It took a tornado to convince city council that new Barrie homes should have hurricane clips.

Council approved a motion Monday, without discussion, that proposes the province change Ontario’s Building Code (OBC) to require the use of straps, clips or other mechanisms to better connect the roof, wall and foundation of homes.

Coun. Natalie Harris, who sponsored the motion, has said the addition of straps or clips would cost $100-$500 per home. 

But she’s unsure how long the process of changing the OBC will take.

“Seeing as this has been a change that experts have been trying to make to the Ontario Building Code for many years, I don’t have a proper timeframe in mind…yet,” she said. “I feel the conversations…will give us more of an idea as to how long this change may take. We are recommending several changes to the building code, hurricane straps being the main one.”

The July 15 tornado touched down in southeast Barrie, with maximum wind speeds reaching 210 kilometres per hour – damaging hundreds of homes and some small businesses in the Mapleview Drive East/Prince William Way area. It compromised the structural integrity of buildings; some of them lost their roofs.

Hurricane strapping or clips connect and strengthen wood-framed roofs and houses, with the most common ones made of galvanized steel or stainless steel. They are designed to help protect structures from severe weather.

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