BC Provincial Government Housing Policies 2023

[chowhou]

Big news day. The housing minister just announced that Single Egress Stairway (SES) buildings will be (partially) legalized in the fall.

https://x.com/KahlonRav/status/1806327384741658820

We’re leaving no stone unturned in our work to deliver more homes for people, faster. 🏡

In January, we commissioned a report to work with all partners on updates to the Building Code with Single Egress Stairs.

Today, I released that report:
👉🏾 http://shorturl.at/LSiL8

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The BC Building Code can evolve to support a different housing mix, so we’re looking to other jurisdictions on what is already working.

Single Egress Stair (SES) designs allow for better use of space and are already implemented in major cities like Seattle and New York.

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And we have to find ways to innovate to allow for more climate-friendly designs that employ passive cooling.

We’ve seen research from around the world that shows SES buildings can be designed to allow for more opportunities at natural cross-ventilation in apartments. 🔄

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The report shows SES builds can have risks mitigated through design:
✅Sprinkler systems
✅Four units per floor
✅Wider staircases
Only in communities with professional fire services.

This fall, we will be introducing code changes to allow SES.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iRdwXQb7CfM

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