DATE | PROVINCE OR JURISDICTION | ARCHIVED 2015 NEWS | |||||||||||||||
| 30-NOV-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | The
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has advised an Ontario
municipal building department that the Building and Development Branch
no longer provides opinions on code provisions. View the Ministry's e-mail. If the Building and Development Branch no longer provides advice on the Ontario Building Code to municipalities, it is unlikely that it will provide advice to other code users, such as: architects, engineers, other designers, and the general public. | |||||||||||||||
| 27-OCT-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | The
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued Ontario CodeNews
e-bulletin #240, dated October 27, 2015, to announce the launch of
the new online qualification and registration tracking system (QuARTS)
for building practitioners. With the new QuARTS, all transactions can be done online and paid for by credit card. The ministry’s website lists frequently asked questions and instructions for accessing the new QuARTS, including the new public registry. Since the Ontario government has not published Ontario CodeNews e-bulletin #240 on its website, CodeNews.ca will continue to publish the complete list of the government's Ontario Codenews Bulletins, issued in 2015, for convenience only. | |||||||||||||||
| 21-OCT-2015 | ALBERTA Electrical STANDATA | The
province of Alberta has announced that Alberta's Electrical Code
Regulation was recently amended by Alberta Regulation 126/2015. Changes
will take effect January 1, 2016, at which time the following codes
will be in force:
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| 20-OCT-2015 | ONTARIO Environmental Protection Act | The
Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change posted
an Ontario Regulatory Registry Notice, on October 20, 2015, that it is
interested in working with key stakeholders, including building
operators, conservation organizations, the development community and
municipal governments on what could be done to better protect
birds colliding with buildings that reflect light. The
Ministry will be discussing how to build on current best
management practices and complimentary tools to encourage bird-friendly
building design and operational practices. The government is proposing a draft regulatory amendment to exempt radiation (reflected light) emitted from buildings from requiring an Environmental Compliance Approval. This regulatory amendment will provide clarity to businesses and stakeholders that Environmental Compliance Approvals are not required for reflected light from buildings. The proposal is posted on the Environmental Registry. Comments on the proposal are due by December 14, 2015. | |||||||||||||||
| 20-OCT-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | The
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued Ontario CodeNews
e-bulletin #239, dated October 20, 2015, to announce that, in
preparation for the development of the next edition of the Ontario
Building Code, it has set November
30, 2015 as the cutoff date for the receipt of proposed changes to the
Building Code for consideration in the next edition. Any Code Change Request Forms submitted after November 30, 2015 will be logged for consideration at some future date but will not be considered for the next edition of the Ontario Building Code that is currently in development. Guidelines for making a Code Change Request and the Code Change Request Form can be downloaded from the Ministry's website. Since the Ontario government has not published Ontario CodeNews e-bulletin #239 on its website, CodeNews.ca will continue to publish the complete list of the government's Ontario Codenews Bulletins, issued in 2015, for convenience only. | |||||||||||||||
| 19-OCT-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | The
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued Ontario CodeNews
e-bulletin #238, dated October 19, 2015, to announce that, as part of
its modernization of the qualification and registration program,
the ministry will launch the new QuARTS on the October 26,
2015. The old QuARTS, including the public register, will not be available after October 19, 2015. BCIN-holders are requested to set up a ONe-key account before trying to enrol in the new QuARTS. Since the Ontario government has not published Ontario CodeNews e-bulletin #238 on its website, CodeNews.ca will continue to publish the complete list of the government's Ontario Codenews Bulletins, issued in 2015, for convenience only. | |||||||||||||||
| 15-OCT-2015 | CSA Group | The CSA Group is holding a public consultation on changes to a number of its standards and is inviting the public's comment on the following drafts:
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| 01-OCT-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | On
October 1, 2015, the Ontario Ministry of
Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that it will launch a new
QuARTS - the online
qualification and registration tracking system for building
practitioners - in late October, 2015, in order to provide easier,
more flexible options for registering
as a building practitioner. Once the new QuARTS is in place, all
transactions can be done online and paid for by credit card. Other new
features will include
Since the government has not published the full text of the announcement on its website, a copy of the letter from the Director of the Building and Development Branch has been posted on this site for convenience only. | |||||||||||||||
| 30-SEP-2015 | ONTARIO Technical Standards & Safety Act, 2000 | The
Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), in
consultation with the TSSA, is considering a revision to the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000,
to specify a 30-day time limit for appeals to a statutory director
regarding inspection orders or inspection-related seals or fees.
