CHBA - Alberta Position on Vinyl Siding

There has been a great deal of controversy around the province following a $25 million dollar fire in Edmonton Saturday morning that again called into question the safety of constructing homes with vinyl siding. Edmonton's Fire Chief has been calling for quick changes to the Alberta Building Code so a layer of drywall would be put behind the vinyl. CHBA - Alberta did several media interviews yesterday and our position was clear and consistent. The association is not opposed this change being made to the building code, but it also wants to make sure that the proper research is done to ensure the home will still perform the same way. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Ray Danyluk has said a committee will be formed to look into the issue further and that CHBA - Alberta will be part of it.

Code of the West 

The new Alberta Building Code goes into effect on September 2. No need to panic though because the "old code” will remain in effect for six more months. During that time builders will have the choice of building under the "old code” or the new one, which is called the 2006 Alberta Building Code. Starting on March 2, 2008 though, anyone taking out a permit will have to observe the new code. So what's in the 2006 code? We would like to tell you but Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing can not release that information until the new code is available. The general feeling is that there won't be that many changes, but some could produce some significant cost differences for builders and supply partners. CHBA - Alberta will not be selling copies of the new code, but you can pre-order it from the government by clicking here. CHBA - Alberta is working on developing courses for our members on the 2006 code and they will be held in each local association this fall.

Battle Won, War Not Over

The battle continues against a proposed land transfer tax despite last week's announcement from the Stelmach Government to not introduce new taxation measures for Alberta's municipalities at this time. In accepting some of the recommendations from the Minister's Report on Municipal Sustainability, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Danyluk deferred making a decision on more controversial items in the report, including what our association is now calling the PST (Property Sales Tax.) CHBA - Alberta will continue its lobby efforts on this issue and will be part of the consultation process the government has promised. Alberta doesn't have a land transfer tax and CHBA - Alberta wants to keep it that way. Last week, taxpayers in Toronto narrowly avoided having their land transfer tax fee double. An effective lobby campaign resulted in a vote to double the tax fall short by a single vote at Toronto City Council. Check out the Government Relations section of the CHBA - Alberta website.

Turning Grey

The work currently being done by CHBA - Alberta and others to improve our skilled workforce in residential construction is badly needed, according to recent information from Statistics Canada. It recently reported that in 10 years, not only will retirees outnumber newcomers to the workforce; they're likely to outnumber children too. At the moment, the number of young people entering the workforce is hovering just above the replacement rate of people retiring. By comparison, the 1960s had two new workers for every retiree. As the baby-boomers near the age of retirement, this new-worker ratio will inevitably drop below replacement levels. These numbers will also eventually impact the number of young people getting into the housing market for the first time. Employers need to figure out ways to keep baby-boomers in the workforce and will increasingly have to focus on keeping older workers' skills up to date. To find out some of the work CHBA - Alberta is doing to address this critical need, please click here.

Joey's Home

Two more good news stories about what our industry does for the community. Last month it was a multi-family project for people with disabilities that the Calgary Home Builders Foundation was proud to be part of and last week it was a home in Edmonton that CHBA - Alberta President Ralph Hutchinson was involved in. Hutchinson's Daytona Homes Master Builder constructed the 8,000 square foot facility named after Joey Moss, the longtime dressing room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers. The Grand Opening brought out Joey, Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe and Chairman Cal Nichols, along with dozens of other community and government leaders in Edmonton.

Awards Time

In addition, letters have been mailed to CHBA - Alberta members about this year's Safety Awards sponsored by ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric that will also be presented to builders and trade and supply partner members in Jasper. The criteria is similar to last year.

The association's Annual General Meeting will also be held at the conference and details are on our website. The CHBA - Alberta Conference itself is nearing a sellout and some room blocks at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge are already sold out, so if you plan to attend, register this week.