Alberta Sets New Building Rules to Protect Fort McMurray Homeowners

July 17, 2016

Amendments to regulations under Alberta’s New Home Buyer Protection Act and the Safety Codes Act will support and protect Wood Buffalo residents as they rebuild their homes. In May, almost 2,000 homes were destroyed by wildfires in the Wood Buffalo region, including Fort McMurray.

One new regulation and three regulatory amendments will protect residents by increasing publicly available information about builders in the New Home Buyers Protection Public Registry.

“Following the fires in Slave Lake, many of my friends and neighbours faced tremendous and unnecessary challenges throughout the process of rebuilding their homes,” says Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Our government is committed to ensuring this does not happen to Wood Buffalo residents and will support them from start to finish as they rebuild not only their homes, but their lives.”

The amendments, to be implemented immediately in the Fort McMurray area, will require builders to complete a builder declaration through the New Home Buyer Registry before they may apply for a building permit. Additional information can now be collected from a builder, including residential construction history, corporate and financial history, and outstanding fines or orders.

“Our members across Alberta support this enhanced consumer protection to ensure homeowners can rebuild with confidence,” says Jim Rivait, CEO of the Canadian Home Builder’s Association-Alberta. “We have already heard from companies outside of Alberta making unrealistic claims about how quickly and cheaply they can build here. Protecting residents from unqualified and unscrupulous contractors at this critical time should be a priority.”

The government will also hold public information sessions in July and August. These sessions will help ensure that both builders and homeowners are well informed about the changes and their rights and responsibilities.

These changes in the Fort McMurray area are a first step towards developing a longer-term provincial builder-licensing program. Based on the success of this program, builder licensing may be phased in across Alberta.

Photo courtesy of khunaspix at freedigitalphotos.net.