Saanich council is looking for new ways to move its community up in the world.
Council voted unanimously June 9 to adopt a draft resolution for the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) calling on the province to legalize smaller and more affordable elevators.
The resolution aims to boost accessibility and affordability of housing while simultaneously increasing Canadian independence by allowing B.C. builders to access non-American elevators and parts.
Presently, the B.C. building code and relevant technical standards force builders to use "expensive and oversized American elevator designs" rather than internationally adopted standards, even when no elevator is required in the first place at locations including low-rise apartments.
“In low- and mid-rise buildings, it isn’t a choice between expensive, oversized, and overbuilt American elevators versus smaller, more cost-effective European standard ones, but rather it’s a choice between European standard elevators or no elevator at all,” says Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the Saanich councillor who brought the motion.
“If we want seniors, parents with strollers, and people with accessibility needs to access homes in walk-ups and smaller apartments, we need more options.”
Sam Holland, a director of Homes for Living, a local housing advocacy group, echoed Bonaroff's statement.
“The province has said that it’s time for municipalities to build small multi-unit buildings, and we need to make sure they are accessible. Lowering the cost of prohibitively expensive elevators is one big way we can do that,” he says.
“Too many people have to struggle up stairs or rely on friends or family to carry them in or out of housing.”
Holland further explained that elevator reform can help to make repairs less costly.
“European elevators aren’t just cheaper to install, they are also more affordable to maintain over time. That’s because they use globally standardized parts that are easier to source and service, unlike the expensive and often delayed components we rely on in North America.”
The resolution will now ascend its way from Saanich council to the annual UBCM convention, held in Victoria this September. If adopted by UBCM, it will go on to be part of the organization's advocacy efforts to the province.
