Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on proposed changes to Ontario’s Building Code. I 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. By mandating bird-friendly building construction measures in the Building Code, Ontario could significantly reduce the large number of birds that die needlessly each year including a number of at-risk species.
The Building Code should be revised to incorporate the Bird Collision Mitigation Strategies from CSA A460:19, including the appropriate use of visual markers, specifications for window glazing and glass railings, and building-integrated structures. Implementing bird friendly design in new buildings typically represents a negligible increase in overall construction cost and does not impede development. By mandating bird-friendly building construction measures, Ontario could significantly reduce this leading source of bird mortality. In so doing, it could make meaningful progress on its stated goal of protecting species and supporting conservation efforts to preserve Ontario’s rich biodiversity as noted in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan.
The Ontario government's changes to the City of Toronto Act and Planning Act in Bill 23 “More Homes Built Faster Act” 2022 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.
We are the stewards of this planet and it is our responsibility to mitigate the negative consequences of our actions on other species great and small.