Residential buildings in Saskatchewan are now required to have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and smoke alarms installed in each sleeping room.

A Ministry of Government Relations spokesperson said the number and locations of smoke and CO alarms is highly dependent on the layout of a building.

According to the spokesperson, the province amended its building regulations in September 2021, after an incident in Saskatoon led to many residents being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning when their apartment building's heating system malfunctioned.

The new regulation went into effect on July 1 and enforcement of these requirements will be implemented by way of building officials.

If officials are present in a residence for any reason and notice the building does not observe these regulations, they can write an order to have the homeowner install the necessary CO and smoke detectors.

Saskatchewan legislation allows local authorities to set higher standards than those found in the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), so landlords and owners of multi-unit residential buildings (MURB) should reach out to their local authority to confirm the requirements that need to be met for rental properties.

According to Saskatchewan Building Regulations, working CO and smoke alarms are proven to save lives by giving an early alert of increased CO levels from a fuel-fired appliance or smoke in the event of a fire.

In the event of an emergency situation, the warning from these devices is vital in providing residents the time they need to evacuate and call 9-1-1.

Residents are encouraged to look to www.saskatchewan.ca/smoke-co-alarms to determine where smoke and CO alarms are required in their building, and what types of alarms to install.