Committee Mandate and Structure

The National Model Code Committee on Referenced Documents (NMCC RefDocs) has three main functions in its mandate: The first is to review updates of existing referenced documents, the second is to review and replace withdrawn standards and the third is to coordinate with other NMCCs on the review of newly proposed referenced documents based on whether other NMCCs have a priority subject under which these documents fall or whether they do not have a priority area in their mandate, in which case the NMCC RefDocs would be responsible and ask one of its TGs to review it (depending on the subject area). The Chair is Jean-Francois Coté from SOPREMA and the staff contact is Morched Zeghal.

The NMCC struck five Task Groups - based on subjects/disciplines much like the previous standing committees Use and Egress, Fire Protection and Hazardous Materials (Fire Code),  HVAC and Plumbing, Building Envelope, and Structural Design). NRC advised that there is no Task Group on Energy Efficiency and that the NMCC Climate Change Mitigation (NMCC-Miti) will take care of referenced documents.

First Meeting

This first meeting of the NMCC-RefDocs focused on a) introducing members to the new process and committee structure, b) the public review comments for the proposed change form (PCF) to update currently referenced standards in the 20205 codes (PCF 2096) and c) on the review of new code change requests that deal with referenced documents.

New Code Development Process 

NRC advised NMCC members that

• there is a "Process Review Request" which can be filed if NMCC members do not think the process was followed. They have 15 days to file such a request in writing with the Board.
• Harmonizing standard references falls under the NMCC Harmonization and not the NMCC RefDocs.

Members noted that the schedule and timing for the 2030 code development cycle is to tight that it leaves only 3 months for any errors to be fixed or confusing provisions to be clarified.  This is because the implementation of the 2025 codes through the provincial adoption might be as late as June 2027 and the last deadline for changes to go into the system for the 2030 codes will be October 2027.

Public Review  Comments

CHBA's public review comment (that standards are updated without consideration of cost and benefits and that Codes Canada did not independently estimate the additional cost of the 186 standard updates in the proposed change) allowed some general discussion about the concerns with the process used for updating standards. The NMCC approved the PCF without major revisions even though the Codes Board (CBHCC) advised the NMCC to review cost impacts of standards on a case-by-case basis if they were not previously considered and to take into account the impact of specific updated reference documents before recommending for publication. In other words, the NMCC did not act on this Board direction.

Code Change Requests of possible interest

Besides a number of CCRs suggesting to find replacements for withdrawn standards (e.g. many CGSB glass standards),  CCR 1824 may be of interest to members because it suggests referencing a Prescriptive Design Guide from the ICF Manufacturing Association, which could help reduce cost and offer more design flexibility when using ICF solutions. 

For more information, please contact mailto:Frank.Lohmann@chba.ca

Find the agenda documents for the NMCC-RefDocs below