Is Chief Inspector Jason Watt in the City of Burnaby’s Building Department Accountable in His Duty Prescribed by the City’s Bylaw?

Author: G. J.

https://accountabilityissues.ca/is-chief-inspector-jason-watt-in-the-city-of-burnabys-building-department-accountable-in-his-duty-fulfillment-job-prescribed-by-the-citys-bylaw/

Accountability issues matter, but Chief Inspector Jason Watt in the City’s Building Department does not seem to believe so, and the following case appears to be the proof:   

For energy saving purposes, FortisBC (a B.C., Canada gas service provider) has been promoting and encouraging home owners to replace their low or medium efficiency gas appliances with efficient, tankless ones, “combi” coilers being one of the examples.

Burnaby, BC resident C. Y., a Canadian senior, responding to the calling, replaced their medium efficiency boiler (for radiant floor heating) and hot water tank (for domestic water usage) in late December 2023 with a Burnaby, BC made IBC-199 combi-boiler by licensed gas appliance contractor ANGELS HEATING & COOLING LTD (“Angels Heating”) and paid for everything to Angels Heating, including the price of the boiler, the installation, city permit and inspection etc. (Gas appliance installation requires a city permit per Burnaby Gas Bylaw 1978 (2022.1) by fees, paid by homeowners—directly or indirectly—for permit application and issuance and installation inspection and so on.)     

After the combi-boiler being installed, Angels Heating notified the City for inspection, inspector Mr. Chris Pasqualetto conducted the inspection on January 29, 2024 but failed the installation for a few issues and one of them was that the installer should “add a strap to exhaust termination at exterior.” 

Resident (homeowner) C. Y.’s initial unhappiness about the installation was with the boiler’s venting and exhaust pipes (especially for the exhaust pipe) being installed and extended through the side and exterior wall of the ground level, instead of being terminated at the second floor roof top (the installation manual C. Y. got after the installation for the installer states: “When you plan the installation, ensure that you consider appropriate venting materials, travel and termination decisions. In particular, you should manage the impact of the steam plume typically at the exhaust terminal of a condensing unit. Generally, intake and exhaust pipes terminate at a rooftop or sterile wall location. Keep exhaust plumes well away from all building air intakes including those of neighbouring properties [emphasis added].”[ii] C. Y. was specifically unhappy with (1) the heavy exhaust plumes stay around above the house’s side way or go up around the second floor windows, rendering the windows unable to open and (2) condensed water drops from the exhaust pipe right over the head of their tenants who live in their back suite and when walk through the side way (they pass the side way every day), and in winter dropped water forms an iced bump on the surface of the side way causing specific hazard to the tenants passing by.[iii] C. Y., in the first place, raised his concerns and requested Angels Heating to change and terminate the venting and exhaust pipes at the roof top, but Angels Heating refused to do so due to possibly “damage” the roof top while the original boiler was terminated at the roof top with a chimney still there.) Regarding C. Y.’s unhappiness, however, City inspector Chris Pasqualetto said that nothing he could do about it.

Angels Heating came fixing the issues ordered by City inspector Chris Pasqualetto another day, Angels Heating, the installer, however, added salt to homeowner C. Y.’s  injury in addressing one of the issues ordered by the inspector—“add a strap to exhaust termination at exterior:” Angels Heating installed a medal chain to hold the extended exhaust pipe, the medal chain being secured by two thick screws drilled onto the bottom of the overhead medal gutter, causing rain water (in rainy days) to drip down through the space of the screw holes (as those screws do not function as sealing material), down along the chain, on to the ground surface of the side way, creating a scene like when heavy rain is on and above the roof and gutter and small rain is under the eave and gutter—this “small rain” sometimes, however, stops when the bottom of the gutter in the two screw hole area being blocked by dust, earth or tree leaves, but the gutter covering that area has been literally damaged at the bottom by these two screws.[iv] Specifically, sometime in future, when it is time for the homeowners to replace the gutter, they might have to ask the gutter replacer to drill two holes another time to hold the chain and exhaust pipe!     

Regardless, City’s Inspector Chris Pasqualetto passed the installation and Chief Inspector Jason Watt in the City’s Building Department issued the Certificate of Completion on February 21, 2024, notifying C. Y. via emailing and ignoring all of his concerns,[v] which effectively prevents him from any possible further pursuit for addressing the issues.

C. Y. accordingly wrote and sent an email back to Chief Building Inspector Jason Watt with all the photos and video clips on the same day—February 21, 2024—he described the bad situation caused by the installation and inspection and wanted to know “what part you, the City, can play” and the City’s detailed guidelines for gas/boiler installation inspection if he is allowed for the access.

