Bella Vista condominium residents lament inadequate homeowner protection
Calgary – Owners in the Bella Vista condominium building in Calgary are unimpressed by Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau’s latest assurances that new homeowner protection measures are being considered. That building, like a number of others in the province, has experienced major deficiencies, with owners now facing special assessments ranging from $77,000 to $189,000 to pay for needed roof, eave, balcony and parkade repairs.
Calgary-Buffalo MLA Kent Hehr echoed the owners’ frustration, noting that the minister has been dragging his feet on promised substantive changes. “While the minister has studied the issue ad nauseam and knows perfectly well what changes would actually make a difference, his proposals announced earlier this month amount to little more than a commitment to continue consulting stakeholders,” says Hehr. “What he has really done is bought himself some more time.”
Hehr notes that homeowner protection probably wouldn’t even be on the government’s radar if it weren’t for the persistence of the Alberta Liberals. “We made homeowner protection a real priority in the spring session of the Legislature,” says Hehr. “It wasn’t just the Penhorwood condominium issue in Fort McMurray or the failure of Minister Goudreau to introduce promised homeowner protection legislation that motivated us. The fact is when you start to examine how the province manages building development, there is considerable room for improvement.”
Speaking to the Bella Vista condominium deficiencies, Hehr says that it raises important questions about the adequacy of the building inspection process, the accountability of developers, contractors and safety codes officers, and how it is that condominiums that are apparently built to code can have so many problems. Hehr is also quick to point out that the recent homeowner protection measures proposed by Minister Goudreau would be of no direct benefit to the Bella Vista residents.
“The provincial government is well aware that protecting homeowners from shoddy construction practices will require far more than the limited changes that have been proposed,” says Hehr. “Unfortunately, homeowners like those in the Bella Vista building are the ones who will be left in the lurch by the government’s lack of political will.”
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