CAHPI Acknowledgement:

December 2nd, 2008

Pierre Lemieux, MP
Glengarry-Prescott-Russell
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Lemieux:

It has been some time since our organization has written to Members of Parliament, Senators, and Members of provincial legislatures. Several elections in provinces, and of course, the recent federal election are good reasons to establish and renew contact. But it is the crisis in financial markets, which has now taken root in Canadians' homes and their daily lives that is at the forefront of my decision to write to you now.

I am the President of the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI), and it is my honour to head up the largest organization of professional home inspectors in Canada. CAHPI members "serving consumers in every province and region" are the country's most highly trained, qualified, and accountable home and property inspectors. CAHPI leads the home inspection industry in consumer protection and public trust, and we are leading the drive to bring standards to the home inspection industry in provinces and communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

These are volatile and troubling times nationally, provincially, and locally. While buying a home is an expression of personal financial confidence, as well as confidence in a community, there is no mistaking the reality that across the country, the economic crisis has produced a crisis in confidence among prospective homebuyers. Right now, people considering the biggest purchase of their lives "a home" are demanding their home inspector be highly qualified so that their decision to purchase is an informed decision.

To us, it's about confidence. And our organization has redoubled its efforts to restore the confidence of Canadians considering the purchase of a home. To this end, I want you to be aware of a number of developments. CAHPI's national conference in Halifax in October focused on identification of hidden moisture rot in a home, signs that a house was once a marijuana grow operation, water and septic inspection challenges, among other issues. We emerged from the conference renewed and re-energized, and through changes to our organizational structure, with an Executive Committee very much in keeping with our national reach.

Members of this national leadership body are:
President: Bill Sutherland, Kamloops, British Columbia
Past President: Mike Guihan, Paradise, Newfoundland
Vice President: Blaine Swan, Truro, Nova Scotia
Treasurer: Chris Stockdale, Richmond, British Columbia
Secretary: Bridget Wingate, Stony Plain, Alberta

Each of us, and the Board Directors who support and work with us, know that Canadian consumers want home inspectors with the highest standards. With CAHPI's Registered Home

Inspector designation, and now the National Certification Program, consumers know what to look for when seeking the best home inspector.

In volatile economic times, confidence in a professional home inspector is critical. As Canadian home repair expert Mike Holmes writes in his book The Holmes Inspection , prospective homebuyers considering hiring a home inspector should ask, Do you belong to a provincial association of home inspectors? Are you a certified member? Keep in mind that "Registered Home Inspector" is usually the highest level of membership, with certified being a step lower. These are important questions, and the Canadian-best standards of CAHPI's Registered Home Inspector designations, coupled with the National Certification Program (NCP), are the most powerful combination of inspection qualifications consumers should look for when considering the purchase of a home. The NCP and its standards were developed by CAHPI, with support from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation , Human Resources and Social Development Canada, the Construction Sector Council , and the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials' Associations .

In short, our leadership of the home inspection industry has never been more important. And it's because of our training, education, and accountability efforts that CAHPI members are able to meet these consumer and government expectations. It's no surprise then that CAHPI organizations across the country have welcomed the commitment of a new group of professional home inspectors to CAHPI's high standards. The emergence of the Professional Home and Property Inspectors of Ontario (PHPIO) should reaffirm to consumers and governments, and to home inspectors, that the very highest of standards, in the most volatile of times, are the best route to restoration of consumer confidence, business stability, and economic prosperity.

I will write to you about further developments in the months ahead. In the interim, if you would like more information about CAHPI, or our Registered Home Inspectors, please contact me, or view the CAHPI website at www.cahpi.ca .

I wish you and your family the very best of the Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Bill Sutherland, RHI
NATIONAL CERTIFICATE HOLDER
President, CAHPI National