Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes

Established by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) develops and maintains Codes Canada publications. Members are selected from across Canada for their individual interests and expertise, rather than as delegates of any association or group, and with a view to providing broad technical and geographical representation. Meetings are normally held once a year in February and are open to the public. Guidelines for visitors attending these meetings are available on the Visitor policy page.

The Commission receives policy advice from the Provincial/Territorial Policy Advisory Committee on Codes, which is made up of representatives from the provincial and territorial ministries responsible for building, plumbing and fire safety regulation. It oversees the work of several committees and task groups and formally approves all model code documents and technical revisions prior to publication by the NRC. These committees include the following nine Standing Committees:

• Standing Committee on Earthquake Design
• Standing Committee on Energy Efficiency
• Standing Committee on Environmental Separation
• Standing Committee on Fire Protection
• Standing Committee on Hazardous Materials and Activities
• Standing Committee on HVAC and Plumbing
• Standing Committee on Housing and Small Buildings
• Standing Committee on Structural Design
• Standing Committee on Use and Egress.

Each Standing Committee is responsible for a code or sections of a code and related documents, such as user's guides, and advises the CCBFC on technical issues and recommended changes. Meetings are normally held twice annually in spring and fall. Annual work plans balancing the number of requests and priorities against time constraints, capacities and resources are prepared by each Standing Committee in the fall for approval by the CCBFC. The membership for each Standing Committee conforms to a matrix that provides for regulatory, industry, and general interest categories as well as equitable geographical representation.

Codes Canada provides technical and administrative support to the CCBFC and its committees. It also responds to inquiries and co-ordinates communication between the committees and NRC's research specialists.