Year End Committee reports - Summer 2025

Article from Volume 12, Issue Number 3, 2025

Year End Committee reports - Summer 2025

By Committee Chairs | Other articles by Committee Chairs | Regular Column

At CCI Manitoba, the Board of Directors sets the direction and makes decisions regarding committee proposals and plans, but most of the detailed work is done at the committee level. The following reports provide updates from CCI Manitoba’s committees and will be presented at our fall Annual General Meeting.

By the way, you need not be a CCI board member to join one of our committees. If you’re interested in volunteering on one or more of our committees, please email us.

Marketing Committee

No report in time for publication.

Marketing Committee members are Kerri Melnyk (chair), Kirsten Bishop, Mara Doctoroff, Doug Forbes, Seth Henoch, Alan Reiss and ex officio member John Popowich.

Communications Committee

No report in time for publication.

Communication Committee members are Doug Forbes (chair), Alan Forbes, Seth Henoch, Kerri Melnyk, Patricia Salam, Alan Reiss and ex officio member John Popowich.

Membership Committee report

By Patricia Salam

I have been a condo owner for more than nine years and realized that there is a lot to know about condo ownership. The condo corporation that I live in is a CCI member. I found the information that I receive in CCI Manitoba’s newsletter to be invaluable to me as a condo owner. I decided to become a volunteer and have served on the CCI board for about four years.

I have personally gained a lot of valuable knowledge about what it means to live in a condo community. CCI is a valuable resource that every condo owner can benefit from, and with the minimal cost of membership it’s a no-brainer to be a member.

The Canadian Condominium Institute is a national organization with chapters in most provinces that are run by volunteer boards. We continue efforts to grow our chapter membership and are slowly recovering to pre-pandemic levels. In the past year or two our committee tried the following promotions with varying degrees of success:

Providing a 50 per cent membership discount price for new members;
Promoting our member referral program, with all referrers eligible for a gift card draw;
Incentivizing early renewal of memberships by entering members in a draw to refund their membership fee if they renew by June 15;
Improving CCI’s brand recognition in the Winnipeg market, we’re trying advertising in Winnipeg Digest, with a membership ad, another promotion in July and another in August.

Our biggest opportunity for membership growth falls in the condo corporation category. To pursue this opportunity, we have initiated coffee meetings with property management companies to demonstrate the value CCI offers in an effort to get as many of their condo corporation clients as possible to become CCI members.

We also have a standing offer to send a CCI director to condo corporation board meetings and owner meetings to highlight the benefits of a CCI membership.

CCI Manitoba will get stronger only with increasing participation of condo corporation directors and unit owners, as well as professionals and business partners that provide services to the condo community. With about 1,500 condo corporations in the province and many businesses providing services to the condo community, the CCI membership growth opportunity is endless.

Please consider supporting our chapter by spreading the word about CCI and becoming a
volunteer.

I would like to thank all committee members for their efforts this past year, along with our chapter president, John Popowich, and our chapter administrator, Aesia Desrosiers, for their commitment to the growth of the Manitoba Chapter of CCI.

Membership Committee members are Patricia Salam (chair), Kirsten Bishop, Doug Forbes, Audrey Harder, Alan Reiss, volunteer Denis Smith and ex officio member Alan Forbes.

Education Committee

By Mara Doctoroff and Carl Dalton

The education committee is responsible for providing condominium education that meets the needs of CCI Manitoba’s members. We organize lunch & learns, webinars, courses and other education events. We want to help increase our members’ knowledge to make condo living better and more fun. We strive to assist our members to have more knowledge and a better understanding of condo living.

Over the past year, the Education Committee has been improving our hybrid lunch & learns. We have moved to a larger in-person venue to accommodate more participants and that allows for more networking, as there is more space so that people can move around with ease. We think the move to Canad Inns on Pembina has been well received.

We also upgraded some of our technology to improve the experience for those members who participate online via Zoom — our new microphone is much better at picking up audience questions and discussion. As well, we have improved our video recording and editing skills, making our podcast archive more useful for those unable to attend or for those wanting to review key points of a session. The podcast archive is available on our website under the “Members Only” tab.

We would like to thank the committee members and volunteers for their contributions this past year, along with our dedicated chapter administrator, Aesia Desrosiers. On behalf of the Education Committee, thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm at our events. We look forward to seeing you at our next lunch & learn on Oct. 16, 2025.

Wishing you a great summer.

Education Committee members are co-chairs Carl Dalton and Mara Doctoroff, Alan Forbes, Audrey Harder, Eric Hyrcyk, Kerri Melnyk, Alan Reiss, volunteers Charlene Urbanski and Aleethia Mackay and ex officio member John Popowich.

