CHAPI not Happy

[Bill Mullen]

Originally Posted by rwand1

Bill who has an elected BOD, CAHPI or OAHI? CAHPI-OAHI does not elect its directors who serve on CAHPI BOD. They are appointed without any input whatsoever from the membership. We know what those appointees have done and not done. Hardly democratic wouldn't you say strictly from an Ontario POV?

Cheers,

Only in Ontario are the national directors appointed. In all other regions they are elected by the members.
Ontario is different because they have those 'perfect' bylaws.

Bill Mullen

[rwand1]

http://www.cahpi.ca/index.php?option...d=31&Itemid=36
Bylaw and Policy Committee:
Graham Clarke graham@carsondunlop.com

Speaking of perfect, unsubstantiated bylaws and considering G. Clarke is on the bylaw committee of OAHI the same committee that can't produce the new improved bylaws how can we be assured G. Clarke is excercising the same qualities on the CAHPI Bylaw committee?

Seems to me CAHPI-Ontario needs to get rid of some dead wood and people who seem to be part of the continual problems in CAHPI-Ontario.

Its turning out more and more that CAHPI-OAHI is anything but democratic.

Oooooooooooooooops, can I say that? Oh heck I just did!

[George A. H. Luck]

"Says who? I don't see electricians, or plumbers or heating contractors suffering as a result of their profession being licenced?"

Spoken like a real 'trade union Liberal'. Goverment intervention is never good for the free market.

[rwand1]

George,

I am anything but a union man. Don't like unions, never believed in them. What I do believe in is the government stepping in when those given special status or self regulation have abused the trust.

Lets face it Licencing in the home inspection industry is not gong to interfer with the free market anymore than other licenced professions.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by gluck

"Says who? I don't see electricians, or plumbers or heating contractors suffering as a result of their profession being licenced?"

Spoken like a real 'trade union Liberal'. Goverment intervention is never good for the free market.

What about when they catch corporations conspiring in price fixing schemes. The US is much more active in their "anti-trust" activities so we don't here much about this gov't function here.

Government intervention has made an aquaintance of mine a multi-millionaire!!! He's at his house in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun as I write. He complains loudly about all the taxes he pays....probably more than I make some years. Here's how the gov't intervened in the free market: They prohibited dumping of garbage,, sludge, ballast and bilge water containing oils, etc, into the ocean. So all cruise ships and others now have to use his or the competitors services to keep the environment clean.

Recently due to "terrorism" concerns, he's had to expand by buying tugs and barges, hire 2-3 "licensed" (bad word here) ship/tug captains as he cannot collect garbage, bilge, sludge from the dock side but only from the water side of the ships now!!

This results in higher costs for the shipline owners but also higher billing for him.......so if he has a fixed mark-up......he's making more $$$$$$. Plus he's expanding his investments....just bought a restaurant/cottage rental business last year!!

When he complains against taxes, I quickly remind him that gov't regulations gave him the chance to grow from office cleaner to successful entrepreneur!!!

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by rwand1

George,

I am anything but a union man. Don't like unions, never believed in them. What I do believe in is the government stepping in when those given special status or self regulation have abused the trust.

Lets face it Licencing in the home inspection industry is not gong to interfer with the free market anymore than other licenced professions.

So true!! Try to hire an electrician, plumber, etc. around these parts now......you'll be waiting weeks to months if it's a small job. An aquaintance called his brother to come from 120 km away to install his new electric hot water tank as the electricians/plumbers he called didn't want the job. No problems with these licensed vocations.

Actually.......locally, the carpenters' union has been putting on free 8 week introductory courses to any who qualify with enough skills (reading/writing/ciphering) since the trade schools are not turning out enough pre-trained people and there aren't enough licensed carpenters around.

[Lawrence Olsen]

Please correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know the trades do not have to hold a journeyman ticket to do work. If Home Inspectors get licensed you will be punished if you work without a license.

