Jan. 8, 2006 - Green Party of Canada Response

Jan. 8, 2006
Green Party of Canada Response to Canadians for Properly Built Homes (CPBH) - related to issues raised by CPBH for Federal Election

1. Revisions required to the National Building Code
The Issue :
The Federal government funds the development of model codes through the National Research Council*, which is overseen by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC). CCBFC oversees production of the model National Building Code. This model sets out minimum requirements addressing safety, health, accessibility and building protection.

However, new home construction falls under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. Most provinces and territories have passed legislation adopting either the National Model Building Code, produced by the CCBFC, or variations that include provincial and territorial additions, exemptions, or amendments.

*The National Research Council is an agency that reports to Industry Canada .

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position:
Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling for the Federal government to revise the National Building Code to help ensure that all homes are safe, healthy, durable and energy efficient. Examples of specific revisions required include: improving indoor air quality, establishing longevity standards and improving energy saving requirements.

Improving indoor air quality - Canadians spend an average of 90% of their time inside, and our homes may contain substances that may be hazardous to our health, e.g., mould, carbon monoxide, chemical omissions from building materials, etc. Canadians require enhanced requirements in the National Building Code to help ensure that indoor air quality in new homes is acceptable.

Establishing longevity standards - Since Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) got out of the business of inspecting during construction in the 1980s, new housing quality has sunk to what many Canadians now call "disposable" housing. Longevity standards will help to address this issue.

Improving energy saving requirements - Residential heating and cooling accounts for approximately 10% of all energy used in Canada . Canada has an opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of energy used in new home as the technology is available, at an affordable cost. University of Toronto paper.

However, governments have been reluctant to impose more stringent requirements on builders relating to energy efficiency. For more information, please refer to: http://www.canadiansforproperlybuilthomes.com/html/energy_efficiency.html

Unfortunately, Natural Resources Canada seems to be primarily focusing on its goal of all new homes built having an ENGH 80 level of energy by 2010. Given that there are more than 200,000 housing starts in Canada annually, using this conservative annual estimate and projecting out to 2010, this means that there will be more than one million new homes in Canada's housing stock built from 2005 to 2010, and given current Codes and practices, the majority of these will continue to be very energy inefficient. This is simply unacceptable.

GPC response:

The Green Party of Canada is committed to meeting Canada's Kyoto Protocol targets. Improving the quality and energy efficiency of our homes is an essential part of our strategy to meet those targets. Updating the National Building Code to require new homes are built with current best practices for design, construction, insulation(R2000), heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) is the most effective way to ensure Canadians live and grow up in a safe, healthy and efficient indoor environment.

GPC Platform 2006 - Page 27
161. Expand R-2000 housing programs, ensure that new housing meets the standard, and offer tax incentives to owners who are willing to renovate existing housing to meet the standard.

2. Builder Rating System

The Issue:
For most Canadians, the purchase of a home is the largest purchase they make. While there are many good builders in Canada , thousands of homeowners from various regions of Canada have been devastated health-wise and financially by poor quality home construction.

In Canada, practically anyone can call them self a builder. An official with the Canadian Home Builder's Association estimated the number of problem builders in Canada at 10%. Canadians for Properly Built Homes has received other estimates of problem builders in Canada in the 20 - 25% range. However, currently, there is no objective, reliable information source relating to builder performance that is available to consumers when they are making their purchase decision.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position:
Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling for the Federal Government to take the lead in developing a national builder rating system that rates builders based on actual builder performance, with input from both homeowners and municipal and/or Registered Home Inspectors (RHIs), and to provide the results to the public. It is critical that in addition to feedback from homeowners, input to this rating system be provided by municipal and/or Registered Home Inspectors (RHIs), as most homeowners are lay people and may not be able to recognize serious building issues such as Building Code violations.

Not all builders are equal. To make an informed decision as to which builder to choose, this rating system is imperative for consumers.

GPC response:

Effective methods of monitoring and enforcing building standards need to be incorporated into the National Building Code. Inspection is a necessary part of implementing standards and sufficient resources to do so need to be allocated to CMHC. The results of all government inspections and summary reports of builders' compliance records have to be published and accessible to home buyers, owners, and consumer groups.

