CDRT Guided Negotiation — Stage 1 of an Alberta tribunal dispute

Last updated May 18, 2026

Most CDRT cases never reach a hearing — they settle in Guided Negotiation. It's the first stage of a dispute and it's designed to give both sides a low-stakes chance to resolve things before the process gets more formal (and more expensive).

What it is

Guided Negotiation is a chat-style conversation held inside the CDRT Application Service (the online portal at condodisputes.alberta.ca). A member of CDRT staff moderates — they don't take sides, but they help keep the conversation productive and may intervene if it goes off track. Per s.21 of the CDRT Policies and Procedures, the goal is to “narrow issues, disclose and provide evidence, discuss their agreement to mediation and discuss possibilities for resolution.”

How it works

1. You file your application at condodisputes.alberta.ca and pay the $150 fee.
2. The CDRT reviews your application for completeness and notifies the respondent (usually your condominium corporation).
3. A Guided Negotiation chat room opens. You, the respondent, and a CDRT staff member can all post in it.
4. The conversation typically covers: what each side wants, what evidence each side has, whether the parties agree on the facts, and what a resolution might look like.
5. If the parties reach an agreement, the CDRT provides a document to confirm it. The parties sign and the application closes.
6. If they don't reach an agreement, the dispute moves to the next stage.

Cost and timing

Guided Negotiation is included in your $150 application fee. There is no separate charge.

Timing depends on how quickly both parties respond inside the portal. Realistically, expect 2-6 weeks from application to resolution if Guided Negotiation succeeds.

What to bring to Guided Negotiation

• The original fine letter from the corporation or property manager.
• Your condominium's bylaw (the registered version from Alberta Land Titles).
• A clear written statement of what you're asking the corporation to do — withdraw the fine, reduce it, change the underlying bylaw interpretation, etc.
• Any evidence supporting your position: photos, prior correspondence, board minutes, witness statements.
• If you've done a procedural-compliance check, the report — especially the CDRT compliance verdict section showing whether the notice substantially complied with CPR s.73.7 and s.73.8 and whether you were prejudiced.

A FineCheck report ($15) gives you a structured substantial-compliance + prejudice analysis you can drop directly into a Guided Negotiation chat. Check my fine →

Tone matters here

Guided Negotiation is the lowest-friction stage of the process. The owners who do best here are the ones who:

• State their position clearly and without personal attacks on the board or property manager.
• Frame the issue in substantial-compliance + prejudice terms (the framework the tribunal uses) rather than as “the notice is missing X, so it's invalid.”
• Offer a specific resolution — “withdraw the fine and I drop the application” — rather than demanding the corporation prove its case.
• Respond promptly to the moderator and the other side. Slow responses stretch the timeline and reduce the chance of settlement.

If Guided Negotiation fails

The dispute moves to the next stage. The next step depends on what both parties want:

• If both parties agree to mediation, the case proceeds to Stage 2 — Mediation (a video conference with a CDRT Mediator, still inside the $150 fee for the first four hours).
• If either party refuses mediation, or mediation doesn't resolve things, the case proceeds to Stage 3 — Adjudication (a formal hearing, an extra $350).

Source: CDRT Guided Negotiation Fact Sheet and s.21 of the CDRT Policies and Procedures, Government of Alberta.