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August 2015
From the Editor …….
Two important events affecting condominium corporations
and owners in the next couple of years are covered in this
issue of Toronto Condo News.
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015, when enacted,
is unlikely to have significant implications on well run
condominium corporations that have embraced best
practices and change. The remainder will find it harder to
avoid what could become mandated changes. Beginning on
page 2 we explain how key parts of this proposed legislation
could affect condo owners.
The 15 year grace period for “older” condominium
corporations to fully fund their reserve funds is nearing an
end. Those that have failed to do so will soon be out of
options for delaying funding increases. This will provide
condo owners with greater certainty that their reserve funds
are at an adequate level. See pages 4 and 14 for details.
These and other changes in the coming years are likely to
challenge those condo corporations that have not kept up
with recognized best practices.
Inside ……
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 Pg 2 Toronto Police Testing Body Cameras Pg 3 Reserve Fund Deadline Approaching Pg 4 Smoking in Common Areas Prohibited Pg 9 Investor-Owned Condo Market Pg 10 Evicting Tenants from Condos Pg 13 Funding Your Reserve Fund Pg 14 Luxury … at a cost Pg 15
…. and more
Innovation in the
Condo Industry
I ndustry innovation is expected to lead to greater
reliability and reduced costs. This tends to happen
when an industry operates according to best practices.
Being relatively new, the condo industry currently has not
yet achieved a set of best practices for all to follow in
achieving efficiency and cost reduction. The cost of this is
paid by condo owners in the form of condo fees.
The term used in business is continuous improvement.
Continuous improvement should motivate condo vendors
to operate more efficiently and pass along some of the
financial savings to the condo corporation. Those that do
so are more likely to remain vendors of the condo
corporation. Those that fail in such efforts are more likely
to be replaced.
Developers, condo corporations, property management
Continued page 7
Toronto Condo News
What Condo Dwellers are Reading
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015
P rotecting
Condominium
Owners Act, 2015 is a 167
page document containing
more than a thousand
revisions to the current
Condominium Act. These
are the proposed
amendments to the Condominium Act, 1998.
This legislation may take up to three years to become law. At that time it will affect
condominium owners, new condominium owners, developers and vendors to the condo
community.
From the perspective of a condominium owner, the proposed amendments strike a new
balance between individual and corporation rights. In some ways this legislation will make
condominium corporations easier to manage. It also places a large, and some would argue
unnecessary, financial burden on condominium owners. It is hoped that concerns identified
in this article, and others that are brought up as this Act moves toward legislation, are more
effectively addressed.
Following are what appear to be the more significant proposed changes in the Act.
Creation of a Condominium Authority
The Condominium Authority will have three responsibilities:
Dispute resolution
Education of purchasers and owners of condominium suites
Director education/training
Continued page 3
Toronto Condo News is published monthly.
Toronto Condo News is delivered to condo residents, board members and management in over 700 condo buildings throughout Toronto and the GTA.
To receive your free subscription to Toronto Condo News via e-mail, inquire about advertising or submit an article for publication, visit our website at YSCondoNews.com or contact us at [email protected].
Contact Us
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Toronto Condo News
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 2
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 3
Toronto
Police Testing
Body
Cameras
A year-long project
has 100 Toronto
Police Service officers
testing body-worn
cameras.
The body-worn
cameras will be
activated every time an
officer responds to a
call for service or is
investigating an
individual during the
course of their duties.
Toronto Police Services
provides information
about the use of body-
worm cameras on their
website and their
Frequently Asked
Questions.
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 continued
Condo Act
Condo Act 2015 continued
from page 2
A Condominium Authority
Tribunal would be
established for the resolution
of disputes primarily between
condominium corporations
and owners or mortgagees.
Any order of the tribunal
would be final and binding.
Questions of law can be
appealed to a Divisional
Court.
The Condominium Authority
can set fees. It will have
authority to assess
condominium corporations
and new owners to cover
their fees and expenses. Preliminary information is that
condo owners will initially pay $12 per year to fund this body
which would likely raise in excess of $8 million per year.
