Whereas the goal of Province of BCs report Accessibility 2024 is to make BC the most progressive province in Canada for people with disabilities by 2024; Whereas changes to the provincial Building Code will be necessary to reach the goal of the most accessible province in Canada: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of BC update the Building Code to ensure that enhanced accessible and adaptive standards are entrenched in the BC Building Code to reflect the increasing needs of a demographic that requires such standards; And be it further resolved that UBCM work with the Province to develop accessible community and visitable housing guidelines that local governments can incorporate into their Official Community Plans.
Ministry of Natural Gas Development and Responsible for Housing Government is committed to the goals in Accessibility 2024, including those for the building environment. As reported in Accessibility 2024s two-year progress update June 2016, the 2015 National Building Code includes new accessibility provisions which the Province is now reviewing, to allow for and to foster further Code development prior to adopting the next edition of the BC Building Code. The Province believes there is merit in examining accessibility and adaptability together, as the two matters are closely related. The Province introduced the Building Act in Spring 2015, with an objective to bring greater consistency to technical building requirements in the province. The Province is committed to balancing consistency with flexibility to address specific local needs, and demographic changes, and will continue to work with local governments to meet both Building Act and Accessibility 2024 commitments. In 2015, the Government, working with the Union of BC Municipalities, refreshed the Planning for the Future: Age-friendly and Disability-friendly Official Community Plans guidebook. The guidebook is designed to support local governments in making their Official Community Plans more accessible and inclusive.