Provincial Condo Owners look for answers from political parties during the Alberta election campaign
Condo Owners groups look for policy clarification during the Election.
Members of three Alberta Condo groups held a press conference on Thursday May 25th to deliver Party responses to a questionnaire sent to all major political parties several weeks ago asking them to clarify their policies affecting Condominium Owners should they form Government. Anand Sharma, the president of the Canadian Condominium Institute North Alberta chapter, Dan Nielsen, CCI North Alberta Executive Director, Walter Wakula. the Treasurer of the Canadian Condo Institute South Alberta Chapter, and Phil Rosenzweig, Treasurer and Advocacy Committee Member of the Condo Owners Forum all participated in this event to which media was invited.
These are not-for-profit organizations with a mandate to educate and advocate for condominium directors, owners and professionals. As a combined voice of condominium owners and boards, the three organizations advocate to all levels of government on behalf of more than 20,000 condominium owners. They arranged this press conference to speak about the upcoming provincial election.
They felt that this is perhaps the most important to condominium owners, residents, and those who work in the condominium industry in Alberta’s history.
Significant efforts over the last decade have been made to advocate on behalf of all these owners to bring critical programs and reforms that will help the over 570,000 citizens who reside in condominiums and the condominium industry at large, but a significant amount of these critical changes have yet to be made.
“Collaboratively, CCI North and South Alberta and the Condo Owners Forum created a survey that was distributed to major political parties participating in this provincial election seeking information on how they would enact and prioritize policy that is instrumental in improving the condo community.” said Anand Sharma
A survey was created so that their members can be well informed during this election campaign, and use this information when they decide who they will vote for.
In the survey each party was asked if they would:
1) Establish a Condominium Dispute Tribunal, 2) provide Electricity Rebates retroactively for Condominiums, Implement a 3) Condominium Building Retrofitting Grant and Green Energy Program, 4) Clean Up the Condominium Property Act .
This survey was distributed this to all the major political parties ) campaigning to form the next government, however only one party, the Alberta New Democratic Party responded .
The groups are disappointed to not have received a response from both the United Conservative Party and the Alberta Party, which unfortunately leaves us all without answers as to how they would prioritize the policy actions that are required.
“We have worked with several departments in previous governments, and we have seen movement on issues, though we feel they have not achieved the needed progress.” said Phil Rosenzweig of Condo Owners Forum
They will continue to work to build on this. Stakeholders need a government that will partner with them to implement the positive changes the condo community needs and what they are advocating for.
The groups say they will work with whichever party is elected as our next government, and will continue to advocate for improving the condo community by working to get our priorities implemented, but they expect to see some progress.
The purchase of a home is often the most significant purchase in a person’s life, and that is no different for those who buy condos, however we see that often those who own condos are overlooked by our provincial government and face inequity in policy.
The groups urge their members to take the results of this survey into consideration when they vote for our next provincial government on May the 29th, and ensure the next government takes condo issues as a priority.
“We strongly encourage condo owners to make the condo community their priority when they go to the ballot box this election. Vote for a party that will take you, your condo, and your community seriously. ” said Walter Wakula
COF CCI News Release
See Terry Gibson's interview on Global News regarding Questions you should be asking your candidates in this month’s May 29th Alberta Election
You can download a copy of the press release, the Policy Survey we distributed or the Alberta New Democratic Party’s response to our survey by clicking on any of the links above.
For any further questions please send an email to info@cofsab.ca.