The amount can change at the discretion of the
Condominium Authority. Given that the current Landlord
and Tenant Board has a budget of $30 million - not funded
by renters - a Condominium Authority with its broader
mandate could be more expensive.
A corporation, owner, mortgagee or purchaser can apply to
the Tribunal for resolution of particular disputes prescribed
by the regulations. The tribunal can order one party to pay
Continued page 4
Condo Act
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 4
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 continued
Condo Act 2015 continued
from page 3
compensation for damages
up to $25,000 as a result of
noncompliance plus costs of
the tribunal or proceeding.
Financial penalties can also
be assessed to a maximum
of $5,000. When an order
requires an owner to pay
compensation or costs to a
condo corporation, the
amount can be added to the
common expenses payable
by that owner. When an
order requires a condo
corporation to pay
compensation or costs to an
owner, the amount can be
deducted from common
expenses payable for the
owner’s suite.
Condominium corporations
will be required to file annual
financial returns with the
Condominium Authority and
to notify them of changes to
its directors. They can also
assess an annual filing fee.
While the general purpose of the Condominium Authority is
well intended, the funding mechanism is questionable and a
potentially costly financial burden on condo owners:
Condominium Authority funding is through condo owners
paying an annual fee per suite, annual condominium
corporation fees and additional compliance costs. To the
extent these fees subsidize the Tribunal, condo
corporations would also be financially responsible for
defending against more individual disputes regardless of
their merit.
Continued page 5
Reserve
Fund
Deadline
Approaching
May 4, 2016
T he current Condo
Act came into
force on May 5, 2001.
Condo corporations
registered as of that
date are required to
have their reserve
funds adequately
funded by May 4,
2016.
When the Condo Act
was revised in May
2001 it included a ten
year extension to top
up underfunded
Continued page 5
Condo Act
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 5
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 continued
Condo Act 2015 continued
from page 4
Owners of single family
homes do not pay
additional fees for
“continuing education”
about home ownership.
Neither owners of single
family homes or renters
pay fees to support dispute
resolution. The
Condominium Authority
would place this unique
burden on condominium
owners implying they
require, desire and are
prepared to fund these
programs
Creating a dispute
resolution process forcibly
funded by all condo
residents is troubling. The
reality is that most
condominium owners are
happy with their lifestyle
choice. Disputes are
infrequent and most
condominium owners are
unlikely to avail themselves
of the process. Renters or
owners of single family
homes are not required to
fund a dispute resolution
process for their chosen
form of residency.
The voluntary nature of
condo boards ensures
higher legal costs to
interpret new legislation, represent condo corporations
during Tribunal disputes and a myriad of other new tasks
under this legislation. One condo lawyer “predicts
opportunities for condominium lawyers,… and litigators”
and ”opportunities to act as dispute adjudicators”. Within a
system where condo owners represent themselves at the
tribunal, condo managers and directors are unlikely to be
representing the condo corporation and will likely rely on
their legal counsel for this service.
Cumulative surcharges to condo owners appears to be a
continuing trend that unnecessarily increases the cost of
condo living. Despite lower costs to the city for providing
Continued page 6
Reserve Fund Deadline
continued from page 4
reserve funds. These
funds are to be available
for major repairs and
replacement in
accordance with their
Reserve Fund Study.
This ten year
requirement was
subsequently extended
to fifteen (15) years from
the date of a
condominium’s first
reserve fund for those
condominiums
registered before May 5,
2001.
The intent of this was to
assist condominium
corporations in
addressing reserve fund
shortfalls. It coincided
with introduction of the
HST which placed a
strain on condominium
reserve funds.
Some condominium
corporations may have
allowed their reserve
Continued page 6
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 6
Condo Act
Reserve Fund Deadline
continued from page 5
funds to remain
underfunded during this
time. As they may soon
have to replace or repair
major parts of their
buildings such as roof,
façade or underground
parking structures, these
corporations may soon
require significant cash
infusions by condo
owners.
Condominium
corporations which have
failed to adequately fund
their reserve funds
during this period will
soon be required to
address this funding
discrepancy to remain in
compliance with the
Condo Act.
Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 continued
Condo Act 2015 continued
from page 5
essential services,
condominium owners pay the
same property tax rates as
single family homes. These
services include trash
collection and infrastructure
for receiving utilities.
Condominium Authority fees
are a continuation of this
layering trend where hidden
fees and costs to condo
owners once considered
nominal are now substantial.
Funding the Condominium
Authority in this way is
unlikely to be supported by
condo owners. Such fees
could result in the
Condominium Authority
being perceived as a
financial burden providing
little or no benefit to a
majority of condo owners.
Condominium Management
Services Act, 2015
This would require that
persons who provide
management services to
condominium corporations
be licensed as condominium
management providers or
condominium managers.
Licensees found to have
breached a code of ethics
could be subject to a fine of
up to $25,000.
This would eliminate the opportunity for condominium
corporations to self-manage their affairs without employing a
licensed Condominium Manager.
Condominium Management Providers, which would include
property management companies, are held responsible for
preventing abuses of Condominium Managers. Failure to do
so could result in fines or imprisonment.
The Act would allow for imposition of penalties or required
educational courses on Condominium Managers and
Condominium Management Providers. There is also a
provision for suspending or revoking a license or right to offer
condominium management services.
It remains unclear how the Condominium Management
Services Act improves on the current ACMO certification for
condominium managers. Costs of licensing and educational
courses would ultimately be paid through fees to
condominium corporations. As management costs escalate,
prudent condominium corporations are more likely to
consider use of technology and part-time condominium
management as a way to contain costs.
Condo Director Qualifications (Condominium Authority)
Qualifications and disqualifications for being the director of a
condominium corporation are expanded to include disclosure
obligations and required training.
Any requirement for director training on volunteer directors
could have dire consequences on condo corporations
already having difficulty filling the director role. Quality
volunteer candidates are often unwilling to undergo
mandatory education or training particularly when they
possess desired expertise obtained through experience.
This would lead to degradation in the quality of condominium
corporation directors and less effective management.
Continued page 7
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 7
Condo Management
Innovation in the Condo Industry continued
Condo Act 2015 continued from page 6
New Quorum Rules and Expansion of Board Authority
New quorum rules are proposed
for meetings.
A quorum for the transaction of
business at a condominium
corporation meeting would
remain 25% of the suites in the
corporation. The quorum drops
to 15% if it is a third or
subsequent attempt to obtain a
quorum for that business.
For condominium corporations where owners are
disinterested and do not show up for meetings, this change
would aid in meetings such as an Annual General Meeting
where votes for directors do not require a 50%+1 majority.
Where a majority of 50%+1 or more is required for approval,
this amended quorum requirement is unlikely to be
beneficial.
The board will have greater authority to enact by-laws and
rules without requiring a vote of condo owners.
Overall, Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015
Pan Am
Games
Legacy
T he Pan Am
games have come
and gone.
They leave a legacy of
benefits to the
residents of Toronto
and surrounding areas.
A new condo
community, Canary
District, in an area
unused for decades
A Velodrome in
Milton
An updated
Etobicoke Olympium
An updated
Equestrian Park in
Caledon
A new Aquatics
Centre and Field
House in
Scarborough
appears to be a well-considered set of amendments to a currently effective Condominium Act.
There is greater protection for new condo buyers and condo owners. As this legislation
becomes law, it is hoped that legislators consider concerns identified here and improve on the
currently proposed changes to better reflect the realities of condo living.
Innovation continued from
page 1
companies, contractors and
service providers are
continuously trying to develop
best practices. Not all are
successful. Condo
corporations must make
choices from among vendors
to identify those that provide
the best combination of
product, service, reliability
and cost.
Following are some areas
where innovation has had a
dramatic positive impact on
the condo industry.
Computers
Computers are the single greatest productivity tool of the
past 30 years. Their introduction has led to the creation of
databases, word processing software and other tools.
Communication among large groups of individuals is more
easily achieved than in the past. Condo corporations are
just recently utilizing computers in ways that have become
standard practice for most businesses.
Continued page 8
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 8
Condo Management
Innovation in the Condo Industry continued
Innovation continued from
page 7
Condo Management
Software
Condo management software
offers the greatest potential
for transforming the way
condo corporations are
managed.
