INNOVATION July-August 2012

fea t ure s

A Review of Requirements for Professional Landslide Studies in Canada with Recommendations for Professionals

Doug VanDine PEng/PGeo FEC Dr Wayne Savigny PEng/PGeo

Although professionals who study landslides are typically engineers and geoscientists, as will be later discussed, not all engineers and geoscientists are qualified to study landslides. In some circumstances, collaboration between the two professions (and other professions) is required. Non-professionals and unqualified professionals who carry out landslide studies do so at their own peril, and are potentially putting at peril those for whom they are working, as well as the general public. Requirements for Landslide Studies by Professionals The review of provincial and territorial legislation or regulations highlighted real variation between jurisdictions. Table 1 summarizes applicable provincial legislation and regulations related to landslide studies; Table 2 summarizes applicable provincial, territorial and local government guidelines and other requirements. These tables were created in 2011 and such information is subject to change. Specific legislations, regulations, guidelines and other requirements, and their currency, should be verified from the jurisdiction in question.

In Canada, except where national borders are involved, landslides fall (pun intended) under the jurisdiction of the 10 provincial and the three territorial governments. As part of the Canadian Technical Guidelines and Best Practices Related to Landslides , a review was carried out to determine which provincial and territorial legislation or regulations exist that require landslide studies to be carried out, along with when, where and by whom. The review also determined if there were any provincial, territorial or local government guidelines or other professional requirements for carrying out such landslide studies. Landslide Professionals Typically professionals who study the technical aspects of landslides are professional engineers (PEng) and professional geoscientists (PGeo) whose professional activities are governed, with two geographical exceptions, by their respective provincial and territorial professional associations. The two exceptions are Prince Edward Island and the Yukon, which do not have professional geoscience associations. The associations (APEGBC being one of them) license practitioners and regulate the practices of engineering and/or geoscience. They establish and monitor the level of education and experience necessary for membership, and enforce standards of registration, conduct and codes of ethics of their members. The associations have the legal authority to investigate allegations that members have fallen below those standards and take disciplinary action against members where warranted. Registration in an association gives members the right to practice engineering or geoscience in that jurisdiction. Therefore, all engineers and geoscientists must be appropriately

Table 1. Current Legislation and Regulations for Landslide Studies (2011)

Province

Current Provincial Legislation and Regulations for Landslide Studies

• Municipal Government Act and Subdivision and Development Regulation for subdivision approval under some circumstances.

Alberta

• Land Title Act and Local Government Act for subdivision approval, development permits, flood plain bylaw variance or exemptions under some circumstances.

registered in the jurisdiction in which they are carrying out their work and must take responsibility for their work. The codes of ethics of the associations also require that the professionals must be qualified by training and experience for the work they do, and they must know the limits of their knowledge.

British Columbia

• Community Charter for building permits under certain circumstances.

• Forest and Range Practices Act for certain forestry activities in some circumstances (for example road location, road construction, road deactivation and timber harvesting)

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