Whereas many communities are experiencing a crisis-level influx of homeless individuals and the existence of emergency shelters is critical to addressing the safety of people experiencing homelessness; And whereas due to the urgent nature of the need and the lack of suitable building stock in many communities, emergency shelters are frequently operating from buildings that do not meet the major occupancy classification requirements of the BC Building Code, nor the requirements of the BC Fire Code, placing local governments at risk of incurring liability if they do not enforce the codes and risking shutting down emergency shelters if they do enforce the codes: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province work with the Building Safety Standards Branch to establish some reasonable variances to the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code to enable emergency shelters to remain open.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Province recognizes there is a growing and pressing need for shelter spaces throughout BC, especially during the winter months. Shelters play a key role in homelessness prevention and response by providing people experiencing homelessness a safe place to stay overnight and address basic needs. For many, shelters are a key pathway out of homelessness through assessment and connection to housing options that best meet individual needs. Through BC Housing BCH, the Province continues to work to expand the offering of shelters across the Province so that all people in BC have access to these essential services. This includes working with local governments, communities, and operators on appropriate sites and addressing community concerns related to shelters. The Office of the Fire Commissioner administers and enforces the Fire Safety Act and its regulations BC Fire Code. Development of the BC Fire Code is managed by the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, within the Construction Standards and Digital Solutions Branch. Fire safety plan requirements, developed in cooperation with the local fire department and other applicable regulatory authorities, must be adhered to in emergency shelters. This can be achieved by either calling on local fire services that provide fire inspections to advise on fire safety planning for the facility, or by requesting the support of the Office of the Fire Commissioner during times of emergency. The BC Building Code and BC Fire Code regulations provide flexibility to allow for activities like emergency sheltering in non-residential buildings or facilities that were not originally designed for this activity. The BC Building Code is not intended to be applied unless there is permanent change to the occupancy of a building because the BC Fire Code and Fire Safety Act can be used to manage activities in buildings like emergency sheltering. As not all local government fire departments provide the same response times, service levels, or type of fire suppression service, buildings providing emergency accommodation must be evaluated by the building owner on a site-specific basis to determine if additional safety measures are needed as part of the fire safety plan. For example, if persons are sleeping in a building that was not designed to provide sleeping accommodation, the installation of additional smoke alarms andor a fire watch by trained staff for the duration of the activity can be considered as part of the fire safety plan.