President’s Message

It looks as if summer is slowly edging its way into South Saskatchewan, and I hope you are making ready to enjoy it.  Your Chapter Board is preparing to close the books on fiscal 2010-2011 and to plan for the coming year.  As we do so, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at what we have accomplished and what lies ahead.

Our fall conference and AGM was another rousing success.  We are all concerned with taxes, and the meeting included a presentation on assessments and taxes by the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency (SAMA); it shed light on how property assessments are determined (including a variety of approaches SAMA takes) and attendees found it was very helpful in understanding a complex technical subject.  Condo fees are another fact of life, and the meeting featured a presentation on how fees are determined, what they "buy", and how they are collected and how payment is enforced.  If you’ve ever wondered about your fees, this presentation answered many questions. 

Our chapter has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Saskatchewan Department of Justice, so we were pleased to have Catherine Benning, Crown Counsel, as our keynote speaker.  Catherine’s presentation included a review of the governing legislation for condominiums in Saskatchewan; by discussing the process of the development of the Act and its supporting regulations, this shed considerable light on an important process for condo owners. 

The always popular, "Ask a Professional" engages all attendees and our guest panelists in some very interesting and sometimes entertaining anecdotes of real-life condo problems.

We were also able to offer four presentations on topics of interest to members in late 2010 and early 2011:

• "So You Want To Buy a Condo", in November, explained the pros and cons of condo ownership for those considering moving to the condominium lifestyle
• December’s Condo Buyers Seminar considered the actual steps of purchasing a condominium unit
• "My Condo Has a Problem" was a question and answer session with four condominium professionals held in January
• In February, we looked at Saskatchewan WCB regulations and how they apply to condominium owners

These sessions were very well received and insightful.  They are part of the Chapter’s strategy of addressing both current and potential condo owners’ needs for information.

Finally, we published 3 newsletters during the year; 2 have already been circulated and the 3rd one will be ready very soon.

The South Saskatchewan Chapter would also like to hear from you on issues of concern that might translate into a seminar or workshop.  If you have any thoughts, please contact me at cci-ssk@cci.ca (put "Attention:  Vicki" in the subject line); remember that, if it’s something you’d like to know more about, chances are you’re not alone – others may be interested as well.

There is another area on which we would like your help.  We are a volunteer group and, in common with other such groups, we are always looking for new volunteers to serve on Committees and the Board.  You can see our Committee structure here.  Why volunteer?

• If you feel you have benefited from membership in CCI South Saskatchewan, it’s an opportunity to give back
• Participation on the Board or a Committee is good experience if you’ve ever thought of serving on a condo Board
• Volunteering your time has a definite "feel good" factor
• Serving on the Board or a Committee gives you a chance to develop skills that are useful in your work life – planning, public speaking, finance and accounting, etc.
• Board and Committee membership is a great way to meet others active in condominium, and share common problems and uncommon solutions

Serving on a Committee is a great way to find out whether you’d like to be further involved; a list of Chapter Committees is available here; perhaps one of these areas is of interest to you.

Thank you for your support of CCI South Saskatchewan and the condominium lifestyle.  I hope to hear from you if you think there is anything your Board can do, and to see you at an upcoming event in 2011-2012.

Vicki Radons
President, South Saskatchewan Chapter