Lawrence Olsen

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by Lawrence Olsen

Please correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know the trades do not have to hold a journeyman ticket to do work. If Home Inspectors get licensed you will be punished if you work without a license.

Lawrence Olsen

In Nova Scotia (if I remember correctly), electricians, gasfitters, mechanics, masons and a couple of others must have trade tickets to work.

The trade ticket should also have CE's some how included. I'm consulting (possibly litigating now) on a $800,000 1 year old home with severe rot in 1 wall, a too small heating/cooling system, an undersized HRV, not enough insulation in the attic (according to specs) and on and on. There have been 3 engineers, a Phd mycologist, the warranty corp, an energy auditor and myself on site so far. If the builder/developer had some formal carpentry/building training and his men were licensed carpenters with regular upgrading, I know that at least some of this disaster would not have occurred. The same would apply to the HVAC problems!!

Licensing may not be the most palatable method but it's better than having just anyone claiming to be a...........whatever, and it may keep more of our houses out of the lawyers' offices. By the way, would you want a self-proclaimed lawyer without formal training working for you???

[rwand1]

Licensing may not be the most palatable method but it's better than having just anyone claiming to be a...........whatever, and it may keep more of our houses out of the lawyers' offices. By the way, would you want a self-proclaimed lawyer without formal training working for you???

Or a self regulating body trying to pull wool over the eyes of members by applying inflated fees, bylaws which don't exist, or financial info on members money that fails to be properly accounted for.

Yup licencing sure tastes good to me!

[George A. H. Luck]

"What I do believe in is the government stepping in when those given special status or self regulation have abused the trust."

Agreed. The government should step in and rescind the legislation and remove any implication of government approval.

[Claude Lawrenson]

On November 7, 2005, Regulation 570/55 was filed that establishes a province-wide licensing system for electrical contractors and master electricians. The goal is to improve electrical safety for workers and the public. These same amendments support Ontario small businesses by allowing electrical contractors to work anywhere in the province with a single licence.
ESA will start accepting applications for electrical contractor and master electrician licenses starting July 1, 2006. All electrical contractors and master electricians will require a licence by January 1, 2007.

ECAO - http://www.ecao.org/contractor.html

Hire a licensed electrician - http://www.esaecra.info/site/index.php

[rwand1]

Claude,

Do you favour licencing of home inspectors?

I do fwiw.

Cheers,

[Claude Lawrenson]

I personally do not have an issue - but I would be cautious about the terms of licensing. In some instance if it is sector driven - that's a plus; but far too often other stakeholders tend to muddy up the terms. I am not for "grandfathering". To me that's about quantity and often undermines "quality".

ASHI recently pointed to Florida licensing as an issue - where licensing seems to have received very poor grades. But I am open for others that may know better from that area. Reference http://sev.prnewswire.com/construction-building/20080103/AQTH09503012008-1.html#

The discussion I hear indicate from a lobbyist is - that there generally is little interest for government involvement in licensing unless the numbers in the 5000+ range. Seems that in itself tells the story - is it about quantity or quality?

[rwand1]

Claude

I had the opportunity to discuss licencing recently with one former Premier of Ontario and another MPP, and they indicated the Ontario government had no plans and has no plans for licencing home inspectors fwiw.

However they were most interested to hear of the other problems that are persisitant with regards to legal requirements as per the Corp. Act.

Cheers,

[Vern Mitchinson]

From where I sit Home inspection should be looked at as a profession. Tradesmen build and make things and must spend a long time training to learn those manual skills. Many advance to become good Home and building inspectors. To be a proficient inspector requires a lot of knowledge and not much Manuel skill. Since the courts hold home inspectors responsible for their actions the same as they would for an engineer, architect, doctor etc. it is my opinion the we should be considered a professional and treated as such.
In the old days a labour progressed to a trade then a master tradesman then a master builder and finally an architect. That process is still available today but most people choose to learn the theory first then become architects and engineers. Others choose a mixture of both. Once you move from the Manuel to the cerebral you also change from a trade to a profession.