A copy of the MGCS letter to stakeholders outlining the proposed amendment is posted on the TSSA's web site. Comments on the proposed revision may be sent by e-mail, by October 20, 2015, to shranna Jaggernath at: shranna.jaggernath@ontario.ca . MGCS
has indicated that all feedback will be reviewed prior to preparing a
potential amendment for the government’s consideration. | |||||||||||||||
| 30-AUG-2015 | ONTARIO Technical Standards & Safety Act, 2000 Fuel Oil Code | On
August 7, 2015, the Ontario Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) announced
that it is proposing to update the safety requirements governing the
storage, handling, and utilization of fuel oil, diesel and
kerosene. The update will be through the adoption of the national
code published by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), CSA B139
Series-15, "Installation Code for Oil Burning Equipment." It is
proposed to replace the current CSA-B39ON-06, “Ontario Installation
Code for Oil Burning Equipment,” with the new CSA B139 Series-15, as
adopted and revised by the TSSA Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document (CAD),
2015. To submit comments on the proposed changes to both the TSSA Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document and the CSA-B139-Series 15, please fill out the TSSA Fuels Safety Docket Request Form and email it to fidrizaj@tssa.org before September 1st, 2015. A copy of the proposed TSSA Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document (CAD), 2015 is posted on the Ontario Environment Registry, under EBR Registry number 012-4543. | |||||||||||||||
| 17-AUG-2015 | QUÉBEC Code de construction du Québec | On
August 17, 2015, the Premier of Québec announced the availability of
the “Bâtiments de construction massive en bois d’au plus 12 étages -
Directives et guide explicatif” published by the Régie du bâtiment
du Québec, in close collaboration with experts
from FPInnovations. The title can be loosely translated into
the English language as: “Mass construction of wooden buildings up to
12 storeys - Guidelines and explanatory guide”. The Guidelines, in the French language, are available for free download. The Régie du bâtiment du Québec has advised that a wood building up to 12 storeys, that is designed and constructed in accordance with the Guidelines, does not require an equivalency approval from the Régie. The guidelines are intended to remain in effect until Québec’s Building Code is amended to specifically permit 12 storey wood construction. | |||||||||||||||
| 17-JUL-2015 | QUÉBEC Code de construction du Québec | The Régie du bâtiment has published a technical fact sheet
(available in the French language only) to clarify the requirements
for the certification of manufactured buildings, which are
contained in the new edition of the Québec Construction
Code. The new edition of Chapter I, Building, of the Québec Construction Code came into force on June 15, 2015. This new edition is based on the 2010 edition of the National Building Code, as amended by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec to include new requirements that meet the priorities and needs of Québec. An 18 month transitional period will allow projects started before December 15, 2016 to be constructed under the previous edition of the code. | |||||||||||||||
| 23-JUN-2015 | ALBERTA 2014 Fire Code | Alberta Municipal Affairs has issued a STANDATA titled: "Approved Guideline for Senior Citizen’s Lodge Fire Safety Upgrading – June 2015".
The purpose of this STANDATA is provide guidance for improved
fire protection and life safety in existing Alberta Senior Citizen’s
Lodges. Alberta Senior’s ministry has committed funds to upgrade fire and life safety in government owned/operated Senior’s facilities and is encouraging private owners/operators to upgrade their facilities. Alberta Seniors will use these guidelines to assess their Lodges for retrofit, involving a range of options from complete retrofit to the current code requirements, partial retrofit including sprinkler systems for occupied spaces based on the 1997 ABC, or new construction under the current codes where retrofit is no longer possible or cost effective. | |||||||||||||||
| 18-JUN-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued Ontario CodeNews e-bulletin #237, dated June 18, 2015, to announce that, beginning on June 20, 2015, all Building Code examinations willbe based on the Ontario Building Code, as it read on January 1, 2015. | |||||||||||||||
| 04-JUN-2015 | ONTARIO 2014 Code and Construction Guide for Housing | The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued Ontario CodeNews e-bulletin #236, dated June 4, 2015, to announce the availability of the 2014 Code and Construction Guide for Housing. This document is based on the 2012 Building Code Compendium and will be available for purchase from ServiceOntario. | |||||||||||||||
