How circumventing a rule about staircases could change Edmonton's housing market

Emily Williams · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Most flat buildings successful North America travel a acquainted model: long hallways with units connected either broadside and 2 stairwells astatine other ends. 

But Edmontonians mightiness beryllium seeing a antithetic plan commencement to look that breaks from that mould. 

Single-staircase buildings aren't typically allowed successful Alberta's gathering codification for projects much than 2 storeys. But a caller usher from the City of Edmonton is charting a way done the regulatory hurdles.

Also called constituent entree artifact oregon azygous egress, advocates accidental they unfastened up caller missing mediate lodging options that let for nicer units, family-friendly three-bedroom apartments, and tin bring affordable lodging opportunities.

The displacement successful Edmonton comes alongside a wider propulsion to alteration the nationalist gathering codification — and changes astatine the provincial level successful B.C.

Armando Hernandez, main of Dualita Architecture, said successful an interrogation that he's been funny successful single-stair buildings for a fig of years — but the usher from the metropolis gave the certainty needed to instrumentality the plunge successful really trying to build one.

Hernandez revised a program that helium had already drawn up for a three-story walk-up and removed 1 of the staircases. The redesign allowed him to adhd in-suite laundry, marque the room bigger and adhd a tiny den.

Can less stairs marque lodging much affordable?

Hernandez said 2 staircase norms make an system of standard wherever developers physique apartments with a larger footprint to assistance administer the outgo of the further staircase. 

But for a smaller developer, helium estimates removing a staircase tin prevention up to $60,000.

"Square footage equals money," helium said. "The astir interaction you volition spot is for tiny buildings similar this — for infill."

Hernandez said it tin besides let developers to acceptable much units into a design, which tin little the outgo per portion arsenic well.

How does it work?

Since 2006, the gathering codification has contained an alternate solutions path. It tin beryllium utilized for innovative ways of doing things that autumn extracurricular of the gathering codification — provided they person circumstantial show objectives to beryllium the caller solution is adjacent oregon amended to the existing rules.

Cameron Bardas, elder technologist strategist successful the metropolis gathering department, said the way has been astir for decades but is underutilized. 

So the metropolis is accepting gathering licence applications for single-stair buildings with alternate solutions. Bardas said immoderate of those may include:

• Sprinklers.
• Widened stairwells.
• Additional occurrence absorption ratings betwixt suites and corridors.
• Stairwell pressurization to forestall fume migrating passim the building.

But helium noted successful the Edmonton alternate solution pathway, determination is nary prescriptive database of solutions — dissimilar successful the B.C. case.

While the B.C. alteration is precise comprehensive, Bardas said it doesn't supply capable flexibility for developers.

Opposition to azygous egress

Elliot Davis, president of the Alberta Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association, said buildings with 1 exit are inherently much dangerous.

"We person important issues with the initiative," Davis said. "Those regulations beryllium to guarantee that we minimize occurrence fatality."

Davis described a stairwell arsenic a harmless haven for firefighters successful a burning building. They're typically affirmative unit environments, wherever crews tin find a enactment of caller aerial — and tin service arsenic a location basal wherever they store ladders, extinguishers and tools.

With residents fleeing and perpetually opening doors into a azygous stairwell, it volition bring fume and congestion, which Davis said is little safe.

"We cognize that the outgo of surviving is precocious and that affordable lodging is simply a large origin of that. I don't, however, deliberation idiosyncratic wants to get themselves into an affordable surviving script conscionable to beryllium trapped successful a operation fire."

While the metropolis did consultation with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services successful preparing the guide, Greg Rehman, president of the Edmonton Fire Fighters' Union, told CBC helium is also against the initiative.

Is it clip to alteration the code?

There's been a petition to alteration the national building codification made to the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes. 

Bardas hopes Edmonton tin service arsenic an illustration successful that treatment — truthful each regions tin person the aforesaid rules.

"We'd emotion to supply information points to accidental 'Here's however immoderate of these buildings person been built, here's however engineers person done the precise businesslike enactment of showing due plan considerations.' "

Davis said helium would alternatively spot a alteration to the nationalist gathering codification than alternate solution pathways due to the fact that it would spell done much engagement with applicable stakeholders similar firefighters.

In a connection to CBC, Dan Williams, curate of municipal affairs, said Alberta needs much lodging options, which is wherefore the state created a operation codes moving group.

"The radical is exploring imaginable codification amendments to let for azygous egress apartments, but immoderate determination to let for this volition not beryllium made without cautiously considering the imaginable information implications that whitethorn travel with it," the connection read.

For Hernandez, the gathering licence he's astir to taxable is simply a spot of an experimentation to spot if it'll get approved. 

And erstwhile helium looks astatine the suggestions and requirements involved, helium thinks its inactive a cautious approach.

"Change is ever scary — successful each levels of government, for neighbours and everything. So I deliberation the cautiousness I deliberation is bully and we're consenting to effort it and navigate that."