New government delays Phase 11 amendments to Condominium Property Act
On June 27, 2019, the Provincial Government issued a surprise announcement to delay the implementation of Phase II of the Amendments to the Condominium Property Act and Regulations and called for a “red tape review” which many in the industry supports. Stakeholders in the condominium sector have recently told Service Alberta they are concerned that new condominium regulations scheduled to come into place this summer will cause a significant administrative burden
The regulations were originally scheduled to come into effect on July 1, 2019. However, the Government is pausing those regulations from coming into force until they can review them, meet with stakeholders, and determine if adjustments need to be made to strike the right balance without increasing red tape and administrative burdens. Those consultations will take place in the
summer of 2019, with a new date of release for January 1, 2020.
This pause supports government efforts to reduce red tape to ensure regulatory processes are necessary, effective, efficient and proportional to the outcomes they are trying to achieve.
According to a Service Alberta press release, the regulations passed by the previous government in fall 2018 were “identified by multiple stakeholders — beginning during consultations and continuing until now with a petition – as adding red tape, Hence it felt this review was needed.
Since becoming minister, I have been approached by stakeholders who felt overlooked by the previous government around their concerns and the proposed changes would add administrative burdens on boards and managers, says Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta, We take these concerns seriously and we are not afraid to take bold and decisive action in the interests of Albertans.
The government says it will meet with key stakeholders over the next few months to find out if these new regulations constitute an excessive administrative burden or challenge for condo boards, owners, corporations and other involved in the condominium industry. Any adjustments to those regulations will be considered only after the summer’s review has taken the press release added.
Could this be the positive change we in the Condominium Industry are looking for? We’re keeping our fingers crossed! To learn more visit www.alberta.ca/condominium-consultation.aspx
How inner-city condo owners can cope with the social ills of drug addiction
Dear Maria; Help! Our Condo is situated in the inner-city neighbourhood of Mission, and we’re constantly finding needles, clothing or someone camping in the back carport. What options do we have and can we call someone?
Our New Concept Management team has experience in dealing with these situations, which can become quite dangerous. Drug addiction is a social ill that has no easy answers, and sometimes, especially those of us living in urban areas, have to deal with its consequences.
Many of our clients have reported problems that include drug use in their back alley, campers in the back carport, and often finding needles, clothing and shopping carts laying in the back corner of the lot.
Normal precautionary measures like beefing up security around the condominium building and adding extra bright lights to try and persuade these activities can work – but not all the time. Here’s what else you can do.
A great resource for dealing with such eventualities is the Calgary Alpha House Society. It was established in 1981 as a committed response to a marginalized population of men and women who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and living vulnerable on the streets of Calgary. Alpha House currently runs four programs: Shelter, Outreach (DOAP/Encampment), Detox, and Housing. They also have a needle response team.
If you find a needle and you’re comfortable picking it up, you can do so by following these steps.
- You will require gloves, tongs or pliers, and a puncture proof container (pharmacy supplied “sharps” container, bleach or laundry detergent bottle)
- Put on the latex, rubber or leather gloves. Use tongs or pliers to carefully pick up the needle with the tip pointed away from you. The tongs or other tools can be disinfected after use and remain part of a clean-up kit.
- Make sure the puncture proof container (pharmacy supplied “sharps” container, bleach or laundry detergent bottle) is on a stable surface (do not hold it while putting the needle inside) and put the needle, tip down, into the container and tape the lid tightly closed (with duct tape, if you have it). Use a marker to label the container “Needles”.
- Puncture proof containers can be disposed of in one of the following ways:
- Drop off at local pharmacy (confirm your pharmacy accepts needles)
- Sheldon M. Chumir Centre – Supervised Consumption Services (1213 4 St SW)
- Put in your garbage bin
As a condominium owner, if you spot a needle on the property you can call or text Needle Response Team at 403-796-5334. They operate Monday to Friday from 8am-6pm. The NRT is trained to properly dispose of needles. When calling or texting, be sure to give them as much information as you can to assist them including; the exact address, location, number of needles.
Another thing you might notice as the weather continues to warm up is an assortment of “rough sleepers” – this is a term used to describe individuals who are camping or sleeping outdoors in public areas.
Alpha House’s Encampment Team are a mobile response unit that connects with individuals who are “camping” or “sleeping rough” outside, with the goal of helping individuals secure housing, visit the doctor, get to a shelter, or anything else they might need. If you notice a camp, we encourage you to call the Encampment Team at 403-234-7388.
Dear Maria; It is our understanding that in 2020 several key updates come into effect that will change the definition of a standard insurable unit. Can you tell me how these changes affect us? And what we can do to prepare for this?
If you live in a condominium that is Professionally Managed by New Concept Management Inc., then you would have received information that the Provincial Government announced substantial changes to Alberta’s Condominium Property Act (CPA) and Condominium Property Regulations (CPR) on December 14, 2018. One of the changes that are being made is the mandatory requirement under the new regulations (Section 34-Application of initial bylaws to pre-existing corporations) that all condominium corporations in Alberta re-write their bylaws to comply with the new
Property Act of Alberta. The Government in essence, has given all condominiums 1 year from July 1, 2019, to have this completed. If you would like to learn more, you can read
February’s article by logging onto newconceptmanagement.com/blog. In speaking with Harold Weidman, of Reliance Asset Consulting, who is not only an expert in his field but also an expert on
this topic, has taken the initiative to help educate the condominium industry on key factors that each condominium board should take into consideration when updating their
bylaws. If you want to be compliant, here’s what Harold recommends.
a. Will you implement several classes of Standard Unit Finishes or just one (example would be staged bare land developments or mixed developments such as townhouses and apartments)?
b. Setting your Standard Unit Finishes as listed in the Regulations — must be reasonable, clear in definition and easily taken into
consideration in the costing process.
c. Owners at AGM can vote and either adopt or amend these Standards. Because owners are openly involved in this process, Boards must be prepared with extensive background information to mitigate problems and best defend their positions.
d. Determine what options are open to the Corporation to change existing standards
(dependent on their position in the annual update cycle).
e. Understand what options are available if the 2019 Insurance Renewal Date of the policy occurs before items a., b., c. and d. occur.
What if I don’t have a “Standard Insurable Unit”? If the board doesn’t have Standard Unit Finishes defined, they’re not alone. Unfortunately, most Boards do not have this in place, as it’s never been a requirement. The Standard Unit Finishes identified in our reports allow Boards to understand what is and more importantly what is NOT included. This is a common requirement for an appraisal firm to adhere to professional appraisal standards.
How does this regulation affect Non-Residential Standard Unit Finishes? There are no critical changes noted in the revised regulations and the interior finishes will continue to be the responsibility of the owner and/or tenants.
What about Bare Land Bylaws where Standard Finishes are limited to the shell of the Unit building interior? There continues to be varying opinions based on the definitions included in the bylaws on “shell finishes”. These require clarification for costing purposes given the varied termination for finishes inside the buildings and what, if any, items are described for interior structural components and rough-ins for heating, plumbing and electrical.
These are just a tidbit of the key factors to a standard unit finish and what steps you can take as a board. As a condominium manager with New Concept Management, I cannot stress the importance for each condominium corporation to have a clearly written bylaw that defines its standard unit finishes.
Thank you to Harold Weidman, for his helpful insight into this article and for his continued support to the condominium industry. Until next time …