Newsletter Committee

By Alan Forbes

The purpose of the committee is two-fold: first, to generate timely, informative, stimulating and quality content, focusing on issues that are relevant to the condominium community; and second, to publish CCI Manitoba’s Condominium News and Views on a quarterly basis in media formats suitable to smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

The big news for the year is that CCI Manitoba’s newsletter, Condominium News and Views, won the H. Penman Smith award for the best CCI chapter newsletter in the country at the National Leaders Forum held in Waterloo in late May. Congratulations to committee members Alan Reiss and ex officio member John Popowich, volunteers Duane Rohne, Maureen Hancharyk and Shelley Robertson, our administrator, Aesia Desrosiers, and our graphic designer, Kris Locke. Their hard work has achieved national recognition and much appreciation from the Manitoba chapter.

Committee members Alan Reiss and John Popowich, along with fellow CCI Manitoba directors Doug Forbes and Seth Henoch, were on hand to receive the award.

Not wanting to rest on our laurels, the committee is always looking to improve the newsletter. In the past year, we have pursued two initiatives to do just that: first, by proactively soliciting articles from our business partner and professional members (you may have seen our “Call for articles” promotion on the tables at our in-person events); and second, by developing a survey to get feedback from our readers.

The survey takes about five minutes to complete and all respondents will be given the option of entering a draw for a $100 gift card. To do the survey, just click this link.

Newsletter Committee members are Alan Forbes (chair), Alan Reiss, volunteers Maureen Hancharyk, Shelley Robertson, Duane Rohne and ex officio member John Popowich.

Finance Committee

No report in time for publication.

Finance Committee members are Audrey Harder (chair), John Popowich, Alan Forbes, Kirsten Bishop.

AGM/Sponsorship Committee

No report in time for publication.

AGM/Sponsorship Committee members are co-chairs Kathleen Vandale and Connie Dame, Mara Doctoroff, Seth Henoch, John Popowich, Alan Reiss, Patricia Salam and ex officio Alan Forbes.

Government Relations and Advocacy Committee

By Duane Rohne

It is my pleasure to present the 2025 report of the Government Relations and Advocacy Committee. I assumed the role of Chair following the September 2024 AGM and am pleased to share the progress we have made over the past year. Thank you to the committee members and to the broader CCI Manitoba community for your ongoing support and commitment to improving condominium governance in our province.

Key activities and accomplishments

Stakeholder engagement and advocacy
On May 6, 2025, a delegation from our committee—Doug Forbes, Kerri Melnyk, and John Popowich—met with Minister of Public Service Delivery Mintu Sandhu, at the Manitoba Legislature. During the meeting, we:

Provided an overview of CCI Manitoba’s role and history;
Offered to establish a regular working relationship with the Minister’s office;
Proposed forming a working group to address ongoing and emerging issues in the condominium sector.

The minister responded positively to our suggestions, and we are now working toward forming this collaborative working group.

Legislative reform advocacy

We submitted a preliminary list of potential improvements to The Condominium Act, highlighting the following key areas:

Dispute Resolution Mechanism - Proposal to establish a cost-effective, accessible, and fair tribunal system to handle condominium-related disputes.
Reserve Fund Management - Advocacy for stronger mechanisms to ensure reserve funds are adequately funded and responsibly managed.
Short-Term Rentals - Recommendation for provincial guidance and best practices to help condominium corporations manage short-term rental activity.

Community consultation

We conducted two focused surveys — one at the Presidents Forum and one at the Treasurers Forum. These engagements provided valuable insight from knowledgeable and experienced leaders in the condominium sector, and their input will continue to guide our advocacy priorities.

Looking ahead

Our committee will continue to focus on:

Finalizing the formation of the working group with the minister’s office;
Advancing the legislative priorities outlined above;
Engaging additional stakeholders across the condominium sector to ensure broad input and collaboration.

We are also pleased to report that minister Sandhu has been invited to speak at CCI's AGM, and preparations for his participation are ongoing.

Committee membership

The strength of our committee lies in its members — a dedicated and diverse team bringing both experience and enthusiasm. The committee includes five directors and two volunteers, "professional and industry experience (legal, property management, accounting/audit)" and, most importantly, five condominium owners. I extend my sincere thanks to each member for their commitment, creativity, and hard work, which have been vital to our success.

Government Relations and Advocacy Committee members are Duane Rohne (chair, volunteer), Doug Forbes, Eric Hrycyk, Kerri Melnyk, John Popowich, volunteer Denis Smith and ex officio Alan Forbes.