A New Year, A New Code: Ontario Approves Taller Wood Construction

On January 1, 2015, the building industry will not only be celebrating the start of a new year, but also the introduction of a new building code that will allow for six-storey wood-frame construction in Ontario. Though gaining two storeys on wooden structures may seem insignificant, this milestone amendment will have far-reaching effects that will benefit Ontario’s economy and housing market while reducing our carbon footprint and generating new jobs for the province.

In May 2013, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), and Canadian Wood Council put forth an extensive report advocating for a change to the Ontario Building Code that would allow for six-storey wooden construction in the province. The revised code would “help unlock the immense potential in neighbourhoods that have underutilized land on major avenues and corridors,” stated BILD President and CEO Bryan Tuckey. This was also echoed by former City of Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford, author of the report, “Unlocking the Potential for Mid-Rise Buildings: Six-Storey Wood Structures.” Bedford wrote that midrise buildings would help fill in the gaps in areas that are already supported by infrastructure and transit systems. Small urban lots too small for concrete and steel condos could be filled with wood beam structures instead of townhomes, which do not provide the same population density. In this way, the amendment would help meet the demands of the ever-growing GTA, which welcomes up to 100,000 new residents every year.

In September, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Ted McMeekin approved the building code amendment. This change to the Ontario Building Code is expected to have a number of positive outcomes for both the province and homebuyers. Tuckey has outlined a number of benefits, touching on the economic, aesthetic, and environmental advantages. Firstly, the building code will allow developers to generate more affordable housing, giving homebuyers more options in future housing markets while also adding “vibrancy and character” to Ontario’s new neighbourhoods. Developers will also be able to reduce their carbon footprint and increase efficiency by working throughout the year. Lower material costs and faster construction means that the building of small-scale condos or offices will be up to 20% cheaper.

Secondly, the new code has the potential to boost Ontario’s economy. The increase in residential construction will generate more jobs and additional tax revenue that can then be put towards the province’s cities and towns. Additionally, in the last decade, Ontario’s forest industry has lost approximately 60 lumber mills and 45,000 jobs. The province’s forest industry will therefore benefit from the injection of funds as developers are able to use locally sourced natural resources to construct Ontario’s new homes and businesses.

Finally, Tuckey outlines how the amendment to the building code will facilitate the objectives of the GTA’s provincial growth plan, Places to Grow. This plan identifies areas, such as Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, as targets for growth and development “in a way that supports economic prosperity, protects the environment and helps communities achieve a high quality of life.”

The new code is based on legislation adopted in 2009 in British Columbia. The western province’s building industry and struggling forest industry lobbied for the new legislation that would allow six-storey wood structures. Since the code’s introduction, the province has experienced a surge in development and benefits from over 100 building projects and approximately 5,000 new housing and rental options.

At first, the new code generated some concerns about the increased potential for fire-related incidents. However, BILD and RESCON commissioned a report to investigate fire safety issues that may arise with increased use of combustible materials, namely wood, in construction. The data collected reveals that the number of fire incidents does not increase simply because buildings are constructed with wood and other combustible materials. “Our study found that data collected by the National Fire Incident Reporting System doesn’t show that fire incidents are related to the type of construction, rather to the use and occupancy of the building,” reports the President of RESCON, Richard Lyall.

McMeekin also discussed the firm safety regulations and measures that have been integrated into the new building code. Buildings will be required to include stairwells of non-combustible materials like concrete and steel, and roofs will be constructed from combustion resistant material. These measures, according to McMeekin, are among “the most rigorous in Canada.”

The new building code is a major milestone for Ontario’s building industry that will have far-reaching benefits for the province’s economy, housing market, and carbon footprint. Bryan Tuckey sums up the new building code best when he states that the code is simply “good urban planning, it's safe and it's good for future homebuyers in the GTA and across Ontario.”