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FGIA: A day of education

Because the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance is committed to addressing issues within B.C. that are of high importance to commercial glazing contractors and residential window manufacturers in addition to glass fabricators, specifiers and engineers, speakers at the April 12 FenBC Region 2023 Industry Summit featured content for both of those sectors. Sessions covered topics specific to British Columbia including how to manage price escalation in the commercial contracting sector; an overview of available rebate programs for residential window replacement; and insight into the work being done by WorkSafeBC. The popular Code Talkers panel discussion and an introduction to devices for window fall prevention also generated engaging questions and commentary from participants. Plus, we were very pleased to have proudly honoured Zana Gordon, former FenBC executive director, who retired from the industry in 2022. Overall, the virtual event was a success for the region.During the commercial track session, Tyler Galbraith of Jenkins Marzban Logan presented “Managing Price Escalation and Other Contract Considerations” and gave general legal suggestions for managing expectations, understanding contracts and the importance of documentation on a project. “Since the pandemic, price escalation has been significant when it comes to the cost of construction and related materials. In B.C., the court isn’t going to help you out of a bad deal,” he noted. Galbraith talked about two common types of escalation clauses: delay or event-based, and threshold or percentage-based. In any event, he stressed the importance of keeping the counter party appraised of any issues so they may help mitigate them. Give written notice, he said, not just verbal. 

Those with more residential interests learned about leveraging B.C. window replacement rebates within the sales process and the Home Performance Stakeholder Council contractor network qualification for their installer teams. This was led by co-presenters Grant Moonie of the B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation and Greg Bloom of the Home Performance Stakeholder Council. “CleanBC Better Homes and the Home Renovation Rebate Program is an integrated offer of financial rebates for residential customers looking to make energy efficient upgrades to their homes. The program’s goals are to help people conserve energy and make their buildings healthier and more comfortable and to accelerate retrofits that help households reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use,” explained Moonie. One important requirement for this program is that the installer needs to be part of the Home Performance Contractor Network, which is a database of retrofit contractors in B.C. that meet specified trade designation and training qualifications and are subject to ongoing review and quality assurance checks. Companies registered in the HPCN are required to submit business documentation, submit references, agree to a code of conduct and complete industry best practice training.  

The Code Talkers panel discussion addressed changes within the Part 9 residential building code requirements and Part 3 commercial building code requirements. Another session featured a panel of industry experts who discussed window fall prevention as well as the requirements for window-opening control devices and challenges and considerations for balancing fall prevention with emergency escape and rescue in B.C. and national codes. 

During the opening remarks of the summit, FGIA FenBC Region leaders commended the career of Zana Gordon, who was presented with an award, a bouquet of flowers and a tribute video from her colleagues and peers. 

Two more FenBC-related events will be happening in 2023, including a FenBC-sponsored session at the FGIA Summer Conference this June as well as the in-person FenBC Region Technical Summit in Surry, B.C. on Oct. 18.

Amy Roberts is FGIA director of Canadian and technical glass operations