On a recent edition of MBC’s All About the House, a heritage building owner and Perth’s Assistant Fire Chief had an in-depth discussion on Ontario’s fire-code rules, as updates came into effect this year. Joan Stephenson-Bowes, co-owner of the downtown heritage building housing Maximilian’s Restaurant spoke of the absence of any grandfathering exemptions from evolving safety regulations.
She was able to secure a municipal grant to help complete some of the needed building modifications, but is looking at some expensive bills in the future to complete more required work. She expressed her gratitude to the Fire Service for working with her ownership team to help understand and prioritize the work while still being able to carry on business. Assistant Fire Chief, Andy Moore, noted some of the changes in fire code apply to homeowners as well as commercial operators.
More information for business owners, homeowners, landlords, and tenants can be found on the Ontario Associations of Fire Chiefs’ website at https://www.oafc.on.ca/
Story by Brian Turner
