Sunday February 1, 2026 | SAANICH, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Allowing for the use of smaller and more affordable elevators in BC is something that the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) might help lower the cost of housing and improve accessibility.
Currently, the BC Building Code and provincial technical standards require builders to use over-sized American elevator designs rather than internationally adopted standards.
A group called Homes for Living feels this more expensive option add cost and impediment to building housing that is as affordable as possible.
This BC building code requirement also means that builders must purchase expensive American parts rather than parts made for the much larger international market, says Sam Holland, a director of Homes for Living.
Resolution NR121:
On December 3, 2025, the UBCM executive held its first full quarterly meeting with its new 2025-2026 Executive Board members. At this meeting, executive members made decisions on all of the 57 resolutions that did not make it to the floor at the 2025 UBCM Convention (September 22-26, 2025). And this elevator-related issue was raised and endorsed (resolution NR121).
NR121 calls on the province to legalize smaller and more affordable elevators.
The resolution aims to boost accessibility and affordability of housing, while simultaneously increasing Canadian independence by allowing BC builders to access non-American elevators and parts.
European and Asian options:
Allowing European and Asian parts, as well as more elevator sizes, would lower the cost of adding elevators to buildings where they are currently not required,” said Holland.
“The province has said that it’s time for municipalities to build small multi-unit buildings, and we need to make sure they are accessible. Lowering the cost of prohibitively expensive elevators is one big way we can do that,” he said.
“European elevators aren’t just cheaper to install, they are also more affordable to maintain over time. That’s because they use globally standardized parts that are easier to source and service, unlike the expensive and often delayed components we rely on in North America,” said Holland.
Small buildings with stairs and no elevators might benefit by using small elevators. And sometimes people who normally can climb stairs may have times when they cannot (e.g. after an injury or surgery, or during pregnancy).
Small elevators sometimes accommodate just one or two people. The US/American standard is out of consideration for larger equipment in the elevator such as wheelchairs or stretchers (the latter being helpful during emergency response).
Saanich first presented the motion:
The original resolution was submitted to UBCM from the District of Saanich, and spearheaded by Saanich Councillor Teale Phelps Bondaroff.
The resolution will now be sent on to the provincial government for a response and become part of UBCM’s broader advocacy work.
“Right now, it costs three times more to build an elevator in Canada as it does to build one in Europe. This drives up the cost of building housing and disincentives developers from installing elevators in low- and mid-rise buildings,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff.
“By adopting European elevator standards, we can make it easier and more affordable to install elevators in low- and mid-rise buildings, which means more accessible homes for more people,” he said.
“I hope the province will give serious consideration to this proposal, as it not only promises to help increase accessibility in our built environment, but also to help reduce housing costs, thereby increasing affordability,” said Phelps Bondaroff.
Ministry comment:
Comment from the BC Ministry of Housing is forthcoming.
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NEWS SECTIONS: HOUSING | ACCESSIBILITY | SAANICH | UBCM