TORONTO — The Ontario Court of Justice at Cornwall, Ont. has fined an eastern Ontario-based construction firm and its principal $10,000 for illegally representing that design drawings were approved by a professional engineer.
A May 2 release from the Professional Engineers Ontario stated that 6993231 Canada Inc., conducting business as Empire Construction, and its principal, Edsel Byers, applied a facsimile of an engineer’s seal to design drawings without the knowledge or consent of the engineer.
Empire was retained by a client to assist with the construction of a canvas structure on the client’s property.
In preparing design drawings for the client, Empire and Byers copied an engineer’s seal from a previous set of drawings onto the new drawings, without the engineer having reviewed the new drawings and without the engineer’s consent.
Empire and Byers then gave the improperly sealed drawings to the client, who submitted them to the Township of North Dundas in connection with a permit application.
On April 26, Byers pleaded guilty to one count of breaching section 40(2)(c) of the Professional Engineers Act and Empire Construction pleaded guilty to one count of breaching section 40(3)(b) of the Professional Engineers Act. A $5,000 fine was levied on Byers and a $5,000 fine was levied on Empire.