"Consumer protection is one of our top priorities," said Ramona Jennex, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "These amendments will benefit a fast-growing segment of our population who live in condominiums now or are thinking of moving into condominiums the near future."

Among other things, these changes will enhance consumer protection by:

• ensuring prospective buyers are given more information about the condo corporation at the time of the purchase
• extending the cooling-off period after the purchase agreement is signed to allow the buyer more time to review the contract and other paper work
• prohibiting developers from forcing buyers to move into their units before the building is completed and closing has taken place
• requiring all buildings that are converted to condominiums, regardless of size, to have a report prepared on the condition of the building to determine the amount of funds needed to be kept in reserve for future repairs

The amendments also help clarify and simplify provisions of the
act for condo developers and corporations in areas such as voting requirements, management contracts, arbitration and guidelines for the development and implementation of condo rules.

The proposed changes were the result of a comprehensive review of the act and an extensive consultation conducted on a wide range of issues identified by the Condominium Review Committee, consisting of condo owners, condo corporations, developers, property managers and the legal community.

Most of the amendments are supported by more than 95 per cent of the respondents in the public consultation.