Skip to main content
Start of content
Start of content

e-4281 (Animals)

E-petition
Initiated by Brendon Samuels from London, Ontario

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • The government has committed to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030;
  • Migratory birds provide vital biodiversity services and are protected under federal law;
  • Collisions with windows on buildings, transportation shelters and glass railings represent a major source of bird mortality and threat to bird Species at Risk in Canada;
  • The extent of bird-window collisions is growing with new building construction and spans across municipal and provincial jurisdictions;
  • Bird-window collisions can be prevented at new buildings, as well as existing buildings, by adopting bird friendly building design standards for construction and retrofits;
  • Incorporating bird friendly design measures in new buildings typically represents minimal added expense relative to construction costs;
  • The Canadian Standards Association CSA A460:19 Bird-Friendly Building Design standard provides a comprehensive, scientific framework that is already practiced by architects, industry and municipalities; and
  • The next scheduled update to the National Building Code of Canada will include new environmental provisions and will harmonize various Provincial Building Codes.
We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Incorporate the CSA A460:19 Bird-Friendly Building Design standard into the National Building Code of Canada to require bird friendly design in all new building construction; and
2. Explain the government’s plan to address bird mortality caused by collisions with building windows.

Response by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): THE HONOURABLE FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE

The National Research Council of Canada provides secretarial support for the committees involved in the development of the National Model Codes for building design and construction, including the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC), and its predecessors, the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) and the Provincial-Territorial Policy Advisory Committee on Codes (PTPACC). Currently, the Codes’ application is limited to addressing the protection of human occupants. Provinces and territories, that are responsible for regulation and enforcement of construction, have indicated via PTPACC that they do not support expanding the scope of application of the codes to address the protection of animals. That said, not all aspects of building design and construction are regulated in the Codes – building owners and local authorities having jurisdiction can require that additional standards also be met, such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) A460, “Bird-Friendly Building Design standard.”

Open for signature
February 2, 2023, at 2:23 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
April 3, 2023, at 2:23 p.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay)
June 5, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01503)
Government response tabled
July 19, 2023
Photo - Richard Cannings
South Okanagan—West Kootenay
New Democratic Party Caucus
British Columbia