As part of the government’s commitment to cut red tape, a six-month pause on condominium regulations is being put in place to ensure stakeholders are heard and Alberta taxpayers are protected.

Regulations passed by the previous government in fall 2018 have been identified by multiple stakeholders – beginning during consultations and continuing until now with a petition – as adding red tape.

“Since becoming minister, I have been approached by stakeholders who felt overlooked by the previous government around their concerns that the proposed changes would add administrative burdens on boards and managers. We take these concerns seriously and we are not afraid to take bold and decisive action in the interests of Albertans.”

Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta

The government 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 others involved in the condominium industry. Any adjustments to those regulations will be considered only after the summer’s review has taken place.

Six months to review

The new governance-related regulations were to come into force on July 1, 2019. Cabinet has moved to pause the governance regulations coming into force by six months, to Jan. 1, 2020, in order to ensure that the concerns left unaddressed by the previous government can be attended to.

“This is really great news. We have been concerned about the unintended consequences of these regulations for some time. CCI North Alberta have been educating condominium owners, managers and boards about the planned regulations over the past six months, and we’ve found that many people are still unaware and unprepared for the proposed changes. We are happy to support the government’s pause on this.”

Anand Sharma, president, Canadian Condominium Institute – North Alberta

“Over the past year feedback from our clients and pro bono education sessions regarding these regulations has been overwhelming. I applaud the government for listening to these concerns of over-regulation and impracticality on certain regulations and taking action to correct.”

Hugh Willis, Willis Law

“These regulations, such as the changes around voting rights, represent additional burdens on boards and management companies, which end up increasing the costs for owners. We are happy to see the government hit pause to address this.”

Don Brown, Core Real Estate Group

The 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.