Manitoba will adopt the 2010 national building codes, which include improved safety and energy-efficiency requirements plus universal design elements that will ensure improved accessibility. This announcement was made by Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard, minister responsible for the Office of the Fire Commissioner and minister responsible for persons with disabilities.
“We welcome the chance to make homes and buildings safer, more accessible and more energy efficient by working in partnership with industry,” said Howard. “When these codes are fully implemented, Manitoba will have the highest requirements for universal design principles that will improve the lives of people with disabilities.”
The changes are the result of extensive consultations by the Manitoba Building Standards Board and the Office of the Fire Commissioner and included input from stakeholders such as people with disabilities. Among the universal design principles that come into effect Jan. 1, 2012, will be:
• installation of assistive listening systems in large classrooms or theatres;
• installation of visual signals as part of fire-alarm systems;
• expanded requirements for accessible/universal washrooms; and
• improved barrier-free exit requirements.
Other changes taking effect April 1:
• greater protection to prevent falls from residential windows;
• new requirements for smoke alarm placement;
• mandatory installation of carbon monoxide detectors in buildings that require annual fire inspections (including child-care centres, schools and personal-care homes);
• requirements for home designers to consider protection against radon exposure;
• technical updates to plumbing that will accommodate the use of water-conserving appliances and fixtures; and
• requirements for heat detectors as well as smoke detectors will be required in residential buildings (motels, hotels, apartment buildings) that require installation of a fire alarm system.
