The City of Vancouver Constructed the Dismissal of Arkady Tsisserev and Made ALL OF YOU Less Safe

You’ll recall how I broke the story during the Olympics of the illegal firing of the Chief Electrical Officer of Vancouver. There was little pick up by the MSM until everyone lost their red mittens and started to follow my lead. Then the dam burst and the Mayor, plus his council and particularly his hand-picked City Manager were caught in no shortage of lies.

So would you believe that, incredibly, by their own hand, the City of Vancouver have now provided the public incontrovertible proof that they truly lied about Tsisserev’s firing?

But first, rather than to exclusively concentrate on the political animus that drove Vancouver City Manager Penny Ballem to illegally fire Ark Tsisserev, I think it’s important to lay out the facts as they sit and remember that, notwithstanding the shoddy treatment an almost two decade employee received, the biggest loser in this equation is…

You.

Well, you and your families and other loved ones, since for the last nine months there has been no shortage of glaring examples of how the City of Vancouver is significantly less safe and all because Penny Ballem and Mayor Pungent Smoke didn’t want any photo ops ruinied by the unflinching competence of Ark Tsisserev–a man who was the first to point out life safety problems and other issues at the Olympic Village.

Recall if you will the dangerous problems with the staging and life safety issues through the Olympics (that Tsisserev’s unqualified replacement Will Johnston admitted to). Followed, of course, sometime later by the collapsed wall at the old theatre school off Hornby–an accident that could have killed someone. And who could forget ‘The Electra’ gas leaks that I’m told by one Fire Department official, were downplayed because “City Hall told (Acting Chief) Nick Delmonico to tone it down…not to make a big deal about the dangerous fumes because they didn’t want the real story out there.”

And those are only the ones we know of…

Well, in what must be the most frightening example of Gordon Campbell-like arrogance, the City of Vancouver has posted this. Read it carefully. It’s the same qualifications post that brought Ark Tsisserev to Vancouver. No different in any capacity and wanting a qualified person to fill the void left by a man who was frog-marched like a criminal to his car and unceremoniously booted from City Hall.

He was replaced as ‘Chief Electrician’ by a man who is not an Electrical Engineer and had NO QUALIFICATIONS for that particular job (other than how to look at Penny Ballem and her henchman Dave McLellan and know how to nod–and quickly).

But I noticed some time ago that the City’s website never listed Will Johnston, Tsisserev’s replacement, in any such capacity.

So…where is Dr. Bedlam and her revolving door of excuses that made Vancouverites less safe? Where is the Mayor who several times had the temerity to claim the story I broke was “baseless” and the accusations of Ballem’s ham-fistedness were “ridiculous”??

First the Mayor told us he couldn’t remember the details of Tsisserev’s firing despite having chaired the meeting in his office when Ballem told council that Tsisserev was “retiring early.” Then, it was a “budgeting issue.” Then Ballem told us they were “eliminating Mr. Tsisserev’s position.”

Hogwash. Pure, unadulterated hogwash.

1) Ark Tsisserev was the only person who was terminated by the City before the Games (despite Penny Ballem’s public statements that all lay offs would be done only after the games, and that the impact on the affected staff would be “minimal”).

2. Tsisserev was the only senior manager with statutory responsibilities (i.e. with the position mandated by the City Charter and being formally appointed by Council in January 1994) who was terminated, and that termination left the City without a qualified Chief Electrical Inspector and Electrical Safety Manager right in a middle of  a huge amount of electrical work in preparation for the Games.

3. The ‘Electrical Inspection Branch’ was not able to resolve outstanding technical issues raised by Tsisserev in relation to electrical installations for the Games (i.e use of unapproved equipment and unacceptable wiring methods without permits for the Olympic Broadcasting Center at the Convention Center, use of unapproved equipment at the Olympic dining pavilion, absence of protective bonding and grounding of metal poles supporting exposed wiring in various tents throughout different venues, operation of fire alarm systems in some pavilions, etc.), essentially ignoring Tsisserev’s requests for accreditation–the electrical inspectors never got accreditation to inspect the installation sites before installations were completed. Did any of you attend the Games? Did we have any guests from anywhere else on the planet?

4. Tsisserev was in the middle of preparing changes to the electrical By-Law – to accommodate Council’s request for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in residential buildings. Do any of you live in residential buildings? With your dogs? Cats? Semi-permanent paramours? Children?

5. Will Johnston, the appointed City Electrician, post-Tsisserev, has ZERO technical qualifications to evaluate requests for deviations from the Electrical Code and to provide technical leadership to the electrical inspection staff and to the electrical industry stakeholders. When a complaint was sent to the APEGBC (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.) that Will Johnston signed off on a request for special permissions, without understanding the issues as City Electrician, Johnston stated that he hires “outside professionals for such advise.” In fact, there is NO RECORD of such hiring at the city, and such action would be inconsistent with the Code of Ethics of the APEGBC.

6. Except for a brief statement to the media some months ago that Will Johnston is a “new” City Electrician appointed by the Council (which had to be revealed as the result of this, and this, and maybe this), there is nothing on the City website indicating this fact.

