NEWS RELEASE
Councillor Expects Investigation to Give Greater Recourse to Home Buyers
(Thursday, November 22/07)-- An HRM Councillor with a large number of condominiums, apartment complexes and new home construction in her District today welcomed the provincial announcement of an investigation into new home building practices.
District 16 Councillor Debbie Hum (Rockingham-Wentworth) said she has been receiving concerns from condo owners, as well as condo corporations. As a result, she has been working closely with a steering committee of the Condominium Owners Association of Nova Scotia (CONS), HRM and the Province to address issues of construction deficiencies, such as water infiltration, and the lack of recourse for condo owners and condo corporations.
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Jamie Muir announced in the Legislature today that public and industry concerns over new residential construction, including condos, will be investigated and will involve public consultations.
Councillor Hum said "I am very pleased to hear Minister Muir has taken seriously the concerns brought forward to him. Representatives of condo owners and I met with the Minister and his staff. As a result, Mr. Muir agreed to form a joint working committee of provincial and HRM officials to move forward to address the issues."
Councillor Hum also stressed the concerns of condo owners go beyond construction deficiencies. They also include the need for greater consumer protection, legislative changes to the Nova Scotia Condominium Act, more stringent building inspection practices and a review of the Building Code.
"The construction industry in HRM is vital to the economy of the municipality and Nova Scotia. It is important that we address these issues by both levels of government working together through a public consultation process to identify the issues and possible solutions," she said."I want to make it clear there are many good responsible developers and builders in the industry. The condominium market continues to grow and we want to make sure we provide home buyers throughout Nova Scotia with a quality product and ensure their investment is protected."
A steering committee of provincial and municipal employees will manage the effort and a consultant will be hired to analyse concerns, research best practices in this area, and recommend appropriate measures to address them. Broad consultations, beginning next spring, will help identify issues and possible solutions fair to all parties.
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Councillor Debbie Hum
476-7212
