WHEREAS Canada is a signatory to the Kyoto Accord, and is carrying out a number of initiatives and incentives to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and promote energy conservation; AND WHEREAS energy efficient housing construction would be a significant contributor to energy conservation at relatively low cost, and the R-2000 construction standard has been developed as a voluntary program to improve energy efficiency in housing construction; AND WHEREAS the Province is developing a new British Columbia Building Code based on the new 2005 National Building Code: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the provincial government engage the Home Builders Association in discussions to include the R-2000 construction standard as an option in the proposed new British Columbia Building Code.
Ministry of Forests and Range and Minister Responsible for Housing The Ministry of Forests and Range has regular meetings with key stakeholders, including the Union of British Columbia Municipalities UBCM and the Canadian Home Builders Association CHBA, on building policy issues. These issues include the impact of a range of conservation-related initiatives that influence safety in the design, construction and occupancy of buildings. Energy efficiency proposals, such as insulation of residential buildings, are commonly discussed at these meetings. In addition, the Ministry Responsible for Housing is working with colleagues in the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources on potential initiatives that could help the Province of British Columbia Province reach goals identified in the Government of British Columbias Energy Plan. Again, this includes discussion on issues encapsulated by the R2000 program. It is our understanding that Union of British Columbia Municipalities UBCM delegates also endorsed Resolution A1, Liability Limitation Period, which has a significant impact on local government building departments. This resolution was raised at the Building Policy Advisory Committee by the UBCM representative. While this is directly under the mandate of the Ministry of Attorney General MAG, liability and risk is a key part of the Modernization Strategy being led by the Office of Housing and Construction Standards OHCS. Discussions continue in both the MAG and OHCS arenas.