Ontario Building Officials Association Annual Meeting and Training Session
Niagara Falls, Ontario
October 2, 2006
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Introduction
Good morning.
Thank you for that warm introduction.
And thank you for inviting me to your annual meeting in this very commemorative year for your association.
This is your 50th year of helping to ensure the safety of buildings across the province and, on behalf of the McGuinty government, I want to congratulate the association and its members for the important public work you do.
It’s good to see so many familiar faces again.
I also want to welcome the Large Municipalities Chief Building Officials Group.
I understand this is the first joint meeting of your two organizations.
And I have also been informed that the OBOA and the Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association (OPIA) have cross-appointed board members.
It’s great to see three groups come together to share common issues.
It’s only by working together that we can make significant strides in advancing Ontario’s building industry.
I would also like to recognize the former directors of my Ministry’s building and development branch, dating back to 1974. Thank you for joining us here today and for your work over the years.
Last year, I spoke to the OBOA in North Bay where I thanked the association for its assistance to the government during the implementation of changes to the building Permit system.
We are extremely grateful for the advice, help and support we received from your association.
The OBOA’s continued assistance in developing the Building Code examinations and delivering training courses was a significant boost to the entire building community.
2006 Building Code
This year also marks the first year of an objective-based Building Code for Ontario.
The new edition of the Code will, for the most part, take effect on December 31 of this year.
I’m sure many of you have attended one of the 15 information sessions about the new edition of the Code that ministry staff have conducted across the province.
We are pleased that, overall, more than 3,500 officials and practitioners have attended these sessions.
There is a lot of new material to cover in the 2006 Code — after all, it contains more than 700 new technical changes that relate to energy efficiency, small-care occupancies, barrier-free accessibility and small-scale residential construction.
Changes to facilitate the construction of small-care occupancies will enable seniors and Ontarians with disabilities to stay in their local communities.
Accessibility for all Ontarians is a priority for the McGuinty government, and the new edition of the Code has higher standards for accessibility than the current code.
This will make our province’s future built environment more inclusive and improve the lives of Ontarians with disabilities
It is a greener Code, with increased energy efficiency standards to help working families save on energy costs and cut energy consumption, and to help promote a culture of conservation.
And it is a Code with a new flexibility that will encourage the adoption of green technologies, such as solar heating and water reuse.
We believe, though, that the most significant change is the new objective-based format that is designed to spur innovation and boost competitiveness in Ontario’s construction sector.
This will help working families by keeping Ontario’s building industry strong.
The objective-based format will provide more information on why Code requirements exist. This will make it easier to interpret and apply the Code.
We have listened to the concerns of building officials, designers and builders, and we are phasing-in the energy-efficiency requirements to give the building industry time to prepare for the implementation.of the new Code.
Changes begin to come into effect at the end of this year, and improvements are to be phased in through to the end of 2011.
The McGuinty government understands that we have a responsibility to help industry meet any new requirements that we set.
That is why staff at my ministry’s building and development branch are working hard to update existing materials and prepare new technical Code training sessions that we will begin to roll out this fall.
The OBOA and the OPIA are important allies to us in delivering this training and I want to thank you in advance for the fine efforts your organizations always accomplish in carrying out these roles.
I know many of you may be wondering if the new Code and this supportive training will lead to a requirement for re-qualification.
I want to assure you that there will be no immediate requirement for re-qualification for building officials or designers.
The government is well aware of the efforts you and the rest of the industry have invested in demonstrating your knowledge of the Building Code.
We will be consulting with stakeholders this fall on an appropriate way to ensure that the hard work to get to this point is retained as the Code evolves.
I understand that self-governance is a goal that the OBOA has sought for many years.
Staff in my ministry is in discussions with your executive to understand the nature of your concerns, and I look forward to hearing the outcome of these discussions.
However, there is one irritant that some of you may be able to help us with: some municipalities are skirting the intent of Building Code streamlining changes by instituting Permit processes to thwart the regulated Permit review timeframes.
I have also asked the Building Advisory Council to review this issue and make recommendations to me in the near future.
Let me be clear: the construction industry represents close to 10 per cent of the provincial GDP, and I intend to act swiftly to maintain Ontario’s strong economy.
I should also mention that the Building Code Commission recently heard an appeal by a Permit applicant regarding Permit review timeframes and the commission ruled in favour of the Permit applicant.
