HIRF Changes to the Building Code

In May 2008, Minister Danyluk approved 18 of the 22 recommended changes to the Building Code that were made by the Alberta Government's High Intensity Residential Fire (HIRF) working group. Alberta Municipal Affairs (AMA) was then tasked with the responsibility of determining the technical wording for these changes and on July 24, made a presentation to the provincial governments Building Technical Council (BTC) regarding the proposed wording. CHBA - Alberta staff and volunteer representatives participated in these discussions at BTC and after much discussion, the technical wording was accepted with a few changes.

The next step in the process will be an online public review of the technical wording for these 18 Code changes which will be posted on AMA's website early next week. CHBA - Alberta will be sending out a special email to members in regards to the web address of this online public review, and it strongly encourages members and local Home Builder Associations to convene their technical committees to review it and provide feedback to AMA via their online service within the month of August.

Safety Awards Call for Entries

Does your company strive to demonstrate a safe work culture? Get the recognition you deserve by entering for the CHBA - Alberta Safety Awards. Letters were mailed to CHBA - Alberta members calling for entries for this year's Safety Awards sponsored by ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric. The awards will be presented to builders and trade and supply partner members at BUILD 2008. Click here for submission requirements. Deadline for submissions is August 20.

UK Career Expos

Director of Skilled Labour Development, Kelly Hurford, recently met with Working In, a UK based company that focuses on recruiting British residents for employment in Canada. The company held Opportunities Canada Expos in Leeds and London, UK, in June 2008. These career expos provided Canadian employers, including the Government of Alberta, PCL, and Arpi's Industries Ltd. the opportunity to interact with over 9000 job seekers over the course of two weekends. At the London Expo, 20% of those in attendance held a trade qualification, with this number rising to 28% at the Leeds Expo. Employers taking part in the Expos had the ability to post job openings and receive resumes from registered career expo attendees via the Working In website for three months prior to each Expo.

The next Opportunities Canada Expos will be held in Leeds and London in November 2008. If you are interested in participating in the next Expo, or if you would like more information, please contact Kelly Hurford or visit the Working In website, at www.working-canada.com.

Building Code Errata

The 2006 Alberta Building Code was adopted on September 2, 2007 by provincial regulation. Since that time, Code users and safety codes officers have identified several typographical and technical errors in the document that needed to be revised, and re-issued in the form of an errata. An errata is defined as an error in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with its correction on a separate sheet. Alberta Municipal Affairs recently issued a Standata of this errata detailing the corrections and changes, which can be downloaded here.

It is recommended that Code users make note of these changes in their Code books.

Tall Walls Explained

Changes to wind and snow load criteria in the 2006 Alberta Building Code and the alternative solutions provided in the recently revised Tall Wall Guideline created by the Alberta Housing Industry Technical Committee, have prompted discussion among builders and safety code officers around the issue of connections between walls and gable end trusses stacked on a wall, particularly when using a scissor truss. The Alberta New Home Warranty Program has recently created an excellent bulletin that reviews these issues, and provides some guidance and resources to work with them. To download a copy of this bulletin, please click here.

Awards of Excellence Finalists Announced

Last week the finalists for the 2008 Awards of Excellence in Housing were released. This year there is a heavy competition from the following builders with three finalists each: Christenson Developments, Morrison Homes, Shane Homes/Creations by Shane Homes, Stepper Custom Homes and WestView Builders. For a complete list of finalists, click here.

The Awards of Excellence in Housing, presented by RBC Royal Bank honours the top builders and renovators from across the province during a special ceremony September 19 in Jasper and one builder will be recognized as the winner of the prestigious Ralph Scurfield Builder of the Year.

This year at the Awards of Excellence in Housing ceremony two powerful new sets of awards will be presented: the first annual J.D. Power and Associates awards for Highest New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction in Alberta and the Alberta New Home Warranty Program New-Home Buyers' Choice Awards™.

BUILD is Selling Out

Now that finalists for the Awards of Excellence in Housing have been announced it won't be long before BUILD'08 sells out. Now is your time to register for the four-day conference. Less than 50 spots remain and you won't want to miss the educational workshops, fascinating speakers, innovative trade show and more. BUILD takes place at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge September 18-21. Click here to begin the registration process.