Premier John Horgan was at Structurlam in Okanagan Falls last week to announce that B.C. will be the first province where wooded-framed buildings can be constructed up to 12 storeys tall. (DAN WALTON / ABERDEEN PUBLISHING)

By Dan Walton

Aberdeen Publishing

B.C. will be the first province where wooded-framed buildings can be constructed up to 12 storeys tall.

The previous limit was six storeys. Premier John Horgan was at Structurlam in Okanagan Falls last Wednesday to announce the changes.

“We have a dwindling fire basket,” he said. “We have less wood than we did 20 years ago. So if we’re going to continue to be a province that depends on forestry, which we will be, we need to make sure we’re adding more value, not more volume to our production.”

Wooden frame buildings can be built faster, cheaper and are more resistant to earthquakes.

“When we show what we can do with engineered wood products like mass timber products developed here, I think the export potential is significant to areas where seismic activity is a concern,” he said, mentioning Japan as a valuable customer.

The 12-storey regulation will be standard in Canada’s national building code, but that won’t be announced until next year. Provincial governments will sometimes study regulation changes further before implementing them, but in British Columbia, that was done in advance.

Horgan cited the success of Brock Commons in Vancouver, which is the world’s tallest wooden-frame structure at 18 storeys.

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When it comes to concerns about fire safety, Horgan acknowledged that most fire departments don’t have the hardware to reach 12 storeys high.

“When you’re going beyond the capacity of local firefighters you want to make sure the product is the same, factors in place to ensure that fire’s not going to be an issue.”

Furthermore, the decision to allow the construction of such buildings must first be approved by local governments.

Compared to steel buildings, the use of more wood will help B.C. reach its carbon reduction goals, Horgan said. And with a lesser price tag and faster assembly time, he expects the changes to have a positive impact on the province’s high demand for housing.

“Just wins everywhere we go.”

The Premier also answered a question about a national park reserve in the South Okanagan at the announcement.

“My view is, the community is behind this and we should be moving as quickly as possible to open up potential opportunities for more economic activity in the region,” he said.

“We’ve been aware of this for sometime. I know I support the community’s drive to have a national park. There’s been extensive consultation trying to protect and preserve ranching values, ensuring that tourism values are maintained. The community is very close to final decisions on that.”

He said the province will back the community in what decision is made.

Premier John Horgan visited Okanagan Falls last week where he addressed the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan. (DAN WALTON / ABERDEEN PUBLISHING)