Ontario engineer pleads guilty to cast document offence on P.E.I.

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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — An Ontario-primarily based engineer has pleaded guilty to knowingly causing the Town of Stratford to act on a cast P.E.I. licence to practise stamp as if it were being authentic. 

Hussein Ismail Makke, 33, of Ottawa, Ont., appeared in P.E.I. Supreme Court docket by movie on Oct. 3 and pleaded guilty to the cost. Makke is not at this time getting held in custody.

Assertion of specifics

In accordance to an agreed assertion of information, on April 15, 2018, Makke compensated $580 for an software for a licence to practise engineering in the province to Engineers P.E.I. for solutions on a one particular-time task that involved two, four-device condominium townhouses in Stratford. On May 15, 2018, Makke acquired a temporary certification of licence from Engineers P.E.I. for the remainder of that calendar year expiring on Dec. 31, 2018. Makke also acquired a 2018 licence to practise stamp from Engineers P.E.I. 

The Town of Stratford necessary the development business – Whitestone Construction – to have the building options approved by a structural engineer to affirm that they complied with the Nationwide Constructing Code prior to occupancy permits getting issued. Whitestone Construction retained Makke to approve the making strategies so the occupancy permits could be issued.

In October and November of 2018, and two times in March 2019, Makke was contacted by Engineers P.E.I. about renewing his licence for 2019 but he did not reply.

As a result, Makke did not have a 2019 licence to practise stamp from Engineers P.E.I. when he certified structural options for the condominium job on July 5, 2019. Rather, Makke utilised his 2018 stamp and altered the ‘8’ in the year to a ‘9’ to make it show up valid for 2019. 

Grievance

On March 29, 2021, Engineers P.E.I. acquired a criticism from just one of the condominium owners. Whilst investigating the grievance, Engineers P.E.I. decided that Makke made use of a cast stamp to inaccurately replicate 2019 on files that ended up submitted to the Town of Stratford that had been relied upon for obtaining the occupancy permits for the job.

When contacted by Engineers P.E.I., Makke explained he was in great standing with his Ontario licence and he had only a single challenge on P.E.I. that was remaining concluded. 

“I imagined the stamp would be professional-rated for the time (as the challenge was established to be comprehensive prior to the time it essentially was),” Makke is quoted as stating in the agreed assertion of points.

Makke then apologized for the “mishap” and claimed he would “be happy to pay back all exceptional expenses.”

Suspension

Engineers P.E.I. reported the matter to the RCMP as well as to Specialist Engineers Ontario. Makke went by a disciplinary method in Ontario that resulted in him agreeing to a three-month suspension. 

Crown lawyer Bridget Morriscey stayed a 2nd demand alleging that Makke knowingly applied the cast licence to practise stamp as if it have been genuine.

Defence law firm Scott Barry’s ask for that a pre-sentence report be prepared for Makke was granted by Justice Nancy Crucial. Pre-sentence reviews explore an offender’s track record information and facts and private circumstances to support the courtroom.

Important adjourned the issue to Feb. 13, 2024, for sentencing submissions.

Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He can be attained by e mail at [email protected] and can be followed on X @terry_mcn.