Pubdate: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Josh Skapin REALTORS WANT ACTION ON GROW OPS, CONDOS With a provincial election set for April 23, a group plans to ensure realtors are heard on everything from ensuring the safety of former grow ops to a law regulating condos. The Calgary Real Estate Board's Political Action Committee (CREB PAC) plans to use Facebook and Twitter to ensure politicians understand such issues. "We're frustrated," says Bob Jablonski, president of CREB. "It's an election year, which is great, but let's get at it." Along with the Alberta Real Estate Association, CREB has been promoting provincial action on both grow ops and the Condominium Property Act since 2009. The absence of provincial standards for air quality in homes formerly used for drug operations increases the risk of undetected mould resurfacing, even after a home is declared safe, says CREB in a news release. "There is currently no established mechanism to license, regulate, permit or certify people or companies who investigate, remediate and test the environmental conditions in former illegal drug operations," says president Madeline Sarafinchan of the Alberta Real Estate Association in the news release. "The so-called 'certified mould-environmental consultants' offered by industry groups and private associations are not government regulated or endorsed, and thus does not provide assurance that they have sufficient qualifications to properly undertake the work." The Alberta Real Estate Association commissioned a report on the problem in 2009 and suggested some solutions, says Sarafinchan. The situation is posing a significant problem for realtors handling former grow ops, says CREB board member Bill Kirk in the news release. "Realtors want to be able to effectively integrate remediated properties back into the real estate market while protecting our clients and minimizing the health and financial risks associated with these properties," he says. "To make grow ops into livable properties, legislative standards are required. Without them, it is difficult for consumers to determine if the property is properly restored." CREB is also concerned about the Condominium Property Act, which Jablonski says is not effective in one particular area - achieving full compliance by sellers of resale condos. Documents needed to protect consumers during the buying and selling process are often outdated or incomplete, he says. CREB PAC is a volunteer organization consisting of politically-minded CREB employees and directors, says Jablonski. "It's there to make sure that the provincial and federal governments are aware of the issues," he says.