From improved record
keeping and communications
to cost reduction and fewer
paid employees, effective use
of condo management
software is expected to
transform the way in which
condo corporations operate.
Display Monitors
The drop in price of display
monitors is transforming
condo communications.
Strategically placed in a
lobby or elevator cab and
connected to a computer,
display monitors for
communications tends to be
more effective and less costly
than paper-based
communications.
Use of this technology
typically requires external
expertise to create effective
communications. Investing
tens of thousands of dollars
on electronic communication
capabilities provides little or
no value without
communications created for
the medium.
Energy and Utility Management
Newer condo
corporations tend to
have lower per suite
and building wide
electricity costs than
comparable buildings
that are more than
about ten years old.
This is because of mandated individual suite metering of
utilities. This leaves older condo corporations with a
dilemma. They can maintain the costlier status quo of
including utilities in their condo fees or convert to individual
suite metering. At one time the conversion cost of doing so
was prohibitive. Today, it makes sense to convert to
individual suite metering in light of the financial savings and
results of past conversions.
Mobile Phone
The role of concierge and security is integrated in many
condo corporations. This requires that the main security
desk be unmanned for periods of time. Use of a mobile
phone allows security/concierge to attend to some desk
responsibilities while also attending to other business
throughout the building.
Online Voting Software
Online voting
software can
revolutionize
condo elections.
Allowing condo
owners to vote in
elections
regardless of their
physical location, expanding the period for voting and
security to prevent manipulation of votes are just some of
the benefits. Condo elections not predetermined by control
of the proxy vote should lead to better condo management.
Continued page 9
Smoking in
Condo
Common
Areas
Prohibited
T he Smoke-Free
Ontario Act
prohibits smoking,
including the holding of
lit tobacco, in the
common areas of a
condominium. This
includes hallways,
elevators, parking
areas and activity
rooms.
Earlier this year
regulations were
updated to prohibit
smoking on restaurant
and bar patios.
Responsibility for
Continued page 9
Condo Management
Innovation in the Condo Industry continued
Innovation continued from page 8
Plumbing
Maintaining a building’s
infrastructure is costly. In condo
buildings water problems may be
the costliest of all concerns.
Uniquely, one vendor has been
quite imaginative in their
approach to this problem. LEaC
Shield brings the cost of dealing
with pinhole leaks down from
between $5,000 to $15,000 per
suite for installing new pipe to as
low as $80 per suite without the
need for costly pipe replacement.
You can read about pinhole leaks
and LEaC Shield’s solution in the
Condo Archives under Condo Building Management,
Infrastructure.
Printers, E-mail
The ability to print and transmit from a computer has
eliminated a majority of outsourced print materials. Yet
some condo corporations still spend thousands of dollars
delivering budget, AGM and other material that many would
prefer to receive via e-mail.
Smart condo boards don’t focus on reducing condo fees.
Condo boards should strive for continuous improvement by
encouraging management, vendors and residents to operate
more efficiently and without waste. Cost savings and
reduced condo fees will result if this focus is maintained.
Smoking Prohibited
continued from page 8
enforcement is the
condominium
corporation which
serves as “owner,
operator or person in
charge” according to
the Act. This obligation
includes giving notice
to those smoking in
common areas that
smoking is prohibited,
posting signs
prohibiting smoking
throughout the
common areas and
removing ashtrays.
The regulations specify
the colour, size and
specifications of no-
smoking signs that
must be posted.
Condo corporations
that do not comply can
be subject to fines.
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 9
Condo Living
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 10
Hardwood Floors The Good, The Bad and the Sort of Ugly
Y ou've heard about
potential problems with
relative humidity (RH) - why
it varies from season to
season and what humid air
can do to cold windows and
their frames.
Against that background,
here's my story about the
choice of flooring for our
suite. Two years ago, we
chose Engineered Bamboo
in a nice dark chestnut
colour. It's "uniclic" and
individual boards have fancy
edges so they "click"
together to form one
continuous sheet of wood
wall to wall.
