03-26-2018, 03:05 PM
(03-26-2018, 12:45 PM)nms Wrote:(03-23-2018, 02:51 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Some second-floor restaurants aren't accessible: it's not always possible (or practical) to add an elevator.
I guess it may be a matter of interpretation depending on what they have planned. According to this website (operated by the Occupational Safety Group),
Quote:"Section 3.8 of the Building Code contains the new [AODA] requirements. They include universal washrooms, barrier-free paths of travel, adaptable seating and power door operators, to name just a few features. These accessibility requirements are the ones that most landlords and tenants will be required to consider when planning their renovations. They do not have retroactive effect; existing buildings do not have to be fitted with the new accessibility features. However, the new requirements apply to most newly constructed buildings as well as to buildings more than five years old where extensive renovations will take place." (my emphasis)
If I read the building code correctly (go directly to the source: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/120332), barrier-free access is only mandatory on the first (ground) floor, not on upper floors.
To quote: " (2) A barrier-free path of travel described in Clause (1)(b) is not required to extend, (a) to floor areas or portions of floor areas containing a Group B, Division 2 or 3 occupancy that are not required by Article 3.5.2.1. to be connected by a ramp or served by an elevator." And the clause in question requires elevators for patient or resident services.
In any case, non-structural interior renovations generally are not considered "major" renovations.