Building and Development…

Building and Development Branch
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
777 Bay Street Toronto, ON M5G 2E5

Nov. 30, 2022

Dear Building and Development Branch,

Re: Proposed Changes for the Next Edition of Ontario’s Building Code (ERO #019-6211)

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on proposed changes to Ontario’s Building Code. I want to take a few minutes to urge you to include provisions that would reduce bird collisions with buildings, based on the Canadian Standards Association A460:19 Bird-friendly building design standard. This could significantly reduce the vast number of birds that die needlessly each year.

Millions of birds are killed by colliding with windows in Canada, despite the fact there are proven, affordable solutions to this problem. In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks funded the development of the Canadian Standards Association A460:19 Bird-friendly building design standard, which was later endorsed by the Ontario Association of Architects. However, the standard remains voluntary in Ontario. It should be mandatory.

Bill 23, the “More Homes Built Faster Act,” removes the authority of municipal governments to enforce green building standards. This will result in the discontinuation of bird friendly building design guidelines that have been adopted and enforced through site plan control by numerous municipalities across Ontario, including my home city of Ottawa as well as Ajax, Aurora, Brampton, Burlington, East Gwillimbury, Fort Erie, Guelph, King, London, Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Vaughan. The latest update to Ontario’s Building Code should include a harmonized approach to bird friendly building design under the A460:19 standard.

Please consider the benefits of incorporating strategies from the CSA A460:19 standard into the next edition of Ontario’s Building Code. Thanks for listening to my concerns.