The colour is much deeper
than natural bamboo, and is
likely "carbonized", made brown by cooking starches in the
wood--a little like making sugar by caramelizing it with heat.
This process softens the bamboo by about 30%, a fact not
often mentioned in sales literature. Furniture and dropped
objects leave more noticeable dents than in traditional
hardwood.
Our floor has another
problem -- it's cracking
along the length of the
boards. While it was
installed correctly, the
cracks began to occur
when the RH decreased in
the winter (we could
actually hear a board
give way in the quiet of
the night). Most of the
cracks happened in the
first winter, but the
second winter just past
saw a number of new
cracks appear. When the RH decreases, the top surface of
the wood shrinks and, because it's glued to a number of
other plies, it has nowhere to go but to crack at the glue-
lines. You can see the consistent distance between cracks in
boards with multiple cracks. A cracked board has a rough
feel--the crack itself is raised above the rest of the
Continued page 11
Investor-
Owned
Condo Market
N obody seems to
know how much
of the condo market is
controlled by investors.
Investment properties
can introduce a
heightened degree of
conflict within a condo
community.
While use of
condominiums as rental
housing may be
beneficial to some, their
use as rental stock or
investments can conflict
with the goal of home
ownership.
Canada Mortgage and
Housing Corp (CMHC)
reports that 17.1% of
Toronto condos are
investor-owned.
Based on their survey of
households, this
Continued page 11
Condo Living
Hardwood Floors The Good, The Bad and the Sort of Ugly
Hardwood Floors continued
from page 10
board. When the RH
increases during the summer,
the incidence of new cracking
slowly decreases as well, but
the old cracks remain.
Because the wood expands
the cracks are raised less and
less apparent, but not healed.
So, low RH is likely a major
contributing cause of my floor
problem. Other contenders
are harvesting the bamboo
when it's immature which
decreases its resilience to dry
conditions, poor quality glues
and other manufacturing
methods. China produces
most of the world's bamboo
flooring and the quality of the
product is said to vary widely.
What can one do?
Consider carefully whether
you want to use bamboo.
Natural colour bamboo will be
more resistant to denting than
brown (caramelized) wood.
The manufacturers caution against low RH, sometimes
quoting a 30% minimum. That's hard to achieve in our
building because humidity is not added to our corridor air
and when it gets very cold outside the indoor RH plummets.
Reliably adding moisture to the frequently changing air in our
suites is a challenge and, as we've seen, too much of this
"good thing" for the flooring can create damaging
condensation on the windows.
We're cautioned to carefully select a responsible dealer
when choosing bamboo products, but I question whether
that retailer can know the harvesting conditions, glue quality
and manufacturing techniques of the wood supplied to it
from the other side of the globe. Our RH conditions in a cold
spell in winter could invalidate the warranty with respect to
cracking.
Coming up with a beautiful, resilient and long-lasting flooring
choice wasn't easy. And now that we've made it, I believe
that doing more research and viewing some first-hand
examples could have modified or changed our final choice.
________________________________________________
This article appeared in the June 2014 issue of Manhattan
Matters (Manhattan Place Newsletter) and has been
reprinted with permission.
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 11
Investor-Owned
Condo Market
continued from page 10
suggests that most
condominium buildings
are below the 25%
threshold where condo
communities are
sometimes viewed as
less stable and more
problematic.
The survey may
understate the number
of investor-owned
condos. It excludes
empty investor-owned
condos and those
rented via free
websites. It also
excludes investors who
own a condo in Toronto
but reside in another
city. Finally, the survey
does not reflect
purchased condos in
unopened buildings.
Investor-owned
condos, according to
others in the industry, is
in excess of 40%.
Some developers
believe the true figure
is 60% to 70%.
continued
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 12
Condo Rentals
Evicting Tenants from Condos
New Metro
Supermarkets
Cater to
Upscale
Condo
Dwellers
M etro is updating
most of its 137
Ontario Metro stores
with an emphasis on
fresh and prepared
foods. Metro is
following Whole Foods,
Loblaws and other area
supermarkets in
changing to better serve
the needs of growing
condo communities.
