City Council set to vote on mandatory sprinklers
A motion passed by the executive committee last week making sprinkler systems mandatory in all new home dwellings is set to be voted on by city council on Wednesday.
The motion to create the bylaw was carried by council last week 7-2 in favour with Mayor Sandra Masters and councillor Jason Mancinelli voting against it.
“We've heard from industry on both sides but we haven't heard from residents and so when it comes to housing affordability, I do know that that is his number one issue for the City of Regina residents,” said Masters.
If passed by city council, the new bylaw will mandate sprinklers in all new residential buildings and mandating builders to give future homeowners an option to install a sprinkler system as part of their new building design.
New residential buildings include apartments, low-rise multi-family residential units, and one or two unit homes.
Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device
If the bylaw is passed by city council, it will need provincial approval before its official effective date of Jan. 1, 2023.
According to officials, in many communities that sprinkler systems are required, they have been mandated as an alternative to insufficient emergency response times and restrictive building requirements. However, sprinklers are not a substitute of a fire department response.
The Regina Fire Department said the best way to prevent a fire is to educate residents.
“One of our primary goals is to prevent those fires from happening before they even happen and that's you educating changing behaviours,” said Layne Jackson, Chief of Regina Fire.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has set the industry benchmark as the first arriving firefighting unit to structure fires at 6 minutes and 24 seconds 90 per cent of the time.
A study done within the Fire Master Plan includes a study period of 2017 to 2021 and shows the average response time to southeast area of Regina at seven minutes and 20 seconds 90 per cent of the time.
There is a high cost to having sprinkler systems installed in homes and apartments, starting at $4 dollars per square foot.
President and CEO of Regina & Region Home Builders Association Stu Neiburgall said they are not against sprinklers but the high cost that comes with it.
“There's so many more things that we could be achieving around safety and this one would certainly be at a lower priority,” he said.
Neiburgall added he believes the city should do its due diligence and look even further into the matter.
“Look at all the data, look at all the information, all the input, and really take a look at what would actually be achieved by such as such a motion?” he said.
Sprinkler systems would also have an impact on construction costs. A fire alarm system can cost upwards of $5,000 per building plus an additional $2,000 per unit in the apartment.
Currently apartment style buildings can be built 3-stories high without having sprinklers.
Swift Current is a city that has regulated sprinklers to their homes and it came with an additional cost of $10,000-$15,000 per home. The costs are similar to what is being estimated by the Regina & Region Home Builder’s Association.
Regina & Region Home Builders Association said they will be holding a rally outside of city hall Wednesday before city council begins their meeting.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.