Buildings In Canada Earthquake-ready: Experts

The central and eastern regions of Canada are in good shape when it comes to the earthquake-resistance of their buildings despite the shake-up the regions received Wednesday, say experts.

An earthquake hit at 1:41 p.m. ET south of Echo Lake, Que., 60 kilometres north of Ottawa near the Ontario border. It was felt across southern and eastern Ontario and western Quebec, as well as in some U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Jersey and New York.

With a magnitude of 5.0, it caused buildings to shake, leading many to fear that some structures could collapse. Many offices were evacuated as a precautionary measure


Overall, however, buildings in Quebec and Ontario are safe, said Samir Chidiac, a professor in the department of civil engineering at Hamilton, Ont.-based McMaster University.

"Buildings in Eastern and Central Canada are built to resist earthquakes that are most likely to occur in these regions," he told CBC News Thursday. "The National Building Code of Canada, which prescribes the seismic forces for all regions of Canada, is always being updated to account for new data or knowledge."


The only buildings whose ability to withstand earthquakes is unknown are ones built before 1970, says Glenn McGillivray, managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction in Toronto.