CCI Huronia Newsletter, Spring 2018 Issue
WHAT IS CondoSTRENGTH in Huronia?
By Richard Murray
As an additional feature/benefit to condominium corporation Directors of CCI Huronia, a local chapter of a CCI National initiative called CondoSTRENGTH has been created. The concept is “For Directors, by Directors.” This involves occasional meetings between various condo Directors to meet and discuss matters of common interest and to share experiences and learn from each other. As such, it is a true “peer group” concept. This means that many items that come up during the year regarding the condo corp. can be discussed and dissected via input from members of other Boards. We also acknowledge the limitations of this concept and certain matters of interest will still have to be dealt with through the advice and skills of condo related professionals, but the ability to learn from others who have likely already dealt with concerns and problems that you may be dealing with currently, certainly has proven to have merit.
We have been meeting on a quarterly basis since last Fall. Discussions have been lively and many concerns and problems have been discussed. The sharing of prior experiences has helped many of the attendees to become better focused on how to better tackle different matters of concern to them. We don’t tell others how to do things, we simply share what we have experienced and how we have dealt with our own issues. Our intent is that this information may be of some help in guiding other members on how to tackle their own particular problems themselves.
This is an open forum and any Director whose condominium corporation is a member of CCI Huronia is welcome to join in at any time. We currently have meetings with around a dozen people per session and this seems to be a good size to allow for all to actively participate in the discussions. In this way, topics become relevant and timely. In addition, items of general interest are included. Last meeting, we discussed the new Director exam that the CAO has created. It turned out that this exam is not nearly as intimidating or difficult as some had feared. We are also discussing the upcoming cannabis legislation and how it will impact condo living.
Another valuable feature of CondoSTRENGTH is condostrength.ca. It’s a free program for CCI condo corporation members coast to coast that is For Directors, By Directors. This program helps condominium Directors come together and share their condo experiences during free networking events hosted by local condo communities. This program provides members with access to an online toolbox of resources which include: checklists, templates and guides, success stories and a collection of helpful and informative articles on condo living. Please check it out. It also features a Community Recognition program. With this program, your Board could survey your residents to identify areas of interest to them or to improve upon and to evaluate whether your efforts recently have been effective and appreciated. A tutorial on how to conduct surveys is now available. A sample is included on the web site. Your Board could even be nominated for CCIs prestigious Condo of the Year award. Here’s a link to our website for more info: http://condostrength.ca/
On a personal note, I am a local CCI Huronia Board Director and act as the moderator/facilitator for the Barrie and area chapter and prior to each meeting solicit items to be discussed at the next meeting. I am also a long time Director in a member condo corporation in Barrie.
Our next meeting is scheduled for May 29th at Timberwalk in Barrie. Anyone who would like to check this out or wishes further information is invited to give us your name and contact information and send it to info@ccihuronia.com. We’ll provide further details and you can then join in and see if this is something that would be of benefit to you and your Board. We welcome new attendees at any session.