Alberta liability guide · 2026 · Last updated: 2026-07-09

Who's liable when someone slips? Alberta's Occupiers' Liability Act for condo boards and property managers

Under Alberta's Occupiers' Liability Act (RSA 2000, c O-4), the occupier of a property — usually the condo corporation or the property manager, and often both — owes every visitor a duty to take reasonable care that they are safe on the premises. Ice on a walkway counts. Hiring a snow contractor does not hand that duty off; it shares it. The Act gives you a defence if you hired a competent, insured contractor and took reasonable steps to confirm the work was done, which is why the contract, the trigger depths, and the service logs matter as much as the plowing itself.

What the Act requires of an occupier

The Act replaces the old common-law categories of visitor with one standard: an occupier must take such care as is reasonable in the circumstances to see that visitors will be reasonably safe. That duty covers the condition of the premises — including snow and ice on sidewalks, parking lots, and entrances — as well as activities carried out on them.

"Occupier" is broader than "owner." It means anyone in physical possession of the premises, or anyone with responsibility for and control over their condition. For a typical Alberta condo, that catches the condo corporation, and it usually catches the property management company too. A commercial landlord occupies the common areas of a strip mall or office building the same way. There can be more than one occupier of the same sidewalk at the same time, and a plaintiff will generally name all of them.

Reasonable care does not mean bare pavement at all times — Alberta courts recognize that snow falls faster than anyone can clear it. It means having a sensible system for clearing and de-icing, and following it. Which is exactly what a claim tests: not whether someone fell, but whether your system was reasonable and actually running that day.

Hiring a contractor shares liability — it doesn't eliminate it

This is the part boards most often get wrong. Section 11 of the Act says an occupier is not liable for a danger created by an independent contractor's negligence if the occupier acted reasonably in entrusting the work to that contractor, took reasonable steps to be satisfied the contractor was competent, and — where reasonable — checked that the work was done properly.

Read that carefully: the defence is conditional. If you hired the cheapest uninsured operator without checking WCB coverage, insurance, or references, you have not "acted reasonably in entrusting the work," and the defence can fail. If you never look at whether the lot was actually cleared, the "reasonable steps to check the work" limb can fail too. The contractor picks up their own share of liability for negligent work, but the occupier's duty to choose and supervise carefully never leaves the building.

Our contractor vetting checklist walks through exactly what "reasonable steps" look like in practice — WCB clearance letters, certificates of insurance, and the questions to ask before you sign.

The paper trail that wins cases

When a slip-and-fall claim lands two years after the fall, memory is worthless and paper is everything. Three documents do most of the defensive work:

• A written scope of work. Trigger depths (for example, plowing starts at 3 cm), response times after a snowfall ends, which walkways and entrances are included, and when salting or sanding happens. A verbal "they look after our snow" arrangement gives a court nothing to measure reasonableness against.
• Service logs. Date-stamped records of every visit: what was plowed, where ice melter went down, site conditions. If the contractor logged salting the entrance at 6:40 a.m. on the morning of the fall, your defence largely writes itself. No log, and it is your word against an injured plaintiff's.
• Your own inspection records. Even a simple weekly walk-around note shows the occupier was checking that the contracted work was actually being done — the third limb of the section 11 defence.

Insurance minimums, and the squeeze on snow contractors

Because contractor and occupier share liability, the contractor's insurance is effectively part of your own protection. The working standard in Alberta is commercial general liability of at least $2 million, and many property managers and insurers now require $5 million for snow and ice work, plus WCB Alberta coverage.

Getting there has become genuinely hard for operators. Slip-and-fall claims made snow work one of the toughest classes to insure in the province: one Calgary contractor's liability renewal jumped about 425 percent, from roughly $8,000 to $42,000 a year, and an Edmonton operator quoted as much as $65,000 closed after 15 years because the coverage he could get barred him from higher-risk sites. Some contractors could not get coverage at all. The practical upshot for a board: an operator who can show current, adequate coverage has already passed a filter most of the market failed — and a bargain quote may simply mean the insurance isn't there.

Frequently asked questions

Is a condo board responsible for snow removal in Alberta?

Yes. The condo corporation is an occupier of the common property under the Occupiers' Liability Act, so it must take reasonable care that walkways and parking areas are reasonably safe. The property manager who controls day-to-day maintenance is usually an occupier as well.

Does hiring a snow removal contractor remove our liability?

No. It gives you a defence under section 11 of the Act — but only if you reasonably chose a competent contractor and took reasonable steps to confirm the work was done. Vetting and records make the defence; a handshake deal doesn't.

What should a snow removal contract include to protect us?

A written scope with trigger depths, response times after snowfall, the areas covered, salting and sanding terms, and a requirement that the contractor keep date-stamped service logs and carry stated insurance and WCB coverage.

What insurance should a snow contractor carry in Alberta?

Commercial general liability of at least $2 million, with $5 million increasingly required for snow and ice work, plus WCB Alberta coverage. Ask for the certificate of insurance, not just a yes.

Sources

• Occupiers' Liability Act, RSA 2000, c O-4 (Alberta King's Printer)
• CBC News — Calgary snow-removal contractors face skyrocketing insurance rates
• Global News — Alberta snow-removal contractors buried by skyrocketing insurance premiums
• WCB Alberta — clearance letters

This guide is general information about Alberta law, not legal advice. For advice on a specific claim or contract, talk to an Alberta lawyer.