Ontario cracks down on condo window pane rules

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ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Thursday Jun. 21, 2012 10:46 AM ET

The province has strengthened the rules behind balcony glass used in new building construction after a spate of glass panes fell and shattered in downtown Toronto.

The Ontario government said on Thursday that it had changed the Building Code to require construction companies to use heat-strengthened laminated glass near the edges of a balcony.

It is the same kind of glass used in windshields and is less prone to shatter than the type most commonly currently used.

Construction companies will also need to use heat-strengthened laminated glass or heat-soaked tempered glass when glass balcony guards are inset from the balcony edge.

The change was a recommendation made by an advisory council and comes after several glass panes fell from Toronto high rises. The new rule with be enforced on any construction beginning as of July 1.

"This amendment will help protect the public and offer clarity and certainty to the building industry," Kathleen Kynne, Ontario's municipal affairs and housing minister, said in a statement.

"I'm thankful to the members of the expert advisory panel for their contributions and sound advice."

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Ontario cracks down on condo window pane rules