Veteran engineer forced to resign after admitting to unethical conduct on work involving Surrey tower

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – The work of structural engineer who has designed buildings all over Metro Vancouver is being questioned after he admitted to unprofessional conduct with regards to a condo tower in Surrey.

An investigation found John Bryson’s work on the building several years ago failed to meet industry standards, but we still don’t know which building it is.

“From my own personal viewpoint, I would be very concerned that there are elements of that building that are not safe, and I think that maybe there needs to be a more rigorous investigation of which buildings apply,” Jerry Genge, who has been working as a structural engineer for more than 40 years, told NEWS 1130.

He notes the disciplinary notice against Bryson doesn’t describe whether or not the building itself is safe or not.

The investigation into the Surrey tower showed Bryson cherry picked regulations from the National Building Code that were less stringent than the B.C. Building Code, “in particular with respect to seismic and wind loads.”

“Mr. Bryson also admitted that he breached the association’s Bylaw 14(b)(4) and demonstrated unprofessional conduct by failing to ensure that an appropriate independent review of his design was completed,” the disciplinary notice reads.

"It's a rare but serious offense." That from @EngGeoBC as a structural engineer is banned from working in BC. John Bryson has decades of experience, but his work is being called into question after it was discovered a tower in Surrey didn't meet industry standards. @NEWS1130

— Amanda Wawryk (@AmandaWawryk) May 9, 2019

Genge believes Engineers and Geoscientists BC — the regulator — is likely trying to make an example of Bryson.

“Now, these regulations are of two types,” Genge added. “They are his own regulations as an engineer — he has to comply with his code of ethics, and that is his primary duty, which includes protecting the public. The other, for the sake of protecting the public, is to comply with the code because if you comply with the code, you’re deemed to have done everything correctly, and he hasn’t done that according to this order.”

According to his professional website, Bryson has worked on hundreds of residential towers in B.C., the US and Mexico, and has helped assess the seismic stability of Canadian embassies in New Delhi, Seoul and Tokyo.

He has been ordered to pay a fine of $25,000, as well as $215,000 to the association for costs.

“The public deserves to have confidence that their homes are being designed to the current standard, and it’s a serious matter when that trust is betrayed,” said Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Ann English, P.Eng. “This individual failed to meet the professional and ethical standards required of him as a professional engineer.

“This is a rare but very serious offence, for which we sought the maximum fine available, and ensured that this individual can no longer practise engineering,” English added.

In an email to NEWS 1130, the city says it relies on “letters of assurance” provided by the people who designed the building — such as architects and engineers — to confirm buildings have been designed and constructed according to code.

“The City will be following up with the Strata Corporation to determine if there are any safety issues that would impact occupancy, and work with the Strata Corporation on any necessary next steps,” read the email.

The city says the address cannot be released due to confidentiality reasons.