March It was questioned whether there were any topics to bring forward to the TCC. It was suggested that the topic of transparency regarding proposed code changes in advance of the publishing of the code needs to be worked on relative to the automatic code adoption. b) Private Sewage Initiatives There was nothing new to report. c) Education & Training Update An overview was provided of the code update training and course development currently underway at the Council. Code Update Training for installers will be available during the upcoming Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association (AOWMA) Conference from February 25 28, 2016 in Calgary. It was questioned regarding whether the installer training would be considered equivalent for the mandatory code update training for SCOs. It was reported that a syllabus needs to be submitted to the Council to determine equivalencies. The Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications will look into this. [Wightman] e) AMOS Update A brief update was provided on new Board members and the upcoming spring conference. f) Private Standard of Practice Review f)1) Private Sewage Standard of Practice Recommendations to the Task Group for Consideration and Review The Chief Private Sewage Administrator reported that the Standard has been published and in force January 1, This is available through the Queen s Printer. It was questioned regarding the Handbook. Reference was made to the June 1, 2015 minutes where the following motion was passed that the handbook for the PSDS Standard of Practice continue to be published as it is a valuable tool for industry. MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 6 of 10

7 The Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications will get additional information about how to move forward with updating of the Handbook. Members were asked to forward any challenges, changes or suggestions for the next edition of the SOP to the Chief Private Sewage Administrator. [All] g) Listing of Orders / Variances Due to technical challenges an updated list is still unavailable. h) UL/ULC Technical Committee on Backwater Valves It was reported that the development of this standard is still moving forward and the working group continues to work on the rough draft. i) Plumbing Code Questions It was requested that this item be brought back onto the agenda with Ken Helmer listed for the item. There were no plumbing code questions brought forward at this time. j) NPC 2020 This item was added to the agenda because of the expectation of more involvement in the review of proposed changes to the National Plumbing Code. The Chief Plumbing Administrator will bring forward these proposed changes as they become available. It was reported that the CSA B214 is open for public consultation until February 8, G. Next Meeting The 2016 meeting schedule was revised as follows: Tuesday, March 22 Calgary 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 3 Red Deer 9 a.m. September 13 Edmonton 9 a.m. Working group members were encouraged to meet after the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m. MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 7 of 10

8 --- A C T I O N I T E M S --- E Water Reuse Centre of Excellence This item will be removed from the agenda and any new items relating to this will be brought forward as needed. [Paches] E NPC Working Group Re: Regulation (7) Soil or waste pipe serving a clothes washer shall not be less than 500 mm Ken Morrison was asked to take this back to the City of Calgary as they were the proponents of this amendment [Morrison] E Combination Heating System STANDATA The Chair will review the current draft of the STANDATA, on behalf of the Hydronics industry, and will provide recommendations to the Chief Plumbing Administrator. [Hughes] E NPC Clause Backflow Protection The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) was asked to get more information on certification of the product and provide this to the Chief Plumbing Administrator. [Harrold] E Food Trucks The Chief Plumbing Administrator will circulate a copy of existing correspondence from the Fire discipline relative to compliance of food trucks. [Manning] E Conference If there are any content suggestions, members were encouraged to contact Erin Stroud, Manager of Stakeholder Relations. [All] F. c) Education & Training Update The Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications will get additional information about how to move forward with updating of the Handbook. [Wightman] F. f)1) Private Sewage Standard of Practice Recommendations to the Task Group for Consideration and Review The Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications will take this back to the Council to determine a path forward on updating of the Handbook. [Wightman] Members were asked to forward any challenges, changes or suggestions for the next edition of the SOP to the Chief Private Sewage Administrator. [All] MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 8 of 10

9 --- M O T I O N S --- B. Adoption of Agenda Kenneth Wigmore / Charles Hallett moved to adopt the agenda, as circulated; CARRIED C. Adoption of Minutes Wayne Ducharme / Lawrence Hess moved to approve the November 3, 2015 meeting minutes, as corrected; CARRIED E Reappointment of Peter Koenig to Jan. 31, 2019 Kenneth Wigmore / Wayne Ducharme moved to recommend to the Board the reappointment of Peter Koenig to the Plumbing Sub-Council for a term until January 31, 2019, effective February 1, 2016; CARRIED E Appointment of Jennifer Ford or Angus Potskin to Jan. 31, 2019 for the Industry Segment of Labour Kenneth Wigmore / Peter Koenig moved to recommend to the Board the appointment of Angus Potskin to the Plumbing Sub-Council for a term until January 31, 2019, effective February 1, 2016; CARRIED MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 9 of 10

10 WORKING GROUPS WORKING GROUP WORKING GROUP MEMBERS (Chair) PSDS Standard of Alf Durnie Practice Wayne Ducharme Charles Hallett Kenneth Wigmore 6-storey Combustible Peter Koenig Construction Mark Harrold Expansion and Garnet Young Contraction Denis Turgeon (GSC) 2015 NPC Wayne Ducharme Richard Burk Mark Harrold Ken Morrison 2015 STANDATA Review Quenton Kusiek David Hughes Kenneth Wigmore Glen Aspen (Gas) REPORT / CURRENT TASKS Develop Terms of Reference Develop Terms of Reference Develop Terms of Reference MINUTES: Plumbing Sub-Council Meeting January 26, 2016 Page 10 of 10