Good news for canadain inspectors

Local Inspection Issues Canadian Home Inspectors
1

The Board of Governors of the Conference of Commercial and Independent Home Inspectors is pleased to announce that there have been significant developments in the on-going negotiations with the Teamsters Union. These developments will have far reaching effects on our industry and our futures in it.

We can today release the following ;

[FONT=Times New Roman]- The Teamsters have decided, with the full support of the Board of Governors, to expand the union, under separate locals, to the rest of the Canadian Provinces . This significant expansion increases the opportunity for every Home Inspector to become a member of the Conference and enjoy the benefits of that membership. Becoming a trans-Canadian Conference will allow your Conference to become involved in both national and regional issues and build the organization from the grass roots up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman]- The Teamsters have agreed to waive the initial registration fee for new members for the period of Grandfathering for existing inspectors. This represents a significant savings for new members.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman]- Negotiations with insurance providers will be undertaken to provide members with lower cost Errors and Omissions and business Liability insurance. Further negotiations with other suppliers will be undertaken as manpower becomes available.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman]- The Board of Governors continues to work on the structure of the Conference so that when memberships are accepted, members will be able to take a direct hand in the building of their Conference.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman]- Further meetings are scheduled in Montreal over the next two weeks during which, it is hoped, that most of the rest of the key issues will be settled.[/FONT]

The Board of Governors appreciates the impatience of some Home Inspectors to have all their questions answered. Rest assured that as soon as the Board is able to answer everybody’s questions we will do so. However, the Board of Governors will not engage in speculation to the detriment of the Industry.

Your patience is appreciated.

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT;

Brendan Kelly
Director of Organizing GCC/IBT Local100m**[FONT=Arial]**[/FONT]
GCC/Teamsters Local 100-M
21-165 East Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill, ON., L4B 2N2
1-866-335-0345
bkelly@teamsters100m.com

OR SEND AN EMAIL TO THE CONFERENCE OF COMMERCIAL AND INDEPENDENT HOME INSPECTORS AT;

ccihi@ripnet.com

2

Great info… waiving some fees for some people…

Bottom line…

How much is this going to cost the individual inspector?

3

What benefit would there be in becoming unionized, as mostly all of us inspectors work for ourselves.

4

BARRY, this is from an earlier thread but it should help to answer your question;

  • Officially recognized by the government
  • strength through numbers
  • a voice that will be heard on any issue
  • a government recognized trade
  • ability to have input into the formation of your industry
  • access to health care programme
  • access to paid lobbyists in Ottawa
  • access to reduced business and accident insurance
  • an organization that YOU put together
  • no ‘industry leaders’ telling you what to say, think and do
  • access to top notch legal help
  • ability to help shape the membership requirements of new members after the grandfathering period ( which will become the defacto license for Ontario)
  • special pricing on tools, computers, clothing and anything else your union can negotiate
  • being part of the only organization that all levels of government and other organizations will deal with.
  • the brotherhood of other home inspectors
  • education that actually educates
  • ability to elect or be elected to any office in the organization
  • the possibility of universal E+O insurance for all memebers ( to be negotiated)

Join us and you will see what a great deal your membership is.

ccihi@ripnet.com

5

5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 , 0

Ok, go Tom :smiley:

6

You’ve made your character very clear on this issue. You are obviously in line to receive some type of compensation for being the union mouth piece.

If your intent was to actually help the industry as you say, then you would find out the most important answer before you started spewing all over every board you can.

And yet… still no answer…

7

:D:D My god tom did someone shi…% in you cereal this morning?. You sir are the most negative being i have ever read… and funny to!!!

8

How is asking how much this union is going to cost us being negative?

When people talk about how much they want to help me, and yet refuse to tell me how much it will cost me, of course I question it.

When someone claims to be supporting something that will be totally transparent and open to all, yet hides information from the very beginning, of course I question it.

When someone turns a simple question about the issue they are pushing into an issue about someones personal moods or attitudes… Of course I question it…

Every comment unrelated to how much this union is going to cost the individual inspector is an attempt to turn attention away from the issue…

Why is this being done?

Oh I know, it’s for our own good… right?

9

We dont know how much it will be yet!!

