Condoland is a great place to live and work. This simple fact can quickly and easily be forgotten when managers are confronted with endless regulatory changes, new workplace expectations, and poor support. Those who stay in Condoland as professionally licensed Condominium Managers take pride in their role as servant leaders. Condominium managers are the stewards of Ontario’s most densely populated communities, and the regulatory environment that governs their work is evolving rapidly. 
ACMO is your voice in a regulatory wasteland, filled with well-intentioned legislation that suffers from unintended consequences. We champion the pragmatic reality that no additional hours can be added to a day and that priorities must be selected and juggled. 

“The only constant is change.” This wisdom, often credited to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, is a sentiment professional condominium managers and management companies know intimately. The industry is in perpetual motion, constantly adapting to new legislation, evolving policies, and an ever-growing list of complex demands. 

A starting point for any discussion about condominium authority and organization is the fact that condominium corporations are not natural beings. They are created by statute, and the whole of their rights, authority, duties, and responsibilities depends entirely upon what their originating statute grants them.

In condominium governance, managing capital projects involves more than hiring qualified contractors and staying within budget. A commonly overlooked but legally critical responsibility is the formal designation of a “constructor” under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) when more than one trade is involved. Failing to meet this requirement can expose the condominium corporation and its board to serious legal, financial, and reputational consequences.

Ontario’s Apology Act, 2009, allows you to apologize to a person whom you have harmed, without fear that the apology would be used against you as evidence of your liability in a lawsuit.

Chargebacks have long been an essential mechanism for condominium corporations to recover costs that arise from the action, or inaction, of unit owners. This mechanism ensures that the community is not burdened with the costs caused by one unit, and it forms an important part of maintaining fairness and financial stability within a condominium corporation.

The Condominium Act, 1998, and CMRAO standards make it clear that managers can explain what the law says, but interpreting what it means or advising on legal outcomes must be left to lawyers. Walking this fine line isn’t about avoiding questions — it’s about protecting yourself, your board, and your community.

Navigating legal disputes in condominium communities can be challenging, especially when negotiations or mediation do not resolve issues. Understanding the various legal forums and procedures helps condo directors and property managers protect their communities effectively.

Beginning January 2026, the updated CAN/ULC-S536:19 Standard for Fire Alarm Inspections will formally come into effect across Ontario. For condominium managers, this represents one of the most significant regulatory changes in recent years, reshaping how inspections are performed, documented, and verified.

Ontario’s condominium sector is undergoing a quiet but profound shift in how health and safety are managed. For years, boards and property managers focused primarily on fire, life safety, building code compliance, sprinkler systems, emergency lighting, and evacuation procedures. However, recent inspections, court decisions, and actions by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development (MLITSD) have expanded the scope of responsibility under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to encompass a broader range of responsibilities, including contractor due diligence, workplace violence, and harassment prevention.

Meeting compliance standards has long been a key aspect of the regulatory landscape in condominium communities. For condominium managers and corporations, these standards are nothing new, but what is often overlooked are the responsibilities of the trades operating within these communities. The Accessibility of Ontarians Disabilities Act (AODA) establishes clear guidelines that extend beyond building design, outlining how all service providers, including trades, have a duty to comply with these standards.

It has been about three years since that horrific day on December 18, 2022, when our nation’s worst case of mass shooting in a condo community occurred at the Bellaria Residences condominium tower in Vaughan. Five people, most of them condo board directors, were executed in cold blood. Years after the tragic shootings and the aftermath, I’ve spoken to directors and unit owners about their emotions and thoughts on the matter and without hesitation, they jointly expressed fear and anxiety regarding potential safety concerns in their condo community.

It was the kind of twist that makes condo managers sit up and take notice: “Who pressed record?” That unexpected question became central to the decision in Bogue v. Carleton Condominium Corporation No. 288, where Ontario’s Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) ruled that a virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) recording made by a third-party platform, not the board, was not a corporate record.

By now, most of us have heard about the declining honey bee population. Honey bees are just one of the pollinators facing declines. Pollinators also include many birds, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, bats, wasps, and even some mammals, many of which are native to Canada and facing declines.