New standard for infrastructure in Canada’s North

The Standards Council of Canada is developing four new standards for adapting infrastructure in Canada’s North to a changing climate.

CSA Group is to spearhead the formation and management of technical committees that will develop standards in four areas: community drainage; thermosyphon-supported foundations for new buildings; risk management of snow loads on northern buildings; and management of the effects of permafrost degradation on existing buildings.

Funding for the development of the standards comes from the Government of Canada’s Clean Air Agenda, with support from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. CSA has been granted $2.5 million over five years to implement the program, which will cover the adaptation of codes and standards to address the effects of climate change on new infrastructure, as well as retrofits, maintenance and repairs to existing infrastructure.

The Standards Council is encouraging participation from stakeholders. Contact SCC’s Kelly Montgomery, kmontgomery@scc.ca.  

SCC is a Crown corporation and a portfolio of Industry Canada.