Embedding Affordability in Canada’s National Building Codes: A Strategic Initiative by CHBA   

CHBA is leading a breakout group on ‘Affordability in National Codes’ under the Advisory Council on Harmonized Construction Codes (ACHCC). The group is driving efforts to embed affordability into Canada’s National Model Codes—an essential step toward making homes more attainable for Canadians. CHBA is championing changes to the national code development process that ensure new building regulations truly consider affordability implications. The group will propose key principles like cost-neutrality and introduce the concept of an affordability limit for each code cycle, and will recommend a requirement that the benefits of code changes have to outweigh their costs. They’re also advocating for more accountability for committees when describing the impact of future code changes. The ultimate goal of the recommendations is to establish affordability as a formal objective in the codes that shapes how homes are built. The next step will be to present the recommendations to the Advisory Council on Harmonized Construction Codes and to invite its members to provide feedback before the group continues refining its recommendations. For additional information, email Frank Lohmann.

Tech Essential Spotlight: Radon Awareness and Code Updates    

Early Adopter Webinar Series     

Shaping the Future: Technical Topics at Fall Meetings in Ottawa   

How to Get Involved and Stay Up-to-Date with National Codes    

The work for the 2030 National Building Codes is well underway. It includes 13 new National Model Code Committees (NMCC) and over 50 new Task Groups (TG), which CHBA staff attend regularly either as a member or observer. Due to the inordinate number of code meetings, CHBA has devised a strategy to prioritize the 50+ Task Groups. Significant priorities include subjects like housing supply, harmonization, climate change adaptation, embodied carbon, more renovation requirements, accessible dwellings, radon and energy efficiency. Once CHBA staff have attended a code meeting, they post their summary of the meeting to the Member Knowledge Centre under the “Building Code Meeting Brief” category. This is a valuable resource for members to stay informed about the latest developments in the rapidly evolving code cycle. Additionally, CHBA staff send out a bi-weekly email highlighting important code meetings. The email contains the date and time when meetings will be held and includes information on how to attend, why a member should attend and which CHBA tech staff to contact for each meeting. Please click here to manage your e-newsletter subscriptions and sign up for the bi-weekly Code Meeting Notification email. For additional information, email Alex Bols.

2020 National Code Intent Statements published   

Since 2010, the National Model Construction Codes have been structured using an objective-based format. This format includes clearly defined objectives and functional statements that outline how building components are expected to perform (functions) and what the code is trying to avoid (objectives). They are published in the codes and form an integral part of the objective-based concept. Another important element of the objective-based codes are the intent statements, which offer additional context and insight into the rationale behind each requirement, making them a valuable resource for code users – especially when considering alternative solutions. Members and CHBA staff participating in the code development system will occasionally review intents, functional statements and objectives, for example when discussing climate resilience and having to decide, whether a climate resilience measures is there to avoid the collapse of the building (high wind) or to keep occupants safe (overheating), which would have very different objective-based information. Members can now download the intent statements for the 2020 National Building Code, along with supplements, other codes and guides here at no cost. Members are encouraged to consult these intent statements, especially when preparing applications for alternative solutions. Click here to download the PDF versions of the intent statements. For further information, please email Jack Mantyla.

News Articles 

This section includes articles that you might find interesting. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of CHBA.