Are hurricane straps the answer when Mother Nature strikes
It's a small metal bracket, but experts say hurricane straps could help prevent catastrophic damage like the devastation caused in mid-July by an EF-2 tornado that hit the south end of Barrie.
"The clips themselves have been tested to help withstand wind uplift for tornadoes that have an EF-2 rating," says Dufferin County chief building official Greg MacNaughtan.
In 2017, Dufferin County teamed up with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction to create a Hurricane Clip Rebate Program.
With 16,377 clips installed to date, it's the first of its kind in the country.
"We've had a number of tornadoes over the years, some more severe than others," MacNaughtan says.
"The response has been very positive, and it is increasing over the years. We are seeing an increase in a response from our subdivision builders. We have builders right now in the town of Shelburne who are using the Hurricane clip."
It's one measure experts and industry leaders are asking for in the push to strengthen Ontario's building code.
"We do an awful lot for fire, and to me, this is just another life safety issue that should be included in our homes," says Doug Tarry, owner of Doug Tarry Homes.
The push comes after the tornado, with wind speeds clocking in around 210 kilometres per hour, damaged upwards of 200 homes with roughly 20 roofs ripped right off.
"We know if we can keep the roof on with that wind load, then the house is going to survive," Tarry says.
Tarry uses hurricane ties or six-inch screws to secure the roofs on his builds in St.Thomas, Ont., something he learned in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
"We are literally trying to make it doable and scaleable, fast and affordable. That's the entire point," Tarry says in a video by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.
Tarry says the cost to a builder all in is between $500 and $1,200, with the cost then passed on to the homeowner.
If he were in Dufferin County, for example, builders or homeowners would get an average of $300 to $400 back.
"Yes, it's got some cost to it, but it's a lot better than the house going to the landfill or someone getting injured," Tarry says.
Barrie Ward 6 councillor Natalie Harris took shelter in a home with her son during the tornado when the roof was torn right off.
"If we didn't make it to the basement, I don't know what would have happened," says Harris.
She plans to bring forward a motion to city council on Aug. 9 for changes to the province's building code.
"I'm also asking city council to potentially look at rebates and incentives for builders to move forward using hurricane straps, even if the building code isn't changed," Harris adds.
Now, it would be up to the province to implement any changes.
But Harris says she will be taking part in a virtual building code roundtable early next month with the province and key industry leaders.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.