Regina sprinkler bylaw ready for council

If a new bylaw is passed in Regina, all new residential buildings will need to have a fire sprinkler installed, starting January 1.

The bylaw would make installation mandatory for apartments, condos and all other kinds of homes.

The motion to create the bylaw was passed earlier this month with a vote of 7 to 2. Mayor Sandra Masters and councillor Jason Mancinelli were the only ones to vote against it.

Masters spoke on the Greg Morgan Morning Show about the sprinkler systems, saying the fire department has been a strong backer of the idea.

“Just with the number of fires over the course of a decade that result in fatalities, the fire department was saying that sprinklers save lives,” Masters said. “They believe in the education piece of it as well.”

Masters said installation can add up to a significant amount, depending on the size of the home.

“The number we got from the regional Home Builders Association is that it would cost about $12,000,” Masters said.

Stu Niebergall, president of the Regina & Region Home Builders Association, said he believes not enough consultation has been done on the subject.

“This is a very complicated item,” Niebergall said. “We really believe city council needs to pause and instruct city administration to do proper due diligence with some proper stakeholder engagement. The implications are very, very significant.”

According to Niebergall, some of the implications include developing new water systems in neighbourhoods, reevaluating how insurance claims would work for people that have faulty systems, and affordability for buyers and builders.

Overall, he said there are way too many questions still without answers.

“There is no doubt that what we’re hoping to see is that city council rejects this,” Niebergall said. “At the very least, you know, send this back to city administration to do a more wholesome report.”

Niebergall, along with others involved in the association, plan on rallying together outside City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.