10

OK, OK, OK.
You got us Tom.
We’re hiding everything from you. What you don’t know is that we have told everybody else but you! :roll:
BWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
We even told everyone but you, who was on the grassy knoll that December day in Texas.

All kidding aside. As you have been told before, we will not make up information like others have over the years. As soon as we have it you will have it. Pretty simple concept really - “WE KNOW - YOU KNOW”. and most importantly, you will know the truth.
Be patient Grasshopper. :wink:

11

Tom,

This sounds more and more like a typical Bait and Switch in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is. This use of this term has extended to similar situations outside of the marketing sense.

More info at: Bait-and-switch - Wikipedia

Be forwarned,

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

Cheers,

12

But, patience is a virtue George…it is intentional and habitual excellence and it is something that in order to maintain you need to practice… and for the record, the absence of an answer does not, in fact, mean that one is hiding something…it simply means that there is no direct answer yet.

Also, for the record, every comment unrelated to how much the union is going to cost is most definately NOT an attempt to turn attention away from the issue…it is an attempt at being truthfull and honest about what we know…I guess those traits have been so lacking from other groups in the past they have become unrecognizable now.

Thanks George for clearing up the concept…

A patient Grasshopper;-)

13

Oh Marcel :roll:

14

John and others, I do not believe it is fair nor honest to attempt to claim that all other associations, people or parties are being untruthful, and that one group has all the answers. Some allegations are being promoted here, that are best questionable, but troublesome on a open forum.

I simply suggest that everyone be a little more cautious in making “allegations” that are not backed by fact. Some comments here and noted on other forums are gaining attention and necessarily not by home inspectors but by other parties that have been named and openly criticized on publicly accessible forums.

More recently I have noted a number of personal attacks, names named, and regardless of the starting point - it’s is unprofessional. When will this ever stop??? I simply see we seem to fall back to the same old same old - blame the other guy, the other association, and yet we claim to be “professionals”.

I am not pointing a finger at you, me or others - ok - but more directly perhaps a very small handful, and not necessarily just here on this forum. It is not that diificult to read the “crap” posted and trash talk on other forums.

But how would those involved like to react when others take action for what the trask talkers have sewn! More to the point though - just keeping it on the professional level is the best way way to continue a civil conversation or ongoing communication.

Just because some other associations and/or individuals may choose to take a different route to (hopefully) better this sector or perhaps add benefits does not make them any less right or wrong or any less honest in elements of thought or actions. Or just because some inspectors gang together over a topic that is liked or not, it should be viewed from all perspectives. It’s all about choices - some personal and some business; but one size does not fit all.

BTW: sometimes people confuse freedom of speech with real possibility of causing harm to others and thereby breaking the law. I am not here as a gatekeeper, but more so tired of seeing others continue the war of words and put downs because someone asked some tough questions about what some people tend to flogg here, there and lately almost everywhere.

Thinking open mindedly, there are many options, like buyer beware, let the inspector have the right to choose their model of critical thinking and questioning that best suits their “professional” attributes.

Just my 2 cents …thanks!

15

It’s tough, isn’t it Claude, when the shoe is on the other foot. I might remind you that I and a lot of others have been waiting for answers on the NCA for a lot of years. And while we are on the subject of answering questions, let’s have those statistics that prove that there is a problem with the home inspection industry in Canada. Or how about some evidence that indicates that ‘national’ inspectors are any less likely to make mistakes than anyone else?We’ve all been waiting for a long, long time for your answers. So, you first!

I can understand why the old guard is running scared though. ‘You’ have had a lot of years to address a wagon load of problems in your own associations and look what has happened! The OAHI has collapsed and the CAHPI / NCA cabal is in ruins. And along comes the union. It is interesting what fear has been struck into hearts of the old guard with just the mention of the ‘U’ word !!

Just wait until we have all the facts to present to all inspectors. Just wait until inspectors realize that they will not have to be members of the anointed few to enjoy lower E+O rates and a raft of other benefits? But let’s be honest Claude, our promise to release news of benefits and changes for the industry is no different from your promise made last week on behalf of the OAHI to do the same thing .

So, one more time;
We will not lie to you. Unlike many ‘industry leaders’ we will not mislead with inaccurate information. When we have all the answers, you will be the first to know. This organization will be built from the ground up and for the first time EVERY member will have a hand in it’s creation. It’s called democracy.

