Engineering Assessment Triggers Evacuation of Fort Saskatchewan Condo Building
On August 2, a condominium complex in Fort Saskatchewan was evacuated after an engineering assessment determined it was structurally unsound. Following a series of complaints lodged by residents, the assessment found problems with some of the floor joists in one of two Riverview Estates buildings. The city’s safety codes officer ordered the evacuation of that building’s 44 suites, allowing residents 30 minutes to grab essential items and leave.
Upon learning about the evacuation, APEGA confirmed with the City of Fort Saskatchewan that the structural engineering firm and professional engineer on record for the structural design of the building were Jacobsen Hage Engineering and Sven Hage.
In 2004, one year after the building was constructed, APEGA cancelled the engineering permit for Jacobsen Hage Engineering. In 2005, Hage resigned his APEGA licence to practise. Both were due to unrelated disciplinary findings of unskilled practice and unprofessional conduct involving structural engineering.
Current provisions in the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act limit APEGA’s investigations to two years after the cancellation or resignation of a person’s licence. As part of APEGA’s legislative review, we are working with the Government of Alberta on more than 160 APEGA-recommended changes to modernize and strengthen our legislation, including the limitation on investigations.