Folks, while I am pleased that this dispute resolution process is available, it is not a substitute for the level of customer service that the public expects and deserves.
I realize this is a challenge to some municipalities, but we have to do better.
Four million more people will be living in Ontario by the year 2031 and not only so we have to manage this growth, but we have to do it quickly.
The changes to the building Permit system that Bill 124 brought about were intended to add certainty to the building process to expedite the developments we need, just as Bill 51 would add certainty to the planning process.
Planning Reform
As I have said before, my ministry is concerned with not only how we build, but where we build.
Both the McGuinty government’s Greenbelt and Growth Plans are helping to create a more certain future for the building and development industry … and our province.
And, if Bill 51 passes, municipalities will more clearly state their planning rules … they will have to keep planning documents up-to-date … and they will have to take into account the latest provincial policies.
We have also proposed reforms that will increase the clarity and certainty of the planning appeal process by clarifying the role of the Ontario Municipal Board.
I also want to update you on a few details of Bill 51 that we will be adjusting in response to issues that have been raised at standing committee hearings.
First, public open houses would be required only on several specific types of major planning applications.
Second, new evidence would be permitted at OMB hearings, but the Board could send matters back to council if they believe the new information would have affected council’s decision.
Finally, Bill 51 would only apply to new planning applications.
Conclusion
Sustainability is an important issue for the McGuinty government.
Our 2006 Building Code requirements for energy efficiency … our focus on protecting our greenspace and utilizing our brownfields … and our focus on aligning transit with growth are all aimed an ensuring we maintain a quality of life in Ontario that is second to none.
We are here as a government and enforcement officials, not only to make our present environment safe, healthful and prosperous … but also to ensure that those qualities that we are so privileged to enjoy in Ontario will be here for the generation looking after our province in 2031.
Ontario’s built environment is one of the safest in the world and the OBOA is fully deserving of the credit it can take for helping to make that a fact.
Together, as partners, we can help to ensure that future generations can also boast of that accomplishment.
Thank you.
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Cake Cutting Ceremony
I’m honoured to be chosen to take part in this ceremony.
Not only is it the OBOA’s 50th anniversary, but the 30th anniversary of the Building Code.
Time Capsule Letter
As many of you may know, I have been asked to pen a letter for inclusion in the time capsule that the OBOA has created to mark this occasion … and, which I understand, is to be opened in the year 2031.
Before I continue with the cake cutting ceremony, I would like to read it to you now:
“As Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2006, I am pleased to participate in the time capsule project of the Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA). It is an honour to have an opportunity to speak to future generations.
The year 2006 is an auspicious milestone for both the OBOA and the Building Code. As the OBOA celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding and the 30th anniversary of its incorporation, we at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Building Code.
Furthermore, 2006 also marks the release of Ontario’s first objective-based Building Code.
We believe that objective-based codes are the codes of the future, because they will encourage greater building innovation and flexibility of design.
As we move forward with the objective-based Building Code, we know that we are able to count upon the OBOA as a trusted ally to help us with its implementation, I note that the OBOA recently demonstrated its dedication and professionalism by its prompt and effective implementation of the changes to the building regulatory system brought about as a result of the Building Code Statute Law Amendment Act, 2002.
Our ministry is extremely grateful to the OBOA for its assistance in realizing this fundamental transformation of the building regulatory system.
Since its inception, the OBOA has played a significant role in promoting and ensuring building safety in Ontario.
In particular, over the past 30 years, the Association has been a vital partner with the ministry in advancing the goals of the Building Code.
These goals — public health and safety, fire protection, structural sufficiency, conservation and environmental integrity, and barrier-free accessibility — are important to the everyday lives of Ontarians.
The OBOA has also been tremendously important to the government in its work assisting in the development of the Building Code and other regulatory standards, promoting understanding and uniform interpretation of the Code, providing training and exchange of ideas and knowledge, and maintaining high professional standards among its members.
I am thankful for the excellent service the OBOA has provided to the people of Ontario over the past 30 years.
Moreover, I am confident that future readers of this letter will be able to say that not only did the valuable work of the OBOA continue, but that it also flourished over the intervening 25 years.
Congratulations to OBOA for reaching this important milestone. The Association has been a valuable partner in building a safe and prosperous Ontario.
I know that its work in this regard will continue and, as a result, Ontario will be an even better place to live and work in the future.”
I think that letter makes a fine lead in to this cake cutting ceremony.
