Heavy snow causes roof collapses in the Maritimes

The collapse of several roofs across Atlantic Canada under heavy snowfalls this winter has left some engineers wondering if the National Building Code of Canada needs updating.

Roofs have collapsed on a community centre in Notre-Dame and another community building in Moncton, New Brunswick. In Nova Scotia a school roof gave way after days of snowfall in Louisbourg. No-one was injured.

The Canadian Press interviewed Mike Bartlett an engineering professor at the University of Western Ontario in London. He noted that the NBC was updated in 2005 to account for greater snow loads on roofs, but thought that “might not be enough to stay ahead of extreme weather caused by climate change.”

Professor Bartlett also noted that poor maintenance could be a cause of roof failures under heavy snow.