Developers finally have an industry standard on how to build glass towers and avoid failures that send glass showering to the street below.
The Canadian Standards Association this week published a new standard for "building guards," which has been in the works for several years.
A standard is a document that stipulates the minimum requirements for safety, outlines industry guidelines and good practices.
The CSA started working on the standard after numerous instances of glass falling to the ground from highrise buildings.
A CSA standard is voluntary until the government includes it in the building code. The ministry of municipal affairs tells NEWSTALK 1010 that "this CSA standard will be considered as we move forward with potential amendments to the Building Code."
In 2014, the ministry said they were waiting for the CSA to publish this new standard and in the meantime had amended the Ontario Building Code with regulations on glass balconies to reduce the likelihood of spontaneous breakage.
Doug Perovic, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto, says the new standard is comprehensive and he is "hopeful" it will prevent falling glass in new construction.
The issue, he says, is that even if and when the government adds it to the mandatory building code, it will not apply to buildings already standing.
Asked if the standard comes too late, he says unfortunately there were many stakeholders involved in putting it together and it took time to get it right.
"Yes it's always late, any failure is one too many."