The purpose of this document is to foster understanding of the elements of the system of construction and operation of buildings and houses in Canada.

Construction is a complex service and manufacturing industry, involving thousands of different component parts that are assembled into products and systems by a large number of workers both on- and off-site. Basic safety, health, accessibility and building protection features are addressed in construction codes. However, construction is primarily a market activity, the quality of whose products reflect the interplay of costs, time, availability of materials, skill and knowledge.

Each party involved in construction has certain responsibilities.

Owners have overall responsibility for their projects which includes: determining what will be built, meeting laws, and choosing reputable advisors and builders.

Designers have responsibility for producing functional working drawings and specifications that comply with applicable law and reflect owners’ requirements; they may also perform site reviews for the owner.

General contractors have responsibility for overall construction, including buying, scheduling, workmanship, and management of subcontractors and suppliers.

Subcontractors have responsibility for their portion of the work (mechanical, electrical, drywall, excavation, etc.).

Manufacturers have responsibility for supplying products that meet both their advertised specifications and applicable standards.

Standards development organizations have responsibility for producing reliable, useable standards.

The national government funds the development of model codes through the National Research Council, overseen by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC).

Provinces and territories have responsibility for adopting through legislation the building, fire and plumbing codes applied in their area.

Municipalities in most areas have responsibility for examining drawings for conformance with codes, and many inspect projects for compliance. (In some areas of Canada, this is done by provincial/territorial agencies. There remain a few areas with no public oversight .)

Because of the complexity of the system, there are practical limitations to each of these roles.

Systems to Help Determine What Should Be Built

Owners must make the basic decisions about what they want to have built to suit their needs. Owners’ degree of knowledge about the construction process may vary dramatically. Often, they hire designers or companies that offer design/build services to help them make those decisions.1

Speculative developers/builders make their decisions on what to build based on their expectations of what future buyers or renters will want, as well as technical factors related to proper design and construction. There are a number of sources of information to help with these decisions.