Meeting with Minister Horner

An excellent meeting was held at the Alberta Legislature yesterday between Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner and CHBA - Alberta. President Ralph Hutchinson led the association group that included staff members Grant Ainsley, Mary Kenny and Kathy Watson. During the one hour meeting, CHBA - Alberta made it clear that the provincial apprenticeship system needs some fine tuning to work better for Alberta's $13 billion residential construction industry. The Minister was receptive to CHBA - Alberta's recommendations, which included a trade specialization approach for training to provide the specific skills needed for residential construction. Horner invited CHBA - Alberta to place a representative on the provincial Carpentry Advisory Committee and President Hutchinson quickly confirmed the association will take advantage of the offer.

Awards of Excellence in Housing - Submit Today

Submit your new home or renovation for the Awards of Excellence in Housing. This is your opportunity to show the province your best and be recognized by consumers and peers. Finalist and winners receive tremendous media exposure. Submitting online takes only a few minutes!

Builders and renovators compete for this year's housing awards and the coveted Ralph Scurfield Builder of the Year Award. Categories for the single family homes have been adjusted to reflect the evolving state of the industry as well the Energy Efficiency award has been renamed the Green Vision award. Entry fees are only $99 per submission.

The winners will be announced at the CHBA - Alberta Conference in Jasper at the Awards of Excellence in Housing presentation September 21. The Awards presentation is only one of the exciting evenings at the Conference.

National Meetings Green Theme

Green was the colour of the recent national meetings of the Canadian Home Builders' Association in Ottawa. There was a great deal of discussion on everything from green building products, to green homes, to green developments during the four days of meetings that ended Sunday. The national association will assemble a list of green building programs across the country, including Built Green. That list will look at the differences between the programs, along with many other factors. CHBA will also look into green community standards and examine what should be including in a "green community.” You can read detailed reports submitted to the meetings, including the economic forecast for Alberta.

EnerVision Speaks at the Net Zero Forum

Come hear from the latest experts and developers on what current trends are emerging with Net Zero Energy Home (NZEH) construction in the US and Canada and where this fits on the residential building sustainability continuum. Enjoy the opportunity to engage with the experts and learn about exciting opportunities of net-zero energy homes in Alberta from industry pioneers! Attend the Getting to Zero Forum: Exploring Opportunities for Net Zero Energy Homes in Alberta to hear CHBA - Alberta's EnerVision speaker on June 14th. For more information on the forum and to register visit http://www.netzeroenergyhome.ca.

Stucco Tool Kits

The spring stucco season is here and CHBA - Alberta has the best guide you will find on proper stucco application. The cladding of a building is one of the major components of a home. It is a major cost item, and a vital first defence for walls against bulk moisture. Stucco is a versatile, beautiful, durable and fire resistant cladding, but workmanship issues tend to be very visible. The stucco toolkit is designed to stimulate communication and education between builders and their stucco contractors at the contract, design, and installation stages. Click here to order the Stucco Toolkit from our online store for just $19.99.

WCB Announces Elink

Workers' Compensation Board (Alberta) has created WCB Elink--a set of online applications giving employers easy access to the services they use most. By expanding the online services and by building awareness about their existence, employers will find it easier to report injuries, review injury statistics, and manage their WCB accounts. To check out WCB's new online services here.