Whereas the Province of British Columbia announced updates to the BC Building Code in 2023, effective March 8, 2024, which requires that all new residential buildings provide at least one living space in each dwelling unit designed to remain at or below 26C; And whereas this measure aims to protect health and comfort in extreme heat conditions, marking a step toward climate-resilient, thermally safe housing for new builds across the province; And whereas in response to rising temperatures and an increase in extreme heat events, a right to cool for residents to access indoor cooling solutions to safeguard their health and comfort has emerged as an essential component of housing policy, particularly for individuals living in multi-unit residential buildings, where access to adequate active or passive cooling systems may be restricted by strata bylaws or structural limitations: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government to amend the Strata Property Act to recognize and enshrine a right to cool as a fundamental right for residents of strata and multi-unit residential buildings to access cooling solutions, including the installation of air conditioning or heat pumps or passive cooling approaches without unreasonable restrictions from strata corporations; And be it further resolved that the Province likewise recognize a right to cool as an essential component of provincial housing policy, including but not limited to creating provincial incentives for strata owners to install heat pumps and other cooling measures to ensure that climate-resilient, thermally safe housing is available for all residents of British Columbia.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs With climate change and hotter summers in many areas of British Columbia, it is important for housing providers, including strata corporations, to improve access to cooling by reducing unnecessary barriers. The Strata Property Act currently allows strata corporations to approve alterations and create bylaws that govern the installation of cooling systems. The Province encourages strata corporations to carefully review their bylaws and rules to help protect residents health and safety from the risks of indoor overheating. Strata corporations must also comply with BCs Human Rights legislation, which includes a duty to accommodate residents with a disability to the point of undue hardship, including those with heat-related conditions. BC has approximately 34,000 strata corporations, with considerable variation in building type, size, age, and materials. Some types of cooling and heat mitigation measures may not be suitable for all buildings. The Province must carefully consider policies that may impact different buildings differently, and strata councils need flexibility to consider the circumstances that apply to their strata corporations. To support cooling measures, the Province has introduced several initiatives. As of December 6, 2023, the Strata Property Amendment Act Bill 22, 2023 requires strata corporations with five or more lots to obtain an Electrical Planning Report to assist in managing electrical capacity and new demands on electricity, including future demand for cooling. The BC Building Code 2024 also now requires all new homes to provide one living space that must not exceed 26 degrees Celsius 79 Fahrenheit. In July 2025, the Province also launched, the Better Homes Energy Savings Program Condo and Apartment Rebate, which provides rebates of up to 5,000 for high-performance electric heat pumps in individual suites in multi-unit residential buildings, with additional BC Hydro rebates available.