COLCO Frequently Asked Questions

The building industry wants you to think the building code was at fault.  That would relieve them of the responsibility for this disaster. We believe that the "It's the building code" chant was a loosely coordinated and planned propaganda campaign put together by the people and organizations responsible for the leaky condo disaster.  They want to deflect blame and attention from themselves and a lot of people bought into it.

The truth was clearly stated in the second Barrett Commission report. In the section on the building code, the commission wrote: "Numerous presenters, including strata council representatives with commissioned engineer studies, architects, engineers, and warranty providers, told of building envelope failures as a result of poor or inappropriate design and shoddy workmanship.  Not one example was brought forward where such buildings had been built to code."

The last sentence is worth repeating "Not one example was brought forward where such buildings had been built to code."   The Barrett Commission comments further "There has been no evidence that building envelopes, constructed according to the building code, will fail."

After 59 Barrett Commission sessions and more than 300 presenters, there is still no evidence to back claims that the Building Code caused leaky rotten condos.

COLCO inspection agents have read through nearly 100 engineering reports and, in every case where a forensic engineering report was completed on a leaky rotten condo, the report cites multiple building code violations. The Barrett Commission report notes one complex that the remediation report alleges 469 building code violations in a project built by Andre Molnar.

COLCO has challenged the developers, the construction industry, CHBA-BC, UDI, and others to produce a leaky condo that was built to code.  They have yet to meet the challenge and we expect they never will.