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As farm facilities can require general maintenance and upgrades over the years, so too does the code outlining their design and construction.

Those designing and constructing Canadian farms are still relying on a 13-year-old building code—a situation marked by ambivalence from most of the country.

When the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), National Fire Code (NFC), and National Plumbing Code (NPC), were updated in 2005, the National Farm Building Code (NFBC) remained in its 1995 edition. This code provides requirements for human health, fire safety, and structural sufficiency in low-occupancy farm buildings. (These facilities are typically remotely located and occupied by few workers. Dwellings on farm sites and high-occupancy buildings must still follow NBC.)

In April, Will Teron, past-president of Canadian Farm Builders Association (CFBA) told Better Farming magazine the 1995 code has out-of-date references to standards and climatic data, and fire safety and current building practices need to be better addressed.

Still, there are mixed feelings regarding the 1995 code. While some farmers are pushing for updates, others are worried a revised NFBC could mean more expensive building costs and government intervention.

The national codes are under the jurisdiction of the National Research Council's (NRC's) Canadian Commission on Buildings and Fire Codes (CCBFC). As a new NFBC would need to be restructured in an objective-based format to match other codes, an update could take up to four years.

While CCBFC is considering the possibility, it is first seeking comments from the provinces. (Other than Ontario's call for change, none have responded.) A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH) told Better Farming it was likely less than 50 per cent of the provinces would adopt the national code.