History of Nova Scotia Chapter
Back in the 1980s, Howard Delano, then the first Registrar of Condominiums, gathered a few people he knew to chat about getting something started in Nova Scotia for condominium operations. Howard and Pat Cassidy arranged the first Conference. There was no money so Howard and Pat fronted the cost, hoping enough people would show up to pay them back. Howard provided the catering by bringing a bucket of apples, as the conference was in the fall.
They flew in Jonathan Fine from CCI National as the lead speaker but could not afford to keep him over night, so they flew him in and out same day.
They made enough money off admission fees that Howard and Pat were paid back, with enough left over to take Jon to supper before driving him to the airport.
The group filed a memorandum of association under the Nova Scotia Societies Act on December 13, 1984, forming the Nova Scotia Condominium Association as a society with its objectives to:
- To develop and maintain interest in all aspects of condominium living;
- To conduct educational seminars directed at all possible interest groups associated with condominium living;
- To act as a lobby group to promote the interest of the members.
On October 28, 1996, the Society changed its name to the Canadian Condominium Institute Atlantic Chapter and became affiliated with CCI National. The idea was to give the three other Atlantic provinces a Chapter to join. The objectives stayed the same, however New Brunswick and Newfoundland & Labrador were in the process of forming their own chapters. Therefore, on February 4, 2004, the Chapter again changed its name to the Canadian Condominium Institute Nova Scotia Chapter, with NB and NL having their own chapters. PEI does not yet have a Chapter but is welcome to join either the NB or NS Chapter. The NS Chapter continues to work with the other Atlantic provinces in sharing educational resources.
The Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI National) was originally established as a federal not-for-profit corporation under Part II of the old Canada Corporations Act. Parliament adopted the new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act in 2009, and all corporations under the old act were given five years to convert to the new legislation. In 2013, CCI filed Articles of Continuance under the new Act. In 2020, CCI-NS was approved as a chapter of CCI. This means that we are no longer a separate entity, but are a regional chapter of the national corporation of CCI. CCI-NS is not the same corporation that was established in 1984, although we continue with its mandate.
In 2018 the Chapter commissioned a Strategic Plan update for 2020 and has since then worked towards updating its administration, communication, and services to a digital platform, making it easier for members to join, communicate with the Board and access information and Chapter and National resources.
During the pandemic in 2020 the Chapter elected to continue its educational offerings online using Zoom. The Chapter is continuing this practice which includes recording seminars and webinars that can be viewed by members on the Chapter’s YouTube Channel. While the Chapter discontinued its newsletter in 2022, it now provides a Blog with articles pertaining to Condominium Operations. Its advocacy group has been very active in speaking on Condominium concerns with different levels of government. The Chapter is also actively seeking sponsors to offset costs to keep membership fees at an affordable level.
The Chapter has a very knowledgeable and active Board that is not only improving products and services for Nova Scotians but working with CCI National to improve our network, bringing even more valuable resources to our membership. The Chapter has come a long way since its inception, but it has not changed in its original objectives. Today we still see our mission,
“…to cultivate and support a positive, strong and informed condominium community through the delivery of resources and guidance”.