Last week, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and its partners released the “Bedford Report,” which examines the benefit of wood construction and the need for Ontario to allow these types of projects to move forward. BILD is calling upon the province to permit the construction of safe, affordable wood-frame buildings, a move that they believe could lead to more affordable options for homebuyers, while also adding more jobs throughout the province.

“It’s good urban planning, it’s safe and it’s good for future homebuyers in the GTA and across Ontario,” said Bryan Tuckey, BILD President and CEO. “We’re calling on the Ontario government to change the Code to allow for six-storey wood frame construction to help unlock the immense potential in neighbourhoods that have underutilized land on major avenues and corridors.”

The building code and wood construction

As per the current building code, developers are forced to limit any wood construction to four storeys or lower. Anything above four storeys leads to more costly building alternatives, such as concrete and steel. That cost, the group suggests, hurts homebuyers throughout the province. Six-storey wood construction offers a more affordable option, while also increasing the variety of living options on unique development sites.

“Mid-rise, six-storey, wood structures present the opportunity to build out our Avenues in a way that is compatible with low density residential neighbourhoods, and allows for an affordable new choice in the housing market. This is an essential initiative for our city,” said Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner for the City of Toronto.

The potential of wood construction

The move to six-storey wood construction may seem like a small one, but it directly affects both affordability and speed of construction - two issues that Toronto is currently experiencing. Other provinces, such as British Columbia, have approved wood construction up to six storeys, and developers are starting to build upon smaller, intimate sites because it’s more attractive financially.

“A simple policy change to the Ontario Building Code to permit woodframe construction up to six storeys will unleash massive private sector investment. It is a win-win solution for the community, the economy, and the environment that will create a new mid-rise housing market and help to achieve provincial and local planning goals,” said Paul Bedford, the report author and former City of Toronto Chief Planner.

Fire concerns with wood construction condos?

For obvious reasons, people consider wood a more significant fire hazard given the combustible nature of the material; however, according to a report commissioned by BILD and RESCON, that’s not exactly the case.

“The number of fire incidents does not increase just because buildings have more combustible material. 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,” said Richard Lyall, President of RESCON.

The current building code is set to be reviewed over the summer months. We are very excited to see if the Code is adjusted, and if so, what kind of impact it has on the affordability issue in Toronto.