PPMA celebrates 20th anniversary in 2004

By Tonya Moreton, PPMA Executive Director

 We are proud to advise that the Professional Property Managers Association will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in 2004. While the years may have changed, our core focus as an association has not - we are still dedicated to improving and advancing the standards of the professional property management industry in Manitoba. 

And while we have seen many changes in our industry: 

• The introduction of recycling programs in apartments;
• Changes to the smoke detector by-laws;
• Changes to the RTB hearing system;
• The shift in view from our members being "landlords" - which has a negative connotation - to "property owners/managers" - which has a positive and professional image;
• The shift from "tenants" - which has a transient nature to it - to "residents" - which gives a feeling home and of pride of ownership;
• Being seen as the professional and knowledgeable voice of our industry;
• Being consulted by many organizations and levels of government in many forms of decision making processes; and
• A shift from each property owner/manager acting and feeling like an island unto themselves to having an organization that brings more than 90 companies, representing more than 56,000 suites (60% of the total rental universe in Manitoba) together for the free exchange of information and expertise. 

But while many things have changed, there are still many things that remain the same: 

• Manitoba still has the strictest rent control system in Canada;
• We still have a federal taxation system which is unduly oppressive on the entire rental housing industry;
• We still experience annual rent guideline increases that fall behind basic rates of inflation;
• We still have Provincial housing shelter allowances that never see any increase;
• But most damaging of all, we still have a provincial government that refuses to acknowledge the real problems affecting our industry, who turn a blind eye to the fact that the rent control system they prize is the major source of decay in our city and is the major oppressor of the poor; and
• We still have a provincial government that chooses only to see the short term benefits of the housing programs the launch, instead of having the integrity and fortitude to make short-term sacrifices in order to achieve long-term benefits for all - owners/managers and residents. 

While this association does not advocate revolutionary change overnight, we do desire a process of well thought out evolutionary change that would bring about real growth and equity to both property owners/managers and to the more than 215,000 residents that choose to make our properties their homes. 

If our provincial government does not want to abolish rent controls outright - as was done in Saskatchewan almost ten years ago with no negative backlash from the voting public and with positive results being reaped in the form of lower rents, more money being spent on refurbishing the existing housing stock and then the creation of new privately held rental units - then we implore them once again to consider moving to the "voluntary vacate" system of the Ontario government. 

But don't take our word that this will bring about positive change...read the article below and you can see for yourself that this type of system does work. 

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