GPC Platform 2006 - Page 27
163. Improve support for community based self-help groups, social service agencies, independent living centres and advocacy projects.

3. Affordable housing: Ensuring public funds produce properly built homes and go beyond the minimum of applicable Building Codes.

The Issue:
Many Canadians are in need of affordable housing, and the Federal Government is responding by committing public funds for affordable housing initiatives. While this is a positive step, simply providing the funding is not enough - the Federal Government must also ensure that these public funds are well spent, and that these homes are properly built at the outset, and remain affordable in the long term.

While there are many good builders in Canada , unfortunately, there are many serious problems, e.g., Code violations, being experienced in many of the new homes being built today.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position:

Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling on the Federal Government to work with the provinces/territories and municipalities and ensure that public funds used for affordable housing produce new homes that are properly built at the outset, and go beyond the minimum standards of applicable Building Codes to ensure these homes are durable and affordable in the long term. All Canadians, including those in need of affordable housing, deserve a safe and healthy place to live.

Given the state of affairs in the new home industry in Canada , as a general policy, CPBH encourages new homeowners to consider retaining a Registered Home Inspector (RHI) to act on their behalf by inspecting their new home, prior to their taking possession. We are now encouraging the Federal Government to take the same precaution related to new affordable homes. Indeed, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is currently working with the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI*) to develop a program called the PreDelivery Inspection (PDI) Protocol, and we urge the Federal Government to ensure that these new affordable homes participate in this PDI protocol program once it is available. While these PDI inspections will not guarantee that a new home is properly built at the outset, e.g., as many problems can be hidden behind the drywall, given the number of problem builders operating in Canada , this PDI protocol could be an important safeguard for consumers.

*One of the reasons CAHPI was formed was to oversee a uniform national standard of competency for the private home inspection industry. For more information on this, go to the CMHC web-site and refer to product 63547, technical series 04-112: Canadian home inspectors and building official national initiative phase two: Development of national certification and accreditation models.

GPC response:

Insuring the quality and energy efficiency of affordable housing is even more important because it is an investment of public funds and the residents of these homes have fewer options when burdened with an unhealthy and inefficient home.

GPC Platform 2006 - Page 27
160. Reorient Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs to provide credit and loan guarantees to non-profit housing organizations and cooperatives for the building and restoration of quality, energy-efficient housing for seniors, people with special-needs, and low income families.

4. National study on health effects of improperly built homes and their impact on Canada's health care system.

The Issue:
Negative health effects of improperly built homes are well known, e.g., headaches, asthma, allergies, sick building syndrome, carbon monoxide poisoning, and even death.

And while changes in building materials and building technologies are being developed on an ongoing basis, and at a relatively rapid pace, the impacts of these new products and technologies on the health of Canadians are not known. Indeed, according to CMHC, the last significant survey was in 1988 by Health Canada on self reported incidence of moisture and mold in Canadian housing.

California recently conducted a study of Indoor Air Pollution, and the resulting costs on its health care system are staggering. It is long overdue for the Canadian federal government to conduct a study on the impact of improperly built homes on the health of Canadians, and their impact on Canada 's ailing health care system.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position: Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling for the Federal Government to conduct a national study on the health effects of improperly built homes and their impact on Canada 's health care system.

GPC response:

The quality of our environment is fundamental to Green Party policy, this includes indoor environments in which Canadians spend the majority of their lives. In addition to proper insulation and ventilation practices, the type and quality of construction materials have a significant impact on our health. Our platform calls for the aggressive reduction of chemicals in consumer products and our environment with a series of proposals.

GPC Platform 2006 - Page 5
A1. Toxicity
1. Eliminate the use of the most toxic chemicals by 2008.
2. Prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes.
3. Make industry accountable for its chemicals and impose significant pollution taxes on harmful chemicals until they can be eliminated.
4. Regulate chemicals in consumer products through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
5. Mandate a CEPA task force to focus on pollution reduction in the Great Lakes basin.
6. Create a Clean Canada Fund to clean up toxic sites.
7. Re-focus the Canadian Environmental Protection Act on pollution prevention.
8. Ban the incineration of imported toxic waste.

