'Fought for over a year now': Alberta gets lots of feedback on condo act changes

Condo owners are eager to see changes coming to the way their properties are regulated in Alberta.

The province is overhauling the Condominium Property Actand finding no shortage of feedback.

Rose Wright wants more openness and transparency from her condo board and management.

"We have fought for over a year now to even get minutes on the website, and so now we're finally seeing minutes," Wright told CBC News.

"But it's already August, well it's almost August, and we're just now seeing the minutes from March."

Wright was one of hundreds of condo owners at an open house in Calgary that Service Alberta hosted Wednesday evening.

Brad Mitchell has lived in many condos and says he'd like to see a cap put on fees related to condo documents and a better method for resolving disputes.

"When you have a dispute with your board, currently the only way to resolve that is through the court system," Mitchell said.

"And so this government is looking at putting together a dispute resolution tribunal, I think, kind of like what happens when you're renting an apartment, for condo owners. I think it would be a faster, better way to resolve disputes."

The province wants to improve the governance of condos, whether it's managing reserve funds, handling deposits or resolving disputes.

Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean says she's heard of costly legal battles after people were evicted for not following bylaws and she hopes to set up a tribunal.

"I've also heard stories of condo boards perceiving themselves to be swindled by property managers, right now they're not regulated, that whole industry."

Changes to the condo act in 2014 gave the province the power to regulate and make other changes.

McLean says now the province just needs to do it with a goal of 2018.

The open housescontinue in Edmonton on Thursday, in Lethbridge and Fort McMurray next week.

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