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Canadian Condo & HOA News from CAN
News items about Condominium and Homeowner associations in Canada, compiled by CAN

• Huge blaze burns condos
  Fire proved the bigger threat Wednesday afternoon, ravaging at least four of the apartment-style condos in the two-storey complex on Gore Place
• Toronto condo craze cooling
  Toronto's condominium building boom appears to be coming to an end
• Never cut legal corners
  We recently missed notice of a lawsuit, which was sent by mail to an owner who was away for two months, and now we are scrambling to address our failure to respond to the claim within the correct time period.
• Cochrane condo hit with big repair bill
  Condo owners in Cochrane are paying up to $38,000 each to construct a $4.5-million retaining wall after a series of small landslides
• BC: Province must find a way to resolve disputes, owners say
  B.C. needs a dispute resolution system for strata corporations, according to the head of a group representing condo owners.
• B.C.'s leaky condo crisis far from over, report says
  Coastal British Columbia's leaky condo crisis is far from over, a recent report prepared for the provincial government shows.
• Community association spreads warning about contractors
  The Queenswood Heights Community Association (QHCA) executive were alerted to the issue after a neighbourhood resident raised concerns about poorly-done work on the resurfacing of his laneway,
• Fewer than half of leaky condos fixed: report
  Nearly 60 per cent of B.C.’s leaky condos still need fixing, and repairs over the next five years could reach $700 million, according to a report prepared for the Homeowner Protection Office.
• Ontario makes sprinklers mandatory for new condos apartments 4 storeys or taller
  A move to mandate sprinkler systems in all new Ontario condos and apartments four storeys tall or higher was welcomed by firefighters Wednesday, although they said the new rules fell short of what they were hoping for.
• Strata can be ordered to pay 'damages' to owners for strata fees deemed unfair
  Dear Condo Smarts: We live in a 68-unit townhouse complex. All of our units are close to the same size so we have generally paid the same amount in strata fees each month. We're now faced with major construction and the cost is going to be about $1.1 million. We have several owners who have advised the strata council they will not pay the same as everyone else
• Real estate agents may face lawsuits over massive condo repair
  The builder of a northwest condo complex whose "systematic failure" in construction led to a $10-million repair bill likely won't face any lawsuits related to the building. But real estate agents who sold units in the northwest complex could be sued as condo owners make their first payments towards their share of the massive repair bill.
• Condo owners can keep Canadian flag
  Dean Clark's flag fight is over. The strata council at his Newton townhouse complex has backed away from its demand he remove a Canadian flag that's been flying from his home for the past four years or face a $50 fine.
• Good rules make for good neighbours
  It is important that by properly drafting the condominium rules, one can avoid debating same before the courts. Typically, problems include (1) a unitholder who fails to pay his/her condominium fees, (2) or who abuses their privileges regarding the exercise equipment or (3) fails to comply with the aesthetic norms of the building.
• BC: ‘Patriot’ faces fine
  The Surrey man attached the flagpole and flag to the fascia of his attached home, near his front door, four years ago and he had never had a complaint until last month. That’s when he received a letter from the property management company that runs his townhouse complex, Bear Creek Village.
• Green up
  Improve your indoor atmosphere with these condo-friendly plants
• Developers forced to stop selling condo units
  Two Bear Mountain condominium developers have been barred from marketing their properties because they broke a key rule under the province's Real Estate Act.
• Condo project targeted by activists
  A Concord Pacific project in the booming Downtown Eastside has become the first to be targeted by local activists who are gearing for an anti-condo war.
• Ban lifted on drying laundry outside in Ontario
  Ontario will outlaw clothesline bans by this summer to encourage citizens to use the environmentally friendly option when doing laundry.
• Condo owners seek shelter from shoddy work
  Condominium owners facing big repair bills are calling for legislation to protect their investment.
• CGL covers third party property damage to condo's foundation, court rules
  A Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy does cover third party property damage caused by a condominium contractor's negligence in trying to repair its own constructed foundation, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled.
• Condo Boom in Toronto makes US Cities Envy
  In Toronto, something of a boom mentality still exists although the housing market in much of the United States may be moribund. Several hundred Toronto residents braved the cold to line up before the opening of the sales office of a new condo project. Certified checks in hand, they wanted to make sure they got their choice
• A "wooftop" deck at Canadian condo
  A company called Amacon is building what it says is Canada's first condo dog run in its new downtown development, the Beasley Residences – a 2,000 square-foot, mulch-lined dog run on the eight floor of the 33-story condo complex.
• Condo conflicts on the rise, lawyer says
  Fights involving condo owners and condo boards are one of the most rapidly growing areas of law in Canada, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in condominium law said yesterday.
• Going green on your condo deck
  As more people give up larger homes with backyards for yardless condos, many are refusing to give up the pleasure of a garden.
• Condo Sales In Canada Up By 30 Percent In February
  While the U.S. home property market continues to suffer a downturn, the Canadian housing industry is on an uptick, marked by a 15 percent hike in new homes in February. Fueling the housing boom was the construction of multiple-family units, including condominium towers.
• Noisy condo site ruining weekends, neighbours complain
  The pounding sound of construction in Calgary's southwest Mission district is making it impossible to relax on the weekend, upset neighbours say.
• Top 10 Things You Should Know Before Buying A New Condo
  Wendy Mesley visited a number of new condominium sales offices and actually went through the process of buying a condo, which she later rescinded, in order to see firsthand what condo bu