This past March Metro
introduced its new
prototype store. The
store is surrounded by
Continued page 14
L andlords fight an uphill
battle when trying to
evict residential tenants from
condominiums.
Evicting a tenant from a
condominium unit can take
six months or more. During
this time, condo owners
residing in the same building
as a problem tenant may find
their options to be limited.
Tenants are not always
required to follow the same
rules or restrictions as a
condo owner. In a high-rise
condo, this becomes a
community problem when a
tenant’s actions adversely
affect condo owners residing
in the same building.
The Condominium Act
regulates the operations of
Condominium Corporations
within the province.
Condominium Corporations
are governing bodies owned
by condominium owners.
The Residential Tenancies
Act (RTA) governs tenants
regardless of if a building is
an apartment or
condominium.
When condo owners and
tenants reside in the same
building, there can be conflict
between the Condominium
Act and the Residential
Tenancies Act. These two
legislations result in people residing in a single condo
building having different rules applied to them. A problem
tenant, perhaps someone who refuses to stop playing loud
music all night, can disrupt the lives of dozens of condo
owners. Landlords, and condo owners, are at a
disadvantage with dealing with such tenants who feel
protected by the Residential Tenancies Act rather than
being required to comply with the Condominium Act.
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 13
Section 94(8) of the Condo Act says …
Within 120 days of receiving a reserve fund study, the board
shall review it and propose a plan for the future funding of the
reserve fund that the board determines will ensure that, within
a prescribed period of time and in accordance with the
prescribed requirements, the fund will be adequate for the
purpose for which it was established.
Condo Finances
Funding Your Reserve Fund
T here is some ambiguity as to what is meant by “adequate”.
One of two funding approaches is generally utilized to ensure that the reserve fund is
“adequate”.
First Fiscal Year Funding
The Act and Regulations state that the reserve fund should be fully funded by the year after the
year the reserve fund study is completed with subsequent increases at the rate of inflation.
This approach requires immediate funding of any deficiencies and reduces the likelihood of
special assessments or future funding problems.
Multi-Year Funding
Advocates of this approach believe that it is not reasonable to require current owners to
immediately implement full funding when most expenses are unlikely to be incurred until future
years. They feel that the fund is “adequate” so long as it can cover anticipated expenses.
Under this approach the reserve fund only needs to contain funds anticipated for the current
fiscal year.
Since reserve fund studies are undertaken every three years, advocates of this approach
generally agree that full funding should be complete by the time of the next reserve fund
Continued page 15
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Metro Supermarkets
continued from page 13
condominiums in
Toronto’s west
Lakeshore area. Fresh
and prepared foods will
take up 60% of store
space as compared to
40% of store space in
regular Metro stores.
New format Metro
supermarkets are
intended to cater to
condo-dwelling young
professionals with
disposable incomes
who prefer fresh and
take-out food. The new
stores, which appear
less cluttered, are a
departure from current
stores. They include
brushed concrete
floors, stainless steel
accents and dark-wood
produce tables.
The new stores will
appear more
community focused.
The prototype store
includes a Starbucks
café,.
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 14
Condo Life
Toronto Condo News
Condo Consulting Services
Computer Services for Condos
The majority of computer system issues can be resolved in a single visit for a single flat fee.
$189 per Computer or Visit
416-721-8247 or [email protected]
Luxury … at a cost Residences at the Ritz Carlton
Funding Your Reserve Fund continued from page 14
study. Others feel that longer periods of time are acceptable to achieve full funding so long as
each current fiscal year’s anticipated expenditures are fully funded.
This approach avoids a one year spike in reserve fund contributions. It also presents
opportunities for manipulation, underfunding and future funding deficiencies. This multi-year
funding approach penalizes future condo owners for prior reserve fund deficiencies.
The Stage 2 Solutions Report, which recommends changes to the Condo Act, attempts to
clarify how reserve funds are to be funded. The report recommends a three year phase-in
period after which time reserve fund increases should be limited to the rate of inflation. The
report further recommends that an unexpected 50% decrease in reserve fund balance two
months after the reserve fund study is complete trigger a potential review.
