Important Changes to the Alberta Residential Construction Marketplace

Today the Alberta government introduced Bill 12 - the New Home Buyer Protection Amendment Act. This bill, if passed, will require home builders operating in Alberta to hold a provincial license (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-moves-to-license-home-builders-1.4100116). This bill was introduced after consultation conducted by the government in early 2017 (see https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/builder-licensing-what-we-heard.pdf).

Watson Construction Law hasn't yet had an opportunity to review the bill in detail and consider its effects, but on its face it appears that it could have a significant impact on the industry in a variety of ways. Broadly speaking, the intent of the bill is to protect consumers from fraudsters and fly-by-night builders. All residential builders and individuals dealing with home builders should be aware of the pending legislation and become familiar with their rights and obligations if it is passed by the legislature. We'll update this post if we have any further insights after reviewing the bill in detail.