Written by: Katy Campbell, CCI North Alberta
Government Advocacy Update: Progress, Partnerships, and What’s Ahead
This spring and early summer have been active on the government advocacy front, with meaningful opportunities to connect condominium stakeholders directly with decision-makers and regulators.
At our recent ACE Conference, we were pleased to welcome participation from multiple levels of government. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and MLA David Shepherd (Edmonton-City Centre) both joined us for opening remarks, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between government and the condominium community. Their presence set the tone for a conference grounded in dialogue, awareness, and shared priorities.
We were also fortunate to host representatives from the Condominium Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT). In addition to delivering an educational session on the new tribunal, they participated in the trade show, spending the day answering questions and engaging directly with attendees. This accessibility provided valuable clarity on what the new dispute resolution process will look like in practice, and how condominium communities can best prepare.
Municipal engagement was further strengthened by the participation of the City of Edmonton Waste Management team in our trade show. As many condominium communities continue to navigate the transition to the City’s three-stream waste collection
system, their presence offered a timely opportunity for attendees to raise concerns, ask questions, and share on-the-ground experiences. We were encouraged to see open dialogue around a program that continues to present challenges for many.
Advocacy efforts with the City on this issue are ongoing. We continue to meet with Council members and Waste Management staff to communicate the concerns we are hearing from condominium communities. While progress has been slower than we would like, there have been some changes of note, including adjustments to the excess waste program to make it more user-friendly and less administratively burdensome. Updated details on the program, as it currently stands, are included in this issue for your reference.
At the provincial level, we are closely monitoring recent changes to the Condominium Property Act (CPA) and what implementation will mean for our community. A key development is the introduction of the Condominium Dispute Resolution Tribunal, which became operational as of April 1 of this year. The tribunal represents a significant shift in how disputes may be addressed in Alberta. To support our members, we were pleased to offer our “Introducing Alberta’s New Condominium Dispute Resolution Tribunal” session—originally presented at ACE—as a standalone educational session free of charge for CCI members.
Another notable amendment to the CPA emerged during the spring legislative session: the government
has enabled the future introduction of mandatory education requirements for condominium board members. So far, there has been no communication from the government on the details of what this educational requirement will look like, or what their expected timelines for implementation of the requirement will be. We will continue to monitor developments closely and keep our members informed as more information becomes available.
As always, our advocacy work is guided by the experiences and feedback of our members. We encourage you to continue sharing your insights and challenges with us, as these perspectives are critical in shaping our ongoing conversations with government. Together, we can continue to advocate for practical, effective solutions that support the sustainability and success of condominium communities across Alberta.
To support properties in managing waste volumes as residents adjust to sorting their food scraps and recycling, the City of Edmonton offers the Excess Waste Program (EWP). The EWP provides additional collection for a fee, either by request or on an ongoing basis.
The City of Edmonton has the following services available to apartment and condo ratepayers who require additional support as residents learn to sort their waste:
- Request additional collection as needed at a cost of $23 per cubic yard.
- Limited to additional pickups of 50 per cent of your property’s monthly garbage allocation.
- For properties that regularly need additional collection for a fee of $6.25 per unit per month.
- Additional garbage collection on a regular basis, equal to 50 per cent of your property’s monthly garbage allocation. The City will provide larger containers or increase collection frequency.
- Minimum enrollment time of six months.
- Sites can request for City of Edmonton Waste Educators to visit homes and provide waste sorting education on an ongoing basis at no additional cost.
Extra collection of properly sorted recycling and food scraps is available free of charge and without limits.
- Site decision makers can call Waste Customer Support at 780-496-5698 to request any of the above services.
- You will be sent a form to fill out to request either extra collection service. Please fill out the form and send it back to the email address that is in the form.
- An EPCOR account number is required to enroll in either extra collection program. This account number will be charged.
