Utah condo lawyer Lincoln Hobbs has been live-blogging from the College of Community Association Lawyers’ 2009 Law Conference in Palm Springs, California.

His reports include (click the title to view each report):

To access the written materials and presentations for all of the sessions, click the CAI picture to the right, and then select the "Presentations" tab.

It’s clear that a major issue facing American community associations is the economy and, consequently, the ability of associations to collect common expenses from members. These are very challenging days for our neighbours to the south.

Hats off to Mr. Hobbs for reporting on the conference proceedings and sharing them.

Toronto lawyer Dianne Saxe, one of Canada’s foremost environmental law practitioners, has posted a short but thoughtful blog entry on indoor air quality in homes.

After suggesting that indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes is significantly under-regulated, she goes on and:

  • Identifies the most common indoor air pollutants;
  • Outlines the problems arising from poor IAQ;
  • Describes existing Canadian guidelines that may apply;
  • Provides tips to improve IAQ; and
  • Offers links to resources.

This is worthwhile reading for anyone seeking a crash course in indoor air quality. Check it out.

It is time for the 2-year review of the City of Toronto Act, 2006.    

When this Act was proclaimed in force in January 2007, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said that:

[The Act] recognizes Toronto as a responsible, accountable government. The city is now better able to determine the appropriate mechanisms for delivering municipal services, determine the appropriate levels of municipal spending, and use new fiscal tools to support the city’s activities.

What do you think?

Submissions and comments can be made to the Ministry online, by email or in writing.    

Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Hat tip to Toronto lawyer Rachel Loizos of the Move Smartly blog for spreading the word.

 

Daniel Zimberoff at the Northwest Condo & HOA Law Blog makes the excellent suggestion that condo boards should set up discrete email accounts for key officers.   These accounts (example: ycc123treasurer@yahoo/gmail/rogers.ca) would pass from person to person that assumes the role.  

He gives a number of compelling reasons that merit your attention.    I would just add one more: 

#8 — Most free email accounts provide plenty of storage space and offer search capability, allowing users to sort, store and retrieve important documents.   Directors can work remotely and have constant easy access to records and documents without the need to refer to a paper file.  

A further comment:   The concept of using discrete email accounts for the condo’s officers makes tremendous sense, but its practicality and success depend on the goodwill of the officers using the accounts and the good sense of those that subsequently inherit the accounts.   Officers using the accounts must agree to surrender the email account at the end of their tenure.   The incoming officers must ensure that the email account is secure by changing the password and by disabling any mail-forwarding features set up by the previous account holder.    Such issues could probably be dealt with by simple amendment to the board’s policies.

One of the most prevalent but entirely avoidable sources of friction in any condominium community is poor communication between condominium corporations and their unit owners.

While many corporations have taken positive steps to open the channels of communication by posting paper notices on bulletin boards or circulating a newsletter, few are taking advantage of recent communication trends and the latest technology and tools. Those that are using websites and online tools, however, might find that the results are not as stellar as they had hoped.

Why is this?

Continue Reading Enhance communication at your condo with Web 2.0

The Institute of Chartered Accounts of Ontario has announced the release of an important document entitled Accounting and Auditing Guidelines for Ontario Condominium Corporations.

This publication is the first major revision of the Institute’s audit guidelines for condominium corporations since 2001 and incorporates recent changes in accounting practice and the requirements of the Condominium Act, 1998. According to the Institute:

The result is a comprehensive guide that promotes best practices for the industry. It details considerations for both accounting and audits that range from budgeting and financial statements to tax issues and reserve funds.

Members of the committee that drafted these guidelines include the most prominent auditors on the local condo scene. Most have audited the books of hundreds of condo corporations and face the unit owners at dozens and dozens of annual general meetings each year. These folks know their stuff. 

This guide will be a valuable resource for any condominium manager, director, unit owner or professional who wants to better understand accounting principles and best practices for audit procedures for Ontario condominium corporations.  In addition to being written in no-nonsense plain English, it also includes a preferred specimen presentation for financial statements.

The full document is available for free download here.

Education for condo directors and owners has become increasingly important.    

Regardless of their experience, any condominium director, prospective director or interested unit owner should seriously consider taking one or more of the excellent courses offered by the various chapters of the Canadian Condominium Institute.  

The following message from the Toronto and Area Chapter of CCI describes their course offerings for January and February.     

Sign up today.   This small investment will pay for itself in spades.

 


CCI Toronto and Area Director Courses
There is still time to register for……
Condo 101 Course – Saturday January 17th, 2009

CCI-Toronto’s Condo 101 Course will be offered on Saturday January 17th, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Novotel North York Hotel – 3 Park Home Ave. This intensive 3 hour session provides participants with an overview of the Condominium Act and is an excellent means to find out what you need to know to be an effective condominium owner or director. The course is presented by a panel of Condominium Experts, including a Lawyer, Property Manager, Accountant and Engineer.

For full course details or to register online, click here.

Level 200 Course – Starts on Wednesday February 11th, 2009

The Winter session of the Level 200 Condominium Course starts on Wednesday February 11th and will run on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. until Wednesday March 11th, 2009.   

This five night follow up course expands upon the information provided in the Condo 101 session and is a ‘must attend’ for all new Directors or Condominium Residents who want a better understanding of the way Condominiums function and should operate. Topics covered include: What is a Condo, Property Management,   Insurance, Finance and Status Certificates , Reserve Funds and Physical Building Management.

For full details or to register online, click here.  

Register Today… Don’t Delay!

Something unusual is going on in Vancouver this winter.   It’s snowing — a lot.

In reporting on life in the snow in her State of Vancouver blog, journalist Frances Bula shares her readers’ comments about people failing to shovel their sidewalks.   

Among the commentators is a Vancouver city council candidate who focuses on the large number of downtown condominiums that have not cleared their sidewalks.  He suggests that snow-clogged sidewalks in front of condominiums may just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of poor maintenance and repair practices at those buildings and could be a danger sign.    He then offers some sensible suggestions to condo boards and prospective purchasers.    

2008 Canadian Law Blog Awards FinalistThe results are in for the 2008 Canadian Law Blog Awards.

I am delighted and humbled to announce that our blog was named a runner-up for the Best New Law Blog category.

This is a great honour considering the calibre of the award winners and the many other outstanding new blogs.

Kudos to Steve Matthews for showcasing some of the incredible talent in Canadian law blogging and congratulations to all of the winners, finalists and participants in this year’s CLawBies.

To our readers, thank you for joining us and sharing your feedback. We hope that you enjoy reading this blog half as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

Best for 2009.

Each year, the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (“CCBFC”) invites stakeholders and members of the public to participate in the review of proposed changes to six national model codes, including the following construction codes:

These construction codes, last published in 2005 but subsequently amended and expected to be revised in 2010, form the basis of the construction codes of each of the provinces and territories to varying degrees. 

Builders and developers have an obvious vested interest in participating in the development and upkeep of these model construction codes, and so do the end users of most buildings, particularly condominiums.  Typical construction issues that affect interest condominium communities include soundproofing, building materials, energy efficiency and life safety.

Continue Reading Help improve our national construction codes