R esidences at the Ritz-Carlton, located above the Ritz-Carleton Hotel, is home to some of
Toronto’s nicest and most expensive condominium residences.
One of the most luxurious condos in the city, Residences at the Ritz-Carlton offers the
following amenities:
24 hour Personal Concierge Service 24 Hour Valet Parking 12 seat Media Centre
Board Room Lounge Pantry Kitchen
Billiards Room Guest Suite Exercise Room
Yoga Studio Doorman
Employed staff plan social events such as sushi nights, annual BBQ, bartending classes and
Yoga.
Employees at Residences at the Ritz-Carleton are required to undergo a four week training
program. This applies to customer service and cleaning staff.
Continued left panel on this page
Ritz Carllton continued
from this page
Residents of
Residences at the Ritz-
Carleton actively support
the community:
Food and clothing
drives for families in
need
Support is provided to
the Herbie Fund
(complex surgical
procedures to children
from developing
nations) and Yonge
Street Mission (warm
meals during coldest
months of the year)
Neighbourhood park
cleanups
Some popular amenities
in luxury condo buildings
not offered at
Residences at the Ritz-
Carleton:
Laundry service
Room service
Spa services
Housekeeping
services
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 15
Community
Highway 401 and Yonge St. Interchange Update
T oronto Condo News continues to follow the saga of the Highway 401 and Yonge St.
Interchange.
The Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. intersection may be the most congested in the city. The
area has a High Density designation per provincial and municipal policies. This allows
developers to build more and larger residential buildings than in other areas. With this density
comes a need for improved roads and other city services.
With more than 130 high-rise condo buildings along a 2 km stretch of Yonge St., the area is
the largest condo community in the region.
While condo building and population continue to grow in the community, area residents wait for
the city and province to provide adequate road infrastructure.
They have been waiting for more than ten years. One of the major area bottlenecks is the
Highway 401 eastbound
ramp from Yonge St. south.
There has been an
independent study on this
issue and a number of
technical studies with shared
work done by the City and
the Province of Ontario.
During this time condo
buildings continued to
receive approval for
development based on
dubious claims of a
Continued page 17
The Condo
Bible on
Condo Loans
The necessity of
obtaining a common
loan is one of the most
dreaded situations that
an individual
condominium owner
may experience.
Such loans are
desperate measures
taken as a result of
individual owners being
unable to carry on with
Continued page 17
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 16
“We will get it done. I’m … eager to
see this project through to
completion.” David Zimmer, MPP Willowdale
Condo Bible on Condo
Loans continued from
page 16
necessary expenditures
to maintain the
condominium complex.
The need for a sizeable
common loan may bring
serious consequences,
forcing out many
condominium unit
owners.
___________________
The Condo Bible delves
into aspects of condo
living that most people
do not consider.
Information on The
Condo Bible for
Canadians is available
at www.condobible.com.
Community
Phase 2 Traffic Modelling Analysis – Environmental
Assessment - and recommendations was complete in March
2015. Mr. Zimmer reports that the report and
recommendations were presented to the Ministry of
Transportation and City officials in mid-April. A Public
Meeting to present the recommendations tentatively
scheduled for late April or early May never took place.
At this time the Ontario Ministry of Transportation must
approve the recently completed Environmental Assessment.
Despite support by both MPP David Zimmer and Councillor
John Filion who represent the area, there does not appear to
be the same imperative by the Province or Planning
Department to address the lingering congestion implications
of the area’s High Density designation.
Given the lack of road infrastructure to support high density
growth, the viability of this policy for other areas of the city
may be suspect.
August 2015 Toronto Condo News www.YSCondoNews.com Page 17
Highway 401 and Yonge St. Interchange Update continued
401 Interchange Update
continued from page 16
negligible impact on area
traffic.
Experience shows these
claims of “negligible impact”
to be less than truthful.
Streets near Yonge St. are
heavily congested and
getting worse. What was
once a three minute drive
can now take 20 minutes.
During the 2014 provincial
election, MPP David Zimmer
identified a new 401
Eastbound ramp from
Yonge Street southbound as
a priority to helping address
area gridlock.