Discipline Notice: Bruce Joseph Gernon

On October 5, 2023, a Discipline Committee panel found that Bruce Joseph Gernon demonstrated unprofessional conduct relating to the engineering services he provided for several residential buildings in Burnaby, BC.

From 2016 to 2018, Mr. Gernon provided engineering services related to balcony guardrail systems for apartment buildings. He signed and sealed drawings for the guardrail systems without conducting the necessary assessments, investigations, or calculations to determine whether the buildings could accommodate the load imposed by the guardrail system.

On October 17, 2022, the Discipline Committee panel conducted a hearing concerning the engineering services Mr. Gernon provided for the guardrail systems. On October 5, 2023, the panel released its decision finding that Mr. Gernon demonstrated unprofessional conduct in relation to the investigatory work, design, inspections and field reviews.

On December 5, 2023, the panel issued their decision on penalty and costs. As Mr. Gernon resigned his registration with Engineers and Geoscientists BC prior to the hearing, if he wishes to reinstate his status as a practising registrant, he must successfully complete and pass the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Professional Practice Exam, the Professional Engineering and Geoscience in BC online seminar, and an educational course in structural design. Additionally, Mr. Gernon must comply with all the requirements of the Credentials Committee and the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Bylaws. He was ordered to pay $37,760 toward the legal costs of Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

If Mr. Gernon successfully reinstates his registration with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, his registration will be suspended for 2 years. Following the 2-year suspension, any structural engineering work prepared by Mr. Gernon will be subject to a peer review for one year or the completion of 8 projects. Six months after the conclusion of the peer review period, Mr. Gernon must undergo a practice review by the Audit and Practice Review Committee.

The full text of the Consent Order can be found in the Disciplinary Notices section of our website, at egbc.ca/discipline-notices.

Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s website contains information on the complaint, investigation, and discipline processes. You can contact us at 604.558.6647 or toll-free at 1.888.430.8035 ext. 6647, or by email at [email protected].