THE RENEWAL OF TRUST IN
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE
QUALITY OF CONDOMINIUM CONSTRUCTION
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Submitted to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council
Government of British Columbia
by Dave Barrett, Commissioner
June 1998
CONTENTS
Letter of Transmittal
Terms of Reference
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
Chapter One: The Problem
I.
Introduction
II.
What Has Gone Wrong
III.
The Importance of the Residential Construction to BC's Economy
IV.
The Definition of the Problem
V.
The Magnitude of the Problem
VI.
Housing Costs
Chapter Two: The Framework of Residential Construction
I.
Provincial Government
II.
Building Codes
III.
Municipal Approval and Inspection Process
IV.
The Role of the Developer/Builder
V.
The Role of the Architect
VI.
The Role of the Engineer
VII.
Labour Force
VIII.
Warranty Programs
IX.
CMHC and the Federal Government
X.
Financial Institutions
XI.
Management Companies and Strata Councils
XII.
The Legal System
Chapter Three: Plan for Action
I.
Compensation Fund
(a)
Existing Access to Financial Support
(1)
CMHC's Mortgage Loan Insurance
(2)
Residential Rehabilitation Program
(3)
Liquidation of Savings and RRSPs
(b)
Recommended Policy Measures for Municipal, Provincial and Federal Governments
(1)
Taxation, GST and PST
(2)
Application for Reassessment of Property Tax
(c)
Structure and Administration of the Reconstruction Fund
II.
Homeowner Protection Office
(a)
Purpose
(1)
Strengthen Consumer Protection
(2)
Improve the Quality of Residential Construction
(3)
Research and Education
(4)
Reconstruction Fund
III.
Recommendations
IV.
Appendix
One:
Submitters List
Two:
Orders in Council
Three:
Methodology for Estimating the Cost Related to Repairs of Residential Construction
Four:
Suggested Draft Legislation: Homeowner Protection Act
This electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
Copyright © 1998: Government of the Province of British Columbia