Condominium Property Act Changes

After bringing forward concerns to Service Alberta Minister Lloyd Snelgrove and working toward solutions with senior staff at Land Titles, CHBA - Alberta has received confirmation that regulations to the Condominium Property Act will be changed soon. Senior Government officials indicate once the recommendations receive Cabinet approval, title insurance will become an option for buyers in the sale of new condominiums. It's expected that title insurance on condos will work much like it currently does with single family homes. The changes will mean that property sales will close more quickly, freeing up financing for multi-family projects.

Some members report that they will see a reduced operational cost of $1,500 per month because of the changes. For more information on land title advancements, click here.

Affordable Housing and the Role CHBA - Alberta Played

CHBA - Alberta's participation on the task force had a positive impact on the recommendations that went forward to government. The following are a few of the key points CHBA - Alberta's representative reinforced:
• all levels of government and government departments need to consider how their decisions impact he cost and availability of housing,
• government imposed taxes, fees and levies are a major contributor to the increasing cost of market value housing

Although the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force Report makes strong argument for increasing social housing and government assistance, for the most part recommendations should have minimal or no impact on increasing the cost of new homes. Relationships have been established with key contacts enabling CHBA - Alberta to reinforce its government relations priorities and activities.

Making it Easy

Builder members of CHBA - Alberta are urged to act on letters from the association and The Alberta New Home Warranty Program last week. The information package asked builders to agree to allow their warranty registration numbers to be forwarded to CHBA - Alberta for One Voice - One Industry billing. CHBA Alberta Executive Officer Grant Ainsley said, "If builders sign and send back their forms, we can invoice them based on the registration information from New Home Warranty making the numbers more accurate for builders and more efficient for us. We get the permit information anyway; this just makes it a lot simpler.”

Construction Waste - Focus Group Summary

The housing industry recently provided some solid input to the provincial government on the issue of managing waste from new home and renovation sites. Focus group sessions were held in Calgary and Edmonton. Representatives from all segments of the industry told a government consultant the most effective ways to divert 50% of the waste now coming off residential construction and renovation sites from going into landfills by the 2010. This is a goal of not only government but also the Board of Directors of CHBA - Alberta.

Awards Call for Entries

The Awards of Excellence in Housing is your chance to highlight your best homes and renovations! Being a finalist or winner of the Awards of Excellence in Housing gives your company tremendous recognition, acts as a marketing tool and provides media exposure.

Enter online in a matter of minutes. Simply choose the award category, complete the online information and mail in hard copy submission. Enter online before 4:30 pm, Wednesday, June 13.

Top builders and renovators from across the province will be honoured during a special evening at the CHBA - Alberta Conference in Jasper. If you haven't registered for the conference, don't delay - FRIDAY GOLF is SOLD OUT! Limited spots available for Saturday golf.

CHBA - Central Alberta SAMs

Avalon Central Alberta won its second straight Builder of the Year Award on Saturday night at CHBA - Central Alberta's SAM Awards. Earlier in the evening it once again took home a Customer Choice award, setting up repeat win as Builder of the Year. CHBA - Central Alberta switched to the name SAM (Sales and Marketing) Awards this year as part of the One Voice - One Industry initiative across the province. It determined if the association is to be united across Alberta it should adopt the same awards format used in Edmonton and Calgary. The evening also served as a farewell to outgoing President Marty Bruin, as he was thanked for his outstanding year as President.

Fall Protection Campaign

Builders team up to encourage fall protection. WCB - Alberta and other sponsoring partners created posters that were simple, yet memorable, to combat the feeling of invincibility of many workers and their excuses for not using fall protection. The result was a poster series that juxtaposes everyday excuses with the realistic consequences. To order posters contact the ACSA Order Desk at 1-800-661-2272.