WHEREAS the provincial government building codes are to a higher standard than the Federal building codes; AND WHEREAS there is concern this discrepancy can impact health and safety: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to bring the federal building code to a standard which equals the provincial standards.
Minister of Industry Approximately every five years the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes CCBFC develops and updates Canadas national model codes to establish a set of minimum acceptable standards across the country. These codes are developed through an open, transparent and consensus-based process that benefits from the input of all stakeholders, including policy and scope advice provided by the ProvincialTerritorial Policy Advisory Committee on Codes. The resulting national codes are used as the foundation for the development of provincial and territorial codes. Regional governments are responsible for determining how they will be applied to their building regulations, adapting and modifying national codes to suit their specific and unique regulatory needs. It is expected that individual jurisdictions might deviate from the national code, given geographical and climatic realities, as well as societal needs unique to each province and territory. It is important to recognize that the national code only becomes enforceable after it is adopted by regional governments into an adapted version of their respective building codes for example, provincial, territorial or by other authorities having jurisdiction, such as municipal governments and other government agencies or departments. This approach supports regional governments in establishing codes and standards that best suit their local realities and requirements. Detailed information on the national model code development system, including the many opportunities for involvement in the process, can be accessed online at www.nationalcodes.nrc.gc.ca.