President's Report - Summer 2023 - CCI Manitoba Chapter

Article from Volume 10, Issue Number 3, 2023

President's Report - Summer 2023

By John Popowich | Other articles by John Popowich | Regular Column

Hello Again!

As we come to the end of another year for the Canadian Condominium Institute – Manitoba Chapter, it’s time to reflect on our accomplishments and disappointments and also on what we can look forward to in the coming year. While it certainly has been an interesting and eventful year, it was not without its share of ups and downs.

I won’t go into a lot of details as I’m sure our committees will provide a more rounded summary of their accomplishments.

Our membership has increased slightly and we have exceeded financial expectations of our budget. This is great news and our budget for 2023-24 looks even brighter. With new sponsors and hopefully increased membership we look forward to a more robust year ahead.

The National Leaders’ forum returned to in-person with one held in Kingston in November and a second in Saskatoon in May. Both were well attended and the knowledge we gained was immense. Going forward there will be one Leaders’ forum per year with two additional meetings for the National Council by Zoom.

We returned to in person lunch n learns and at a new location, Smitty’s on Kenaston. The venue is superb and we even had standing room only at one event. We have decided to offer our lunch & learns to our members at no cost beginning in October 2023.

Carl Dalton became our new Education chairperson and has done a phenomenal job. You can thank Carl and his committee for the great education events this year and next.

Duane Rhone and the membership committee have established a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) with some of the Property Managers in the province and while it has only just begun, Duane expects some great ideas to be proposed by this new committee.

We held our first Presidents’ Forum since prior to the pandemic and the turnout exceeded my expectations. There were plenty of questions, answers, complaints and solutions offered by the many in attendance. It was a huge success and everyone I spoke to is looking forward to another one. We also will be holding our first Treasurer’s Forum in August of this year.

Our Government Relations Committee led by Doug Forbes made a submission to the City of Winnipeg on Short-Term Rentals and also met with Minister James Teitsma to discuss condominium concerns, including short-term rentals, dispute resolution, reserve funds and more.

The Board of Directors of CCI Manitoba held its Christmas Party at Smitty’s on Kenaston this past December. Most of the Board attended and some lasted well into the evening. It was a great time to socialize with each other without the usual concerns addressed in meetings.

Our newsletter went digital-only and while some people are disappointed to not receive a printed copy there was also a lot of praise for the move. We will keep evaluating the situation but at this time we are continuing with the digital newsletter.

Our Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 19 2023 at Assiniboia Downs. It will be a Derby Themed Race Night and along with the AGM, there will be food, drinks, prizes, horse racing and networking. Last year’s AGM was at Fort Gibraltar and everyone I talked to had a great time. Mark your calendar so you don’t miss a great evening with the cast and crew of CCI Manitoba.

Throughout the year we get many calls and emails from members with questions and concerns on a variety of topics. Board members step up to answer the queries from our members. I know Maureen Hancharyk and I have had many back and forth by email and telephone with a number of our members. We both enjoy the opportunity to discuss concerns and get to know our members on a more personal level and hopefully answer their questions or solve a problem. It’s the same feeling I have at Lunch & Learns where I get to meet a lot of you in person and get to know you through a private conversation.

I love serving on the Board and being President as well. My job as President is made so much easier with the commitment and dedication of each of our Board Members. I rely on them a lot and I know the membership of CCI Manitoba can as well.

I’m looking forward to a great summer (Hello Hawaii) and a busy yet satisfying year for the Canadian Condominium Institute.

I know you will be at the Annual General Meeting in September and when you do get there, make sure you come up and say Hi, not just to me but to our entire Board. I’ll even introduce you to them.

Take care, stay safe and have a wonderful Manitoba summer.

JOHN POPOWICH, President
CCI Manitoba Chapter