14 - North Shore News — Patchi Jan-Christian Sorensen Coutributing Writer OWN a leaky condo and feeling the finan- cial squeeze? Help may be on the way. Over 100) North Shore strata council members and condo owners — suffering through the leaky condo crisis attended an information ses- sion Feb. 17 in’ North Vancouver to learn about the technical, legal and_ financial aspects of the repair process. The meeting was part of an ongoing series of seminars conducted by the Homeowner Protection Office (HPQ), which is tout- ing a no-interest loan pro- gram and a PST Relief Grant as part of an assistance pack- age for affected condo own- ers. Since it began its mandate, the provincial Crown corpera- Sunday. February 27, 20C0 ton has provided more than soi) milhon in assistance te affected strata owners and co- op tenants in 255 buildings. Twenty-three Joans -- at an average of $19,000 — have been granted to condo own- ers in the North Shore area. Those who do not have enough savings or invest- ments te pay for repairs or sufficient: home equity to qualify for a standard loan are eligible for the loan program. Seniors and those living on a fixed income may also qualify for further assistance in the form of a more flexible repay- ment schedule. The HPO was established in 1998 asa result of a recom- mendation made by the Barrett condominium construction in the province. It has responsibility for four main areas: @ to license residential There are options pABAKHAN, & ASSOCIATES INC. TRUSTEE ty BanxHuPicy Commission — of Inquiry into the quality of builder: 10 establish the framework for mandatory warranties on new homes; @ ito educate and advise the public on related issizes; Bi to administer financial assis tance for owners of leaky homes ia the form of both the no interest Joan program and PST Reliet Grant. The Barrett, Commission released its first set of recom: mendations in February with a follow-up volume to be issued in March. One of the highlights of the commis sion’s report: is a proposed $900-million compensation package for owners of leaky condas. The report recommends that two-thirds of the package be —cost-shared equally between the provincial and federal governments with the final $300 million to be by the B.C. construction industry in the form of a $2,000 levy on new units. Over 50,000 homeowners — 2,500 of whom have already received HPO loans — would be eligible for com- pensation. 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We offer all the benefits of a smaller health region (friendly, warm and welcoming staff) plus all the advantages of a full- service hospital (opportunities to work in your specialty area or to develop your skills in a new one), If you're an RN who has, or is eligible for, registration with the RNABC, and you'd like to talk about the varied opportunities we have to offer, please contact us. Brenda McDonald, Nursing Recruitment at 604.984.5768 or send your résumé to fax: 604.984.5770 or email: bmedonal@nshr.hnet.be.ca ng the leaky ¢ NEWS photo Paul McGrath PIERRE Gallant, of Morrison Hershfield, discusses the building envelope at a recent condominium repair information seminar held in North Vancouver. $25,000, plus half of any fur- ther repairs, to a maximum of $35,000. While there has been no formal word from cither the provincial or federal govern- ments, Prime Minister Jean Chretien has publicly stated that Ottawa would not sup- port such a package. That news doesn’t surprise Nelson Winterburn, who . University of British Columb ; Division of Dermatology aad - Vancouver General Hospital , The Skin Care Céntre 875-4986, “835. West Tenth Avenne:.. Our teaching methods have been proven ta increase students’ math skills and confidence. B Sylvan offers: * Acomprehensie skits assessment to identify vour child's specific needs. * A personalized programme delered by certified teachers. * Guaranteed success. Your child wall improve one full grade level “ wathin 36 hours of instruction.* Donit wait. Call Sylvan texiay. North Van 985-6811 West Van 928-3365 SYLVAN LEARNING % CENTRE’ Success is learned” hemrran tan arty Aw Sivan Leasnunn Systems ine. owns a condominium on Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver and recently dis- covered water seeping in around his windows. “I’m hopeful that some- thing can be done in the way of compensation, but Til probably end up paying the shot,” he said. So far, Winterburn has been unsuccessful in his attempts to force the North Vancouver construction com- pany that. built his condo three years ago to address the leakage problem. He refiised to name the builder directly, but accused him of shirking his responsibility to his cus- tomers. “There used to be some- thing, called pride in work- manship,” he said. “I find it extremely degrading to think that somebody would build a place in fly-by-night fashion and when problems. arise, they’re gone. “In my opinion they should say to themselves ‘?'m going to build something | can be proud of, I want it to last, I don’t want anybody coming back to me with prob- lems.*” Shayne Ramsay, CEO of the Homeowner Protection Office, said that he sympa- thizes with Winterburn and others who share his plight. “There’s a lot of emotion attached to the issue,” he said. “A tot of people have been burned. They want somebody to pay for the wrong that they’ve suffered, and that's a legitimate concern. The whole system failed them and now they're left holding the bag at the end of the line.” Lawyer Jamie Bleay, of Sauer Mogan, De Jager and Volkenant, gave the crowd pointers on selecting and retaining iegal counsel for a variety of functions, be they in an advisory role, helping to draw up contracts or tender packages or determining who is ultimately at faule for che leaky condo. He stressed that any lawyer that is hired to represent a strata council or owner should be well-versed in construction law and the Strata Property Act, which will replace the current Condominium Act in June. Bleay also urged the crowd to inquire: up front See,Mediation page,19, , Leena ore er Ucar ee Sc Oe ee pad