| 25-MAY-2015 | National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2011 CAN-QUEST version 1.0 | The latest Building and Plumbing Code Newsletter, edited by Joe Rogers, P. Eng., Nova Scotia's Building Code Coordinator has announced that: Natural Resources Canada has made CAN-QUEST version 1.0 available for free downloading. CAN-QUEST can be used to demonstrate performance path compliance with the NECB 2011. CAN-QUEST is recognized as the Canadian building energy simulation tool for modelling whole-building energy performance and compliance with the NECB 2011. A CAN-QUEST Modelling Guide is available upon request. For further information, please contact Patricia Lieu, Senior Officer,
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| 15-MAY-2015 | ONTARIO Draft Guideline for "Fire Safety During Construction of Mid-Rise Wood Frame Buildings in Ontario" | The
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has produced, in
conjunction with the Ministries of Labour and Community Safety and
Correctional Services, a draft guideline for "Fire Safety During Construction of Mid-Rise Wood Frame Buildings in Ontario", dated April, 2015, for consultation with representatives of selected organizations. The selected organizations (which represent a broad expertise from across the fire services, building and insurance industries, bargaining unit representatives and municipalities) were asked to submit comments on the draft guideline by May 15, 2015 and to take part in a meeting scheduled for June, 2015. It is expected that a final guideline to address fire safety during construction will be issued following these consultations. | |||||||||||||||
| 05-MAR-2015 | ALBERTA Building Code Fire Code Energy Code Section 9.36 - Energy Efficiency | Alberta
has announced that the 2014 editions of the Alberta Building Code and
the Alberta Fire Code based on the 2010 National Building and Fire Codes were adopted at the end of February 2015 by provincial regulation. The timelines for the Alberta codes are:
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| 11-FEB-2015 | ONTARIO TSSA Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document. | CSA
Group has announced that a new 2015 edition of the CSA B139
"Installation Code for Oil-burning Equipment" has been published
and is now available for purchase. The TSSA has advised that it has commenced its review of the new edition of CSA B139 and welcomes all comments and proposals to revise the current TSSA Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document. For further details, you may wish to contact Raphael Sumabat, P. Eng.via e-mail at: rsumabat@tssa.org | |||||||||||||||
| 05-FEB-2015 | ONTARIO Electrical Safety Code | The
Electrical Safety Authority is holding a
public consultation from Thursday, February 5 to Monday,
March 23, 2015 on proposed amendments to the Ontario Electrical Safety
Code. The 16 proposed amendments may be downloaded from the ESA website and include;
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| 02-FEB-2015 | MANITOBA Gas and Oil Burner Regulation | The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner posted Gas Burning Equipment Bulletin OFC ITSM 15-001 on its website on February 2, 2015. This bulletin provides clarification about the use of Viega MegaPressG press-connect fittings in the Province of Manitoba. | |||||||||||||||
| 30-JAN-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | An
18 page annotated version of the mid-rise combustible construction
amendments to the 2012 Ontario Building Code arising from O. Reg.
191/14 has been prepared by Alek Antoniuk. The document provides
a detailed line-by-line description of all Ontario Building Code changes
related to the mid-rise combustible construction requirements that came into effect on January 1, 2015 in Ontario. This document had been available only to clients of CodeNews Consulting Corp., Consulting Architect, since October 9, 2014 but is now availabe for download to all readers of CodeNews.ca. | |||||||||||||||
| 26-JAN-2015 | ONTARIO 2012 Building Code | 16 errata pages have been added at the beginning of Amendment Package #3 to the 2012 Building Code Compendium, This package now consists of the original 478 pages PLUS the new 16 errata pages. Code users cannot download the 16 errata pages only - the entire 4MB package of 494 pages must be downloaded. | |||||||||||||||
| 01-JAN-2015 | CITY OF VANCOUVER Building (Code) Bylaw | On
April 1, 2014, the City of Vancouver Council adopted the 2012 British
Columbia Building Code with additional requirements and revisions
specific to Vancouver, which takes effect January 1, 2015. The new Vancouver-specific requirements and revisions are available for download from the City of Vancouver website and should be viewed in conjunction with the 2012 British Columbia Building Code. | |||||||||||||||
| 01-JAN-2015 | NEW BRUNSWICK 2015 Building Code | The August 20, 2014 issue of New Brunswick's The Royal Gazette
published New Brunswick Regulation 2014-108, on page 59, to
designate "the National Building Code of Canada 2010 and any amendments
made to such code as the code referred to in any reference to the
National Building Code of Canada contained in any building by-law under
the Community Planning Act, with the exception of section 3.8, which is
replaced by the Barrier-Free Design Building Code Regulation -
Community Planning Act." This regulation comes into force on January 1, 2015. | |||||||||||||||