PANELLIST

John Frame 
Lawyer
Lawyer Witten Law

John Frame leads the Condominium Management Group at Witten LLP, specializing in condominium management law. 

He provides legal guidance to condominium corporations, directors, property managers, and owners, with extensive experience representing clients at all levels of Alberta's courts, as well as the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of British Columbia. John’s expertise also spans creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, insolvency, and commercial disputes. 

A guest lecturer at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, he’s presented on condominium law topics for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and the Canadian Condominium Institute. Outside of law, John is deeply involved in the lacrosse and rugby communities, currently serving as Chair of the Discipline and Appeals Committee for the Alberta Lacrosse Association.

PANELLIST

Michael Gibson
Lawyer
Miller Thomson LLP

Michael Gibson maintains a diverse practice primarily focusing on condominium and real estate law, corporate/commercial law, with a focus on cooperatives, and municipal law.  In addition to his busy practice, Michael teaches Condominium Law at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law.

Michael has a wide range of experience assisting condominium developers, condominium corporations and boards, managers, and owners with the unique challenges they face in the development, management, and operation of new and existing condominium projects.  Michael has appeared as counsel before the Provincial Court of Alberta, the Court of Queen’s Bench, the Alberta Court of Appeal and various regulatory boards and tribunals, including the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

On the corporate side of his practice, Michael has experience advising both condominium and cooperative boards on governance matters, incorporating new cooperatives and advising on membership and owner issues, including oppression and termination remedies.

Michael also teaches various courses and seminars at the Canadian Condominium Institute, and has also been invited to talk at numerous business conferences and as a guest lecturer in the University of Alberta, Faculty of Business and Concordia University of Edmonton.

PANELLIST

Dawn Ker 
Community Manager 
FirstService Residential Alberta Ltd.

Dawn has been managing Condominiums in Alberta since 2011. She got her start in Calgary and later moved to Edmonton to continue developing in her career.

Dawn enjoys learning about the unique personalities of the condo communities she serves, she appreciates how the focuses and approaches are so different. Dawn builds relationships with the condo corporations she serves and assists in developing policies and procedures that match.

Dawn supports Boards to take a preventative maintenance approach as opposed to reactive maintenance - she supports them in their role as volunteer board members so they can feel secure in the process and do a great job running their condo corporations and making the hard decisions. 

Going paperless is a huge advantage for condo corporations - Dawn knows that doing mailouts electronically and having functional websites and digital documents saves condo corporations money and reduces their environmental footprint.

PANELLIST

Katherine Ryan 
Condominium Manager, Associate
113 West Management Inc.

Catherine Ryan is a Condominium Manager and Associate with 113 West Management, where she manages a portfolio of condominium communities and supports boards through complex operational and strategic decisions.

With a strong focus on capital project planning and execution, Catherine works closely with boards and owners to guide large-scale projects from concept through completion—helping to align budgeting, funding strategies, and communication plans to ensure successful outcomes.

She brings hands-on experience from more than 12 completed capital projects, including specialized work as a Capital Project Liaison, offering practical insight into the challenges and opportunities that condominium communities face when undertaking major investments.