This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and the City of Whitehorse.
The Government of Yukon will engage with industry and stakeholders in advance of changes to the National Building Code and learn how to best adapt the code in the territory.
To allow proper time for this engagement, the adoption of the 2025 National Building Code will be postponed to June 22, 2027. If the government had not postponed the adoption of the 2025 code, it would have automatically come into effect on June 22, 2026.
The Government of Yukon and the City of Whitehorse are partnering on this engagement, which will begin in late summer 2026. The engagement is expected to yield improvements to the National Building Code adoption process and support informed decision making on exemptions to the code.
Engaging with industry, communities and First Nations governments before the adoption date of the National Building Code is the first step in modernizing the adoption process. We will work with stakeholders and industry members implementing the building code in a way that prioritizes local industry concerns, deals with public safety and acknowledges our Yukon context.
We are pleased to be working in partnership with the Government of Yukon to engage with industry on the National Building Code. Whitehorse is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada and we have seen a rapid increase in development in recent years. Engaging with builders, developers and contractors will help identify opportunities to support future development that meets the needs of our community.
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The Yukon currently uses the 2020 National Building Code, which was adopted on April 1, 2023.
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Previous examples of Yukon adaptations of the code include exempting log homes from energy efficiency requirements.
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The delayed adoption date gives stakeholders the maximum amount of time to understand and adopt the 2025 code while still aligning with national standards.
Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Wayne Potoroka
Communications, Community Services
867-332-9427
[email protected]
Matthew Cameron
Communications, City of Whitehorse
867-689-0515
[email protected]