Ontario Reviews Elevator Laws

News Release

Ontario Reviews Elevator Laws

July 2, 2020

Government Seeks Input to Help Improve Elevator Safety and Availability

TORONTO – The Ontario government is launching consultations in an effort to improve elevator safety, performance, and availability in multi-storey buildings. The province is seeking input on proposed regulatory changes under the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000. These new rules would help to ensure that elevators are well-maintained and meet updated safety requirements.

“Ontarians living and working in high-rises want elevators to be better maintained with fewer breakdowns and less downtime, and they want more information about elevator disruptions,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Government and Consumer Services. “Long wait times and elevator outages have been a long-standing and frustrating issue for people, particularly those with accessibility needs. We are responding to the concerns of the Auditor General of Ontario and, at the same time, we want to assure all Ontarians that they have a voice in helping us create stronger rules to protect them.”

The government is working with the TSSA to enhance elevator safety and availability, and help consumers, including those with accessibility needs to make more informed choices as homebuyers and renters. As part of these enhancements, the TSSA would be required to publish elevator outage data for residential buildings online, providing valuable information that will help consumers make better-informed decisions about their future homes.

Ontarians can share their input online until August 4, 2020.

 

QUICK FACTS

  • Elevators are among the safest modes of transportation. The TSSA’s annual safety data shows the number of elevator incidents in Ontario is consistently low each year, with an average of 9.41 injuries/million people/year (2008-2019).
  • There are approximately 58,700 elevators in Ontario, of which almost 20,000 are located in residential buildings.
  • The Auditor General of Ontario’s 2018 Value for Money Audit and the TSSA Elevator Availability Study in Ontario authored by former Superior Court Justice Douglas Cunningham, both stated that better enforcement of elevator maintenance requirements may lead to improved safety outcomes.
  • The TSSA is an independent administrative authority that administers and enforces the Technical Standards and Safety Act, including its regulations related to elevating devices and the certification and training of elevating device mechanics. The TSSA licenses and inspects Ontario’s elevating devices (e.g., elevators, escalators, and lifts).

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