16

All the talk about the benefits and wonderful things that we will experience if this goes through is pure bull****… until we are told how much its going to cost…

What you are doing right now is promising the world and not telling us what it will cost…

It’s easy to promise the world when you do this…

You are collecting email addresses, and you will use those email addresses to say, "look how many people are interested in there being a union, when in truth, the majority of people who sign up for your email updates JUST WANT THE FACTS THAT YOU KEEP PROMISING…

The fact that you keep arguing that you don’t know how much its going to cost, just demonstrates your lack of critical thinking abilities George.

Why are you pushing others so hard to join up with something when (according to you) you don’t know how much it will cost?

When the time comes to reveal the true costs of this, your argument will change to, Well, this is what you all wanted… and I will call bull**** on you again then for it.

Hucksters have always used this same tactic…

“Come buy my magic cure all, it will cure everything from warts to aids… Oh no sir, don’t worry about the cost, it will be much less then what you receive in return, just sign here and we’ll take care of the rest…”

17

Oh, I just thought of a fair way to solve all this back and forth George.

How about you donate to my “shut Tom up fund”, you will receive many benefits for your donation, including having me never mentioning your lack of actual information and me calling you sir.

Just send me a cashiers check filled in except for the amount… because after all, the costs don’t matter, just the results… right George?

18

First let’s dispel a few myths:

  1. regardless of association or certification - anyone can make a mistake - case in point read through the CanLaw home inspector cases, or why not spend a day listening to those cases often brough before small claims courts - you know those ones especially involving home inspectors - where are those ones tracked?
  2. regardless of your belief that there are few problems and my belief that there is room for improvement - why is licensing happening in many other parts of North America that impact home inspectors? and is there room for improvement and accountability?
  3. why should I be in charge of answers - I am just one individual but there are collective groups out there including consumers and other stakeholders that believe that the industry needs some form of “regulation” and standardization, its not just about the $200,000 lawsuit verdict in BC involving a home inspector, it’s about as one example the single mother ripped off and misled about the house inspection conducted by a certified inspector in the Peterborough area and that cannot even afford a lawyer to sue the inspector - she’s now facing $30,000 in repairs based on negligent reporting
  4. the old guard is not running scared, from what I see and hear you would need to ask that question directly to “the old guard” - I am not their spokesperson - and if you really believe I am one of the old guard, thanks for your vote of confidence to delegate me to that position
  5. yes - every association has their good, bad and ugly side - so why cast stones? if everything was so perfect explain how we have so many different associations, and furthermore why we have so many differences of opinion within those associations - seems we can’t agree and history means nothing to those that helped bring this sector to where it is today
  6. just because some want to believe that OAHI and/or CAHPI and/or even the NCP is ruins is based on what fact, both seem to be moving forward, perhaps not entirely the same - but it’s not over
  7. honestly my POV - I have no problem with the union “concept” but I am somewhat sceptical about the numbers and if the “concept” will be accepted by as many as some believe
  8. currently belonging to a union - a college faculty union at that, although different - it to has it’s benefits and drawbacks - each to their own on freedom of choice; but often what is promised is not always that comes to fruition - just like those associations that fail to meet the expectations of members, heck I might even been on the picket line soon…
  9. regarding the OAHI comment I posted - changes are coming and much of that has to do with the lessons learned in consulting with others especially regarding BC licensing experience - simply put the bar will be raised and the work is never done…
  10. it’s interest to see that facts and accuracy seems a concern - but equally so is the lack of information, or as I alluded to earlier the partial truths blended with a bit of perhaps lack of facts based on “rumours” spread by the home inspection gossip forums - just because one wants to believe it - does not make it a matter of fact or necessarily accurate - critical thinking and careful analysis is still required, and even at that as I stated before one size does not fit all - viva la difference!
19

Tom - it’s alleged that Roy Cooke is the president of this new group. Perhaps he can assist you more directly in answers. He generally is good at offering answers and assisting.

Others - please correct me if I am wrong. This was noted on another Canadian inspector forum - " Roy Cooke President C.C.I.H.I."

20

As an outsider looking in, why in the world would independent business people want to be unionized? Look what they’ve done to the auto industry?

Doug