Alberta
Alberta will now allow wood-building construction for up to 12 storeys
From the Province of Alberta
Reducing red tape for wood-building construction
Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu announced the change Friday, as part of Red Tape Reduction Awareness Week.
While other jurisdictions in Canada, like British Columbia, currently allow for 12-storey wood construction, Alberta will become the first province in Canada to allow the practice province-wide.
“Not only will this decision support the forestry industry and land developers, it will provide affordability to homebuyers, bolster employment, and give Alberta a competitive advantage. We made this change knowing that mass timber products are safe and that these buildings will meet all necessary standards.”
Current Alberta and national building codes allow wood-building construction for up to six storeys, but the next edition of the National Building Code – anticipated for publication at the end of 2020 – will allow for the use of tall wood construction with fire-resistant material for up to 12 storeys.
Alberta will issue a notice – based on technical provisions developed for the next edition of the National Building Code – to allow early use of tall wood or mass timber construction for up to 12 storeys using fire-resistant material in time for the upcoming construction season.
“We commend the Government of Alberta for advancing the use of wood-building construction of up to 12 storeys with this province-wide variance. By building with products that are made locally, we are supporting thousands of jobs in small communities and large cities throughout the province. From people working in sawmills, to value-add facilities, to jobs in construction and transportation, everyone benefits from this change. Moreover, because wood is fully renewable and has a low carbon footprint, our environment benefits, too.”
New technology makes taller wood construction feasible
Advancements in fire-protection and wood-product technology are allowing for the construction of taller wood buildings without compromising safety.
The building codes will require tall wood buildings to be built as encapsulated mass timber construction, where the solid or engineered wood has been surrounded by fire-resistive material. Buildings of mass timber construction will also be fully sprinklered.
“BILD Alberta is excited to see the Government of Alberta take steps to modernize construction, reduce red tape and address environmental needs by allowing innovative techniques to deliver the homes and buildings people need. This provides our industry and member companies with more options in meeting the housing affordability needs of Albertans.”
Quick facts
- Wood buildings taller than six storeys have been built in Vancouver (University of British Columbia’s 18-storey Brock Commons), Europe, the United States, and other jurisdictions around the world.
- Mass or laminated timber has excellent durability and seismic, fire, and acoustic safety performance.
- The encapsulated mass-timber construction component of the 2020 National Building Code has already been reviewed by the National Building Code committees and fire-safety specialists, structural engineers, architects, scientists, and builders.
Economic impact of tall wood buildings
- Potential to create about 60 jobs per construction site and up to 400 jobs per new sawmill and production sites.
- A growth in demand for lumber, for example, 100-million board feet, about $40-million worth of lumber, is the equivalent to about two mills the size of Boucher Bros Lumber.
Minister Madu tours Western Archrib with (L-R) Paul Whittaker, Scott Fash of BILD, Dale Beesley, Municipal Affairs, and Andre Lema, of Western Archrib.
Canada and Alberta’s new net-zero energy deal is being promoted as progress, but it also brings rising costs. In this video, I break down the increase to Alberta’s industrial carbon price, how those costs can raise fuel, heating, and grocery prices, and why taxpayer-funded carbon-capture projects and potential pipeline delays could add even more. Here’s what this agreement could mean for Canadians.
Watch Nataliya Bankert’s latest video.
Alberta’s government will introduce a motion under the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act to defend law-abiding firearms owners.
A new motion under the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act will, if passed by the legislature, instruct all provincial entities, including law-enforcement agencies such as municipal police services and the RCMP, to decline to enforce or implement the federal gun seizure program. The motion also makes clear that Albertans have the right to use reasonable force to defend themselves, their families and their homes from intruders.
This builds on the steps Alberta has already taken to reduce crime, strengthen public safety and assert provincial jurisdiction over firearms. This includes passing the Alberta Firearms Act to establish the Alberta Chief Firearms Office, along with the Alberta Firearms Regulation and the Seizure Agent and Provider Licensing Regulation.
“It’s time for Ottawa to stop targeting the wrong people. Albertans have the right to protect their homes and their families. No one should hesitate to defend themselves when faced with a threat at their own doorway. Law-abiding citizens, hunters, farmers and sport shooters are not the source of violent crime, yet the federal government wants to confiscate their property while illegal guns pour across our borders. Alberta will not stand by while responsible gun owners are treated like criminals. This motion is about using every legal tool we have to protect their rights, uphold public safety and push back on federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction.”
“When someone breaks into your home, the law recognizes that you have enhanced rights to protect yourself and your family. Alberta is making that principle unmistakably clear: lawful, reasonable self-defence will be respected, not criminalized.”
“As an experienced former law enforcement officer, law-abiding gun owners have never been an issue, in my own personal experience, nor has there been any data to support that law-abiding gun owners are the ones that are committing violent gun crimes. The illegal guns that you see being used by criminals are typically being smuggled in from the United States. The federal government should help us strengthen the border, helping us to stop illegal guns from coming into Canada. This would further enhance safety and security for the people of Alberta and Canada as opposed to going after lawful gun owners.”
Under the Alberta Firearms Regulation, municipalities, law enforcement and police commissions must obtain approval from Alberta’s Minister of Justice before accepting funding to participate in the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.
“Misguided federal initiatives such as the handgun transfer ban and the Order in Council firearms prohibitions of 2020, 2024 and 2025 have had a devastating impact on the safe, legitimate activities of the firearms community and the businesses that support it, while having no discernible effect on criminal activity. I am proud to see that the Alberta government is pushing back and supporting lawful firearms owners through these measures.”
“Licensed gun owners and all Albertans can rest assured that their government, under the leadership of the UCP, is laser focused on protecting law abiding citizens while prioritizing real public safety.”
“The Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association will continue to support our government and the Alberta chief firearms officer in our joint quest to use safety training and education as the key tools to ensure we have safer streets and communities. Safe and responsible use of firearms in Alberta is a key part of our heritage, culture, and our rich and precious heritage.”
Key facts:
- Pursuant to the Attorney General’s recent guidance protocols, Alberta’s prosecutors will decline to prosecute offences under the federal gun seizure program when it is not in the public interest.
- The Attorney General’s recent guidance protocol directs prosecutors to not prosecute home defence offences when it is not in the public interest.
- Total spending on the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program is expected to exceed $750 million.
- The firearms motion considers the Alberta Bill of Rights, the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Criminal Code.
- Currently 10 per cent of adult Albertans are licenced to use and own firearms. There are 381,900 firearms licences in Alberta.
- Alberta has 638 licensed firearms businesses, 138 shooting ranges and 91 shooting clubs.
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