Letter from Minister Ravi Kahlon regarding Recent Changes to the BC Building Code

April 25, 2025 Reference: 184648

His Worship Sid Tobias Mayor, Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Avenue Victoria BC V9B 1A6 Email: mayortobias@viewroyal.ca

Dear Mayor Sid Tobias:

Thank you for your correspondence of February 5, 2025 regarding recent changes to the BC Building Code that permit apartment buildings up to six storeys to be constructed with only a single egress. I appreciate reading your concerns and understanding your reasons for opposing the change. Our government is committed to exploring all ways that we can help enable the delivery of safe, accessible, and affordable housing across British Columbia.

Single exit stair (SES) buildings support gentle densification and delivery of innovative housing solutions provided adequate fire services and where adequate water supply are available for life safety systems. Prior to developing the SES code language, the Ministry engaged a fire engineering firm to provide options to enable SES buildings. The final Single Egress Stair Building Designs: Policy and Technical Options Report, released June 2024, specified safe technical code solutions to mitigate risks. You can read the report in full here: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/construction-industry/building-codes-standards/bc-codes/innovation#ses

The SES code language the Ministry developed requires specific fire safety measures including sprinklering, hold open devices, smoke management systems, floor occupancy limits, and wider stairwells. Safeguards also include a maximum limit of four units per floor and a maximum travel distance of six metres from any dwelling unit to the exit stairs. There are also notes to the code language which detail that SES buildings should only be proposed where an adequate fire service is able to assist occupants in egress from buildings and where adequate water supply is able to supply automatic sprinklers. These requirements mean that SES buildings have more safety features than many existing buildings across the province.

SES buildings are not appropriate for every community in British Columbia, which is why the changes to the BC Building Code provide guidance to local governments on the assumed service level, equipment, and water supply that should be available to their fire services before approving SES buildings. The experience of neighbouring jurisdictions, such as Seattle, who have adopted similar code language, shows that SES buildings can deliver innovative housing when supported by highly skilled fire departments like those in many parts of British Columbia.

In 2025, staff in my Ministry, working with the Office of the Fire Commissioner, will re-engage with the fire service community to develop additional guidance for local governments on the necessary equipment, training, and levels of service required from fire services to support SES buildings in their communities. This will support a building regulatory system that is well-equipped and well-trained to enable SES buildings where adequate fire services and water supply exist.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

Ravi Kahlon Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs

CC: Council, Town of View Royal