The Task Group on Single Egress (TG-SE) continued its review of proposed Part 3 provisions that would allow certain residential buildings to be served by a single exit. Participants included Codes Canada, provincial representatives, and supporting research teams.

The National Research Council (NRC) provided updates on ongoing work with Carleton University, including fire risk assessment, evacuation modelling, fire statistics analysis, and cost comparisons between single- and dual-exit building designs.

Working groups reported progress across several areas:

• Accessibility Working Group: Emphasized the need to assess single-egress buildings from the perspective of people with  disabilities, including challenges related to independent evacuation, wayfinding, smoke, and disorientation. The group plans to compare single- and two-exit building archetypes.
• Risk Assessment Task Group: Requested feedback on its Phase 2 report by July 27 to report back to the main TG.
• Building Maintenance Working Group: Continued reviewing code and fire code requirements, focusing on inspection and maintenance considerations.
• Fire Safety Task Group: Provided feedback on the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) report. CAFC is preparing a response and developing a national firefighter survey on operational and life-safety issues, targeted for distribution in September.
• Impact Analysis Working Group: Reviewed consultant-led cost analysis and discussed potential housing supply and urban planning benefits associated with single-egress designs.

Members also continued reviewing draft code change PCF 2271, which would permit single-exit residential buildings up to 18 m in height, subject to conditions such as sprinkler protection, enhanced fire resistance, smoke control measures, travel-distance limits, and occupancy restrictions. Agreement was reached on portions of the proposal, but discussions will continue regarding excluded occupancy types and next steps to possibly add a sentence to Part 9 linking back to the Part 3 requirements. A representative from British Columbia stressed that exclusions should be specified nationally to support harmonization across provinces.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 23, 2026.

For any questions, please contact Jack.Mantyla@chba.ca