Danbrook One: Engineer's Licence Cancelled for Unprofessional Conduct

Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, the regulatory and licensing body for the professions of engineering and geoscience in BC, has concluded disciplinary proceedings against Brian McClure, an engineer whose design of the former Danbrook One building in Langford, BC – now known as RidgeView Place – failed to meet the 2012 BC Building Code.

Danbrook One, a residential rental building, had its occupancy permit revoked in December 2019 after an independent review conducted by the City of Langford indicated the building was not in compliance with the Building Code and presented several safety concerns. The City of Langford’s review was initiated after Engineers and Geoscientists BC disclosed to the City that it was conducting an investigation into the conduct of Mr. McClure, the engineer responsible for the building’s design, and had concerns that certain aspects of the building’s structural design and as-built structure did not meet the Building Code.

In a Consent Order dated May 9, 2022, Mr. McClure admitted that he demonstrated unprofessional conduct; in particular, he admitted that the structural design drawings for Danbrook One were deficient, that certain aspects of the seismic design and gravity load resisting system did not comply with the Building Code, and that the existence of significant defects identified in the structural design drawings demonstrated incompetence. Mr. McClure also admitted he failed to undertake an adequate design process, did not perform a sufficient number of field reviews or properly document those reviews, and failed to take adequate steps to address serious concerns about the building’s design that were brought to his attention during construction.

Mr. McClure’s registration with Engineers and Geoscientists BC was cancelled and accordingly he is no longer licensed to practice professional engineering in British Columbia. Mr. McClure must pay a fine of $25,000 – the maximum allowable under the legislation in place at the time – and agreed to pay $32,000 in legal costs to Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Engineers and Geoscientists BC is responsible for establishing and upholding standards of professional practice and ethical conduct for the professions. If the regulator determines that an engineer or geoscientist may have breached these standards, it takes action through a comprehensive investigation and discipline process.

“We expect our registrants to apply the appropriate standards, codes and technical expertise to every project they work on,” said Heidi Yang, P.Eng., Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s CEO. “The public deserves to have confidence that their homes are being designed to rigorous standards, and this case represents a serious breach of that trust. As a result, the individual involved can no longer practise professional engineering in British Columbia.”

In addition to ensuring appropriate discipline in cases of wrongdoing, Engineers and Geoscientists BC also upholds high standards of professional practice and conduct for BC engineers and geoscientists as they undertake their work. This includes issuing practice guidelines that set out the standards of practice that must be followed for various professional activities. Engineers and Geoscientists BC has issued several guidelines that address structural design work, including a guideline specific to structural engineering services for tall concrete building projects.

The full text of the Consent Order for Brian McClure can be found at egbc.ca/Discipline-Notices.


Photo: CHEK News