New standard recommended in response to high-wind damage to Canadian homes

A report from the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) recommends the development of a new national standard of Canada on wind resilience to mitigate residential and small building property damage resulting from natural disasters in Canada.

High winds contributed in part to most natural catastrophes recorded by the Insurance Bureau of Canada between 1983 and 2016. The May 2018 windstorm, for example, in southern Ontario and Quebec, followed by tornadoes in the National Capital Region in September 2018, caused close to $1 billion in insured losses, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantifications Inc.

Specifically, the report proposes measures for four major categories: roofs; walls and upper and lower storey connections; anchoring of the building to the foundation; and additional construction details such as garage doors. These measures could form the basis of a new National Standard of Canada, which governments could incorporate into regulation, which could be integrated in the National Building Code or to which builders could adhere voluntarily thus raising the bar for construction in Canada.

“Protecting residential structures will be aided by measures that have the biggest impact on structural safety,” said Paul Kovacs, executive director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.  “For example, roofs are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of high wind. Keeping roofs sound and well-connected to walls helps reduce structural failure and property damage, like that associated with intrusion of water.”

“Standardization is an important tool to protect Canadian communities from extreme weather,” said Chantal Guay, CEO of the Standards Council of Canada. “New guidance in this area is a much-needed enhancement to the infrastructure and building safety toolbox,” said Guay. “By collaborating with ICLR and SCC accredited standards development organizations, we are setting a foundation for a new national standard that will help protect Canadians and their homes during extreme weather events.”

Homeowners, builders, insurers and decision makers are well-advised to mitigate the risks of extreme weather events to property. The report is available for download on ICLR’s website and on SCC’s website.