Chief Inspector Jason Watt did not reply. A few weeks later, C. Y. printed the above-mentioned email (sent) and mailed the printout to Mr. Watt another time. He waited for a few more weeks, Mr. Harold Tamagi, Supervisor, Plumbing & Gas Inspections/Safety Manager of the City’s Building Department who is under the Chief Building Inspector, made a phone call, “apologizing” for the late response and telling that he would arrange time to do a site visit as he did not see any of the photos or video clips C. Y. had emailed to Mr. Watt.

A site visit was made on March 28, 2024. During Supervisor/Manager Harold Tamagi’s visit (accompanied by his inspector Mr. Chris Pasqualetto), some discussion was made between them and C. Y. While Mr. Harold Tamagi was of that in terms of the City bylaw and manufacturer’s manual which the City normally look at, his inspector’s installation approval had nothing wrong, but he refused to answer C. Y.’s question if the current situation was tolerable for him if he was the owner; upon repeated questioning, Inspector Chris Pasqualetto stepped in: “Statute tells,” which means they do not need to care about anything not told by the “statute”—the City’s gas bylaw—as the bylaw does not literally prohibit damage to property, for example, their inspectors cannot disapprove the completion of the installation no matter what damage caused to the property!     

On April 5, 2024 C. Y. contacted Supervisor/Manager Harold Tamagi via emailing and asked if his boss, Chief Building Inspector Jason Watt, was still of the same view on the issues, Mr. Tamagi did not reply. On April 14, 2024, C. Y. sent an email to Chief Inspector Jason Watt directly for the same question, Mr. Watt did not reply to him either (Mr. Watt never replied to C. Y. on the issues).

Burnaby Gas Bylaw 1978 (2022.1) is a bylaw “to regulate and control the installation, alteration, repair, use, operation and maintenance of low pressure gas [gas used by residential buildings is under this category to be regulated by the City—explanation added] piping, venting and appliances, including the placement and installation of propane tanks and containers:”[vi] https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/en/permalink/bylaw24792

Section 4: “Duties of the Chief Building Inspector”—“The Chief Building Inspector shall: (a) require that all the provisions of this bylaw be enforced; (b) maintain and keep records of all low pressure gas piping and appliance installations undertaken and the inspection thereof.

Section 5: “Duties of the Local Inspector”—“Local Inspector shall” “(e) have the authority to direct the immediate suspension or correction of all or any portion of a gas installation whenever it is found by him that such work is not being performed in accordance with the provision of this bylaw.”

Section 9 (1): “A Local Inspector may demand from an applicant for a permit, a plan of the proposed gas installation showing the details of the sizes and location of all gas piping, appliances and vents.”

Section 16 (Inspection) (2): “A Local Inspector may carry out an inspection of the work at any time, and shall issue a notice of inspection: (a) approving the work, or portion thereof, or (b) ordering such changes as may be necessary to bring the work into conformity with the regulations within a time limit specified in the notice.

C. Y. is thus raising the question as per the title of this article for the City of Burnaby’s Chief Building Inspector Jason Watt, Supervisor, Plumbing & Gas Inspections/Safety Manager of the City’s Building Department Harold Tamagi, and the City’s gas Inspector Chris Pasqualetto, along with three more subsequent inquiries: 1. Although the City’s gas bylaw regulates gas appliances including their venting and exhausting, why does it not take care of anything—any hazard to residents and damage to properties—resulting from the installation of the venting and exhausting system? 2. Do these three gentlemen normally assess their work with common sense or statue knowledge, and they are all a good fit for their job of serving the City’s tax payers? 3. According to City of Burnaby’s Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses Employees for the year ended December 31, 2023,[vii] for Watt Jason, Chief Building Inspector, Base Salary, Benefits & Other Expenses are $166,473, $13,565 and $2,296; Harold Tamagi, Supervisor Plumbing and Gas Inspections, are $122,361, $21,565 and $2,462; and Chris Pasqualetto, Plumbing and Gas Inspector 1, are $103,452, $18,261 and $1,134—are these gentlemen not feeling guilty for their high Remuneration and Expenses from the City’s tax payers including C. Y. and for their controversial duty performance as described in this post?   

 INSPECTION WORKSHEET (INSP24-002741) January 29, 2024.

[ii] IBC-199 Installation Manual (1.4 EXHAUST VENTING AND AIR INTAKE).

[iii] First video clip (below) showing steam / fumes going around and up and always wet surface area of the side way.

[iv] Second video clip (below) showing rain water dripping down and two photos followed showing the two screws drilled onto the gutter bottom and the wet surface of the ground side way.

[v] INSPECTION WORKSHEET (INSP24-005357) and Certificate of Complete issued by Inspector Chris Pasqualetto and Chief Building Inspector Jason Watt on February 21, 2024.

[vi] Burnaby Gas Bylaw 1978 (2022.1) – https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/en/permalink/bylaw24792

[vii] Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses Employees For the year ended December 31, 2023, 2023 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION (of the City of Burnaby)