North Vancouver Sets the Pace

Committee Meeting Outlines Solar Initiatives

Gearing up for their first year as a SolarBC Community, Several staff members from the building and planning departments of the District of North Vancouver held a SolarBC Steering Committee meeting yesterday, to develop a solid plan of action.

“The meeting was to reinforce tasks that we have allocated to the different departments,” said coordinator Vik Kapoor, who works in the district’s Buildings Department. He explains that each specific discipline (building, plumbing, electrical) will first develop a list of potential questions/concerns that are directly related to Solar Hot Water installations. “For instance the Building Inspectors will provide input in regards to structural concerns due to anchorage, wind loads, snow loads etc...,” says Kapoor. “Plumbing Inspectors will provide input on piping requirements, BTU calculations, and back flow preventers.”

On the agenda was the pre-planning of organizing engaging training seminars that will help to educate staff, potential contractors, and residents of the North Shore.

“We also discussed the importance of a solid marketing strategy that will educate the District residents on the sun potential here on the North Shore,” he adds.

According to Kapoor the meeting went very well and they have developed a great team that is enthusiastic and willing. “We want implement these changes as quickly and seamlessly as possible,” he says.

The Steering Committee will be focusing on education and awareness, while trying to develop a strategy that can be easily replicable by other municipalities around BC. The committee is comprised of a Building Inspector, Supervisor of Mechanical Inspections, Senior Development Planner, Chief Building Official, Residential Plan Reviewers, and Sustainability and Research Planner.