NEWS BRIEFS ulations require non-combustable stairwells and roofs with combustion- resiliant roofs, making Ontario's regu- lations the most rigorous in Canada. “Our made-in Ontario model for mid-rise wood construction provides the highest requirements for fire safety in Canada,” said Ted McMeekin, Ontario's minister of municipal affairs and housing. “Balconies have to be sprinklered, and there are access for firefighting rules that don't apply for four-storey structures, which currently can also be built with wood,” Arm- strong said. Armstrong said he is aware of sev- eral Ottawa-area projects in design/planning stages that will take advantage of the new rules when they go into effect in the new year. He ex- pects there will be some challenges, as trades need to learn to work with the new rules, and especially deal with the different building material require- ments for stairwells and elevator shafts. These require a 1.5 hour fire resistance rating. “It can be a challenge when you mix materials like this,” Armstrong said. “Concrete and steel are not going to shrink, but timber shrinks. That needs to be factored into the design.” As well, the need to use separate trades for the stairwells and elevator shafts complicates job scheduling and logis- tics. These issues will be unique to On- tario, and Armstrong expects there will be a learning curve and some costs as- sociated with the materials mixing. The housing industry has long ad- vocated for Ontario to adopt the six- storey wood standard. British Columbia, the first province to permit six-storey wood buildings, has re- ported more than 100 projects since 2009, creating more than 5,000 new housing and rental options for B.C. res- idents. Elliot Lake: Incompetence, greed, neglect and dishonesty at root of Algo Centre Mall collapse The story of the Algo Centre Mall's 14 – Fall 2014 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report deadly roof collapse in Elliot Lake two years ago can be traced to decades of incompetence, neglect, greed and dis- honesty by a succession of owners, engineers and municipal officials, ac- cording to a provincial judicial inquiry. Commissioner Paul Belanger pulled few punches in his October report. “Although it was rust that defeated the structure of the Algo mall, the real story behind the collapse is one of human, not material failures,” Be- langer wrote. “Some of these failings were minor, some were not: they ranged from apathy, neglect and indif- ference through mediocrity, ineptitude and incompetence, to outright greed, obfuscation and duplicity.” Two people died when the rooftop parking area, long observed to be leak- ing, collapsed into the mall. There are 71 recommendations in the report from the $20 million inquiry, including setting minimum mainte- nance standards for buildings, beefed- up inspections, and an expanded emergency response capability. Belanger concluded the problems began unfolding several decades ago, to the early 1970s. He observed the building was “doomed to early failure” even before it was built. The idea of putting parking on the roof wasn't a good idea, and this was compounded by a defective design, using untested materials. “The system was a dismal failure from the moment it was installed,” Belanger's report states. The leaking started early, and there was a succession of inspections, visits and reports – some 30 overall – through the mall's 33-year life. However, no one solved the leaking problem, which some described as “the Algo Falls.” And this leaking led to rust, which would ultimately com- promise the structural steel's integrity. Belanger asserted that some engi- neers neglected their vocation's “moral and ethical foundation,” and he sin- gled out Robert (Bob) Wood, for spe- cial criticism. The engineer said the mall was sound just weeks before it collapsed. Wood faces criminal charges in connection with the collapse. “His (Wood's) review was similar to that of a mechanic inspecting a car with a cracked engine block who pronounces the vehicle sound because of its good paint job,” the report says. The commission report observes that various mall owners hid the prob- lems, and then tried to sell their way out of them when quick fixes didn't work. Profit considerations overrode all other concerns, Belanger said. “We are anticipating that Commis- sioner Belanger's report will have consid- erable impact on Ontario's engineering profession,” said Barry Steinberg, chief executive officer of Consulting Engi- neers of Ontario (CEO). “Ultimately, the significance of these recommendations hinge on what the government of On- tario chooses to adopt.” QUEBEC Quebec Construction Association (ACQ) adopts values charter Quebec’s Construction Association (ACQ) has adopted a Values Charter that will see the organization ramp up its efforts to stamp out corruption and collusion, the Montreal Gazette re- ports. The newspaper says that, among the firm commitments outlined in the somewhat-vague document, are promises to “adopt a clear process for dealing with complaints linked to ethics and integrity” and to “develop and apply ethics training for all person- nel.” The charter was not required by provincial law. It reflects initiatives to help prevent future corruption. The association represents more than 89,000 workers in Quebec’s con- struction industry, who completed more than 60 per cent of the 154.7 mil- lion construction work-hours through- out Quebec in 2013. Patenaude Trempe Van Dalen and Air-Ins become C.L.E.B. Patenaude Trempe Van Dalen and Air-Ins, which says it is Eastern