When Tsisserev, a qualified electrical engineer and Canada’s chief life safety expert was looking out for you and your families here’s how the city website looked:

Electrical Staff

Area of Responsibility

Ark Tsisserev, P.Eng.

Chief Electrical Inspector and Electrical = Safety Manager

Chief Electrical Inspector is also appointed by Council as = City Electrican

604.873.7561

arkady.tsisserev@vancouver.= ca

• Administration of the Vancouver Electrical By-law in conformance = with the Vancouver Charter

• Technical leadership and direction for all aspects of electrical = safety under provisions of the Vancouver Electrical By-law and for areas of = Fire and Life Safety regulated by the Vancouver Building By-law for = electrically connected life safety systems

John McMahon

Deputy Electrical Safety Manager and Supervisor of = Field Operations

604.873.7836

john.mcmahon@vancouver.ca

• Directing Field Operations of the Electrical Inspections Branch

• Supervising District Electrical Inspectors

• Assisting Chief Electrical Inspector in administration of the = Vancouver Electrical By-law

Bob Cornwell

Training and Quality Control Coordinator

604.873.7858

bob.cornwell@vancouver.ca

• In conjunction with the Branch Manager and Supervisor of Field = Operations providing necessary logistics for technical and procedural training in = the Branch

Bunsen Leung

Electrical Plan Examinations = Officer

604.871.6401

bunsen.leung@vancouver.ca

• Examination of complex electrical drawings and specifications = including Life and Fire Safety Systems for compliance with the applicable Codes = and Standards

• Authorization of issuance of Electrical Permit upon completion of = Plan Review

It clearly showed Tsisserev’s statutory role as City Electrician and Electrical Safety Manager.

And here’s what Penny Ballem and Gregor Robertson’s lies have wrought:

Coordinated By-law Compliance Division

Barb Windsor, = Assistant Director & Chief Licence Inspector

The Coordinated By-law Compliance Division is responsible for = carrying out appropriate enforcement action in order to ensure compliance with a = variety of City By-laws related to activities in private property, including = business licence hearings and noise control policy. In addition, this Division is = responsible for providing record and administration services. The = Division consists of the following Branches:

• Property Use Inspections Branch

• By-law Administration and Records Services Branch

• Crime Free Multi-Housing Program

Licences and Animal Control = Division

Tom Hammel, P.Eng., Assistant Director & = Deputy Chief Licence Inspector

The Licence and Animal Control Division processes licence = applications and renewals. The Licence Office provides information on requirements prior = to the issuance of licences and ensures that businesses comply with relevant = City by-laws. Animal Control provides food, shelter and medicinal treatment = to lost, abandoned or abused pets and funds education and pet adoption. The = Division consists of the following Branches:

• Licen= ce Office

• = Animal Control Services

Inspections Services = Division

Will Johnston, P.Eng., Director & Chief = Building Official

The Inspections Division provides inspection services for building construction, installations of electrical, gas, plumbing, fire sprinkler = systems and environmental protection. Inspectors provide site inspection = services in response to requests for inspections by the holders of building and = trade permits. This Division also responds to complaints regarding relevant = safety hazards such as structural, fire, electric shock, gas and environmental emergencies. The Division consists of the following Branches:

• Building Inspections Branch

• Electrical Inspections Branch

• Environmental Protection Branch

• Plumbing, Fire Sprinkler and Gas Inspection Branch

Building Policy Office

Will Johnston, P.Eng., Director & Chief = Building Official

Under the direct leadership of the Chief Building Official and as = directed by City Council, the Building Policy Office is responsible for carrying out policy work related to = the design and construction of buildings as well as the review of = alternative solutions to prescriptive requirements of the City_s Building = By-law.

• Building = Policy Office

See the difference?

The website now has no mention of  the City Electrician and Electrical Safety Manager, and John McMahon is indicated as “Deputy” to  A NON-EXISTENT electrical safety manager.

In fact, there is no information on the City website indicating that Will Johnston is appointed by the City Council as City Electrician. (Click on “Electrical Inspections” and then on “about us”, go on, you can do it).

7. Finally, the fact that Tsisserev was terminated due to the budget cuts is SPECIFICALLY inconsistent with the City posting of the position now, that would require the candidate to fulfill the statutory role of deputy City Electrician at the SAME pay grade (Tsisserev’s former salary) that was intended to be saved by terminating Tsisserev.

Don’t you all feel safer? Don’t you just want to run out and hug Penny Ballem and Gregor Robertson and their pathetic ilk for making Vancouver significantly less safe?

No? I didn’t think so. But let me tell you what will happen…

Because of the game playing of Ballem and Robertson, someone will die. Somewhere a mistake will be made and some poor kid or grandmother, or babysitter will lose their life because the city’s priorities are to over-pay their non-tendered pals’ companies, put a chicken in every garden and ram through a godamned bike lane on every main thoroughfare–and then some.

But whoever it is that loses their life won’t matter to Penny Ballem or Gregor Robertson.

Not unless the deceased voted Vision.

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