July 30, 2021 – Following the EF2 tornado in the south end of Barrie that left a trail of destruction so damaging it could take years to rebuild, experts are now questioning the strength of Ontario’s building code.

“When it comes to downward forces like the weight of snow on a roof, for example, our code is very good at addressing those downward forces,” said Glenn McGillivray, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.

“In a wind storm, particularly a tornado, that roof wants to get sucked up, and the code doesn’t really address those upward sucking forces very well, or at all, and we want to see that changed,” McGillvray added.

According to Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry, wind is the most significant driver of disaster losses after water damage, and it can quickly turn deadly. CTV News reports. | READ MORE