Chatham-Kent is looking to fill building inspector/bylaw enforcement officer positions in the municipality.
Paul Lacina, Chief Building Official of Building Development Services for the municipality, said Chatham-Kent is in need of three building inspector/bylaw enforcement officers immediately and is hosting a job fair to help fill the need.
“We’ve been fortunate in that we’ve had some retirees continue to work for us but it’s a stopgap solution,” he said. “We need to take action right now.”
Lacina said a shortage of building inspectors exists province-wide due to the natural progression of baby-boomers leaving the workforce and tighter provincial regulations.
“In 2006 the province reformed the Ontario Building Code. The legislation increased the safety and quality of building construction in Ontario. One of the reforms was mandatory Building Code knowledge examinations for municipal building officials,” he said. Now with retirements, there is a real shortage of qualified building officials
Lacina said ideally the municipality is looking for inspectors who are already qualified through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing but is also willing to hire and train the right candidates.
“Since there is such a demand for qualified inspectors, we’re open to hiring and training the right candidates. Those with a background in construction or engineering may be suitable and preferred.”
The job fair will be held on July 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Civic Centre at 315 King St. W. in Chatham.
“It’s an opportunity for people to learn first-hand what the job is all about,” Lacina said.
The salary range for qualified inspectors is $61,565 to $77,477.