5. Consumer Consultations related to Housing Policies
The Issue:
The purchase of a home is the largest single purchase made by most Canadians. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of consumer protection relating to housing. This is due, in part, to inadequate consultation with consumers by the Federal government prior to housing policies being finalized.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position:

Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling for much greater consultation by the Federal government with Canadian consumers when developing policies related to housing. For a start, as Canada's only national housing advocacy organization, Canadians for Properly Built Homes is requesting a seat at the table.

Participatory democracy is one of the six principles on which the Green Party is founded. Governments can't develop effective policy and efficient programs without close consultation with those most affected and informed about the issues. Inviting citizen's groups 'to the table' is a very direct way a Green government can and will put participatory democracy into action.

6. Need for Federal Government to work with other levels of government to ensure Building Codes are enforced.

The Issue:
While there are many good builders in Canada, unfortunately, there are serious problems in the new home construction industry, i.e., many new homes do not even meet the minimum standards of the current Building Codes. Building Codes are the absolute minimum level of acceptable construction, and Code violations are serious, e.g., potentially a threat to health and safety, waste valuable energy, and may be expensive to repair.

In Canada , anyone can call themselves a builder, so the importance of adequate Building Codes and their proper interpretation and enforcement is extremely important in protecting Canadians.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes' Position:

Canadians for Properly Built Homes is calling on the Federal Government to play a larger role, and work with all levels of government to ensure that the minimum standards of the Building Codes are enforced.

While it is recognized that the responsibilities of enforcing the Building Codes currently rest primarily with the provincial/territorial and municipal governments, given that a home is the largest investment that most Canadians make, energy consumption is a problem, and that improperly built homes can make you sick and/or be a source of injury, the Federal Government must play a greater role in resolving this serious issue of Building Codes violations.

In its 2005 Plan for Moving Forward on Climate Change , the Federal Government included a Partnership Fund to encourage more environmentally responsible policy on the part of all levels of government. This is an example of the Federal Government incenting the other levels of government. This is a good start but it should not stop here - the Federal Government must assess the effectiveness of these types of incentives, and if the required results are not achieved, it must take stronger measures to achieve them.

All levels of government, including the Federal Government, must work together to ensure that Building Codes are met. This is not only a financial matter; it relates to meeting our Climate Change/Kyoto objectives, as well as the health and safety of Canadians.

GPC response:

The Green Party of Canada understands that as a federation, Canada and the provinces must work together to build a cooperative country which meets the expectations of Canadians. We propose to address the fiscal imbalance and reform the federal government's relationships with other jurisdictions.

GPC Platform 2006 - Page 32
Intergovernmental Relations: Fixing the Fiscal Imbalance

196. The federal government's participation in the new Council of the Federation established by the provincial first ministers and a commitment to address the fiscal imbalance openly in Council deliberations.

197. A transition to Legislative Federalism: a democratization of intergovernmental relations, bringing federal and provincial elected representatives together to help guide the discussions of intergovernmental decision-making bodies, such as the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

198. Transfer federal tax points to sustain specific social services such as health care on strict provincial guarantees that these funds will be allocated to such services and that such funds will be used to reduce the dependency provincial governments have developed to revenue from gambling.

The anticipated argument that homes will be more expensive as a result of higher standards and therefore less accessible does not hold up under scrutiny. Homes are rarely purchased outright, they are financed over a period of 20-30 years. The most important financial consideration for the purchaser of a new home is not the price but the size of the monthly mortgage payments. Financial and insurance institutions factor in the lifetime costs and resale value of a major investment such as a home when determining rates and ability to pay. Quality homes are quantifiably better financial investments and less expensive to operate over the term of a typical mortgage. These direct benefits will keep mortgage payments from rising due to quality improvements. The many other health and social benefits flowing from quality homes are no less real for being more difficult to measure.

In conclusion, the Green Party is committed to improving the quality of Canadian homes. Healthy and efficient homes are a prerequisite for improving the lives of all Canadians. Healthy children perform better in school, healthy adults are more productive at work, healthy seniors can enjoy the rewards of a long life and be assured their children and grandchildren will also have the opportunity to do so.