Consultations are underway in the ongoing exercise to harmonize the Ontario Building Code with model national building, energy and plumbing codes. Several proposed provisions for the next version of Ontario’s code are now posted on the provincial Regulatory Registry for public comment until March 13.
Final publication of the 2020 model national codes has been delayed, but is slated to occur this year. It’s expected the updated Ontario code will be released in 2023 and come into effect in early 2024. An earlier stage of consultation, last fall, dealt with tidying up variations in the technical language in the two sets of codes, while this winter’s focus is on changes to be introduced in the new national codes.
“While the Building Code will change to be increasingly harmonized, and the code development process will change in accordance with the Reconciliation Agreement on Construction Codes under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, Ontario will continue to uphold high standards and leading practices for construction, and offer design flexibility through objective-based design solutions,” states the briefing document accompanying the proposed changes.
Proposed code changes are organized in 10 categories:
- Farm buildings
- Encapsulated mass timber construction
- Earthquake and structural design
- Accessibility
- Energy efficiency
- Fire safety and fire protection systems
- Safety glazing
- Plumbing
- Home-type care occupancies
- Other, including: stairs/ramps/handrail/guide design, use and egress; insulated concrete forms; and corrosion resistant ties
A third phase of consultation will occur later in 2022 to address Ontario-specific issues and/or other concerns that arise from public feedback.
