As of September 1, it has officially been one year since the newest FGIA region was created by the Association, a milestone that was celebrated during the recent FGIA FENBC Region Technical Summit held on October 18. It has been a big year for the FENBC Region, full of British Columbia-centric events with speakers and presentations most of interest to those in BC. The region’s leaders have been committed to both residential and commercial knowledge sharing. Let’s take a look back at the previous year in the FENBC Region and how its activities have moved the needle in the BC market.

November 2022 | FGIA FENBC Region Technical Summit in Surrey, BC

The Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, BC was an ideal venue for the first-ever FGIA FENBC Region event, where participants enjoyed meals, a happy hour reception and a host of excellent speakers and panels. There was a Code Talkers panel discussion – always a popular session - and I shared a brief history of FGIA which detailed its relationship with FENBC, who elected to integrate that past summer. Presentations included topics like the Canadian CSA A500 building guards standard, improving commercial glazing projects through quality management systems and an overview of the 2020 National Building Code.

April 2023 | FGIA FENBC Region Industry Virtual Summit

There was a lot of code-related activity that took place primarily in the first quarter of 2023. FGIA was actively engaged in reviewing and commenting on the BC adoption of the NBC, advising on a solution for energy modeling requirements in BC as well as contributing to proposed language for the NBC related to the use of window fall prevention devices.

Also during the spring’s Virtual Summit, Zana Gordon was recognized for her many years of service to the organization and received a warm congratulations on her retirement. Zana served FENBC for 10 years as Executive Director before retiring in 2022. An award was presented to Zana to commemorate her work in the Region. Technical topics discussed at the summit included a look at WorkSafe BC, how to manage price escalation and other contract and lien considerations, and a review of residential window and door rebates in BC.

June 2023 | One-day Session During the FGIA Summer Conference in Vancouver, BC

Several topics and sessions were specific to Canada at the FGIA 2023 Summer Conference in Vancouver, BC, including a full day of access for members of the FGIA FENBC Region. Canadian-specific topics included the National Building Code of Canada’s goal related to the Path to Net-Zero Houses by 2030 and its impact on fenestration, as well as ways to leverage window replacement rebates in BC with qualified installers.

June 2023 | BC Glazing Contractor Strategy and Networking Event in Surrey, BC

Glazing contractors in British Columbia were invited to participate in a strategy and networking event on June 16, sponsored by the FENBC Region. This in-person event focused on the needs of glazing contractors and specifically identified solutions related to contract challenges and hiring needs.

October 2023 | FGIA FENBC Region Technical Summit in Surrey, BC

This month’s Summit included sessions on several topics of interest to those in the province, including a residential track presentation titled, “Enclosure Mitigation Considerations for Wildfires” and a commercial track which hosted a panel discussion called “Bird-friendly Glazing, Designs and Standards.”

2024 | Future FENBC Region Events

Event dates for all three FGIA regions have already been announced for 2024 and the coming year is targeted to include more regular email news alerts to region members. Here’s to another year of successful regional activities, events and advancements in BC, as well as in our additional two regions: the FGIA U.S. Southeast Region and the FGIA U.S. Western Region!