The provincial government has changed the Ontario Building Code to make it mandatory for all new condos and apartments higher than three storeys to have sprinklers.
The changes, announced Wednesday morning, will take effect by on April 1, 2010. Building permit applications submitted after that date must comply with the new fire sprinkler requirements.
"We are making our safe buildings even safer," Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in a press release.
"These changes to the Building Code will ensure residents of new high-rises will have the same fire protection as all other jurisdictions in Canada."
Pat Burke, Fire Marshal of Ontario, said residential sprinklers are proven to significantly" reduce injuries, deaths and property loss due to fire.
City Coun. Anthony Perruzza has been lobbying for the safety improvements for months, after two recent fatal fires at Toronto Community Housing (TCH) units.
"I think it's great. If the province is going to mandate it, we don't have to have these fights both at the city level and at the TCH level that we were doing," Perruzza told CTV Toronto.
"One of our principal objectives was to get the provincial government to move on this because it's so important. It's working in Vancouver, it will work here."
Toronto Fire says the regulations have been in place in Vancouver for more than 10 years, and during that time, there has not been a fire-related death in a building that has sprinklers.
Toronto's fire chief, Bill Stewart, has been asking for the building code changes for six years. He told CTV Toronto on Wednesday he's pleased with the announcement, but would like see the sprinkler regulations extended to new homes.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness
