Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act Passes

The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing passed the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act. It contains legislative changes to ease new home builds and Ontario infrastructure projects.

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The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing recently introduced and passed Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act. The bill contains legislative changes to ease new home builds and Ontario infrastructure projects. A component of the bill simplifies the expansion of building materials that meet the building code or new and innovative building materials by removing the sole material evaluation body identified in the 2024 Ontario Building Code Compendium.

The development, validation, testing and marketing of building material or systems meeting code requirements or new/innovative building products is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor for developers and manufactures, including the final challenge of acceptance by building engineers, architects and Ontario code authorities. Evaluation reports provide code authorities with code-specific compliance statements for both “acceptable solutions” building products meeting the code and “alternate solutions” in which products will achieve at least the minimum level of performance.

The repeal of the of the clause identifying a single material evaluation body expands the options for developers and manufactures to work with evaluation parties of their choice, ranging from initial evaluation, certification, testing and published evaluation report.

Rulings by Minister

29 (1) The Minister may, subject to such conditions as the Minister in his or her discretion considers appropriate, make rulings,

(a) approving the use of innovative materials, systems or building designs evaluated by a materials evaluation body designated in the building code;
Note: On July 1, 2025, clause 29 (1) (a) of the Act is repealed. (See: 2025, c. 9, Sched. 1, s. 2 (1))

(b) adopting an amendment to a code, formula, standard, guideline, protocol or procedure that has been adopted by reference in the building code; or

(c) approving the use of alternative materials, systems and building designs which, in the opinion of the Minister, will achieve the level of performance required by the building code.  1997, c. 30, Sched. B, s. 14 (1); 1999, c. 12, Sched. M, s. 9 (1); 2002, c. 9, s. 45 (1).

2024 Building Code Compendium

2.4.1.1 Designated Materials Evaluation Bodies

(1) The following body is designated as a material evaluation body for the purposes of  clause 29(1)(a) of the Act: Canadian Construction Materials Centre of the National Research Council of Canada

Source of the regulation: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/92b23#BK83