Jocelyn Duquette
New Employment Standards Affecting Condominium Corporations
In addition to being busy amending the Condominium Act, the Province has also been busy amending the Employment Standards Act (the “ESA”). Some amendments to the ESA came into effect on January 1, 2018 and more amendments are coming later in 2018. The purpose of this blog is to summarize some of these changes and obligations […]
How to Complete the New Proxy Form
The new forms under the “new” Condominium Act were released on November 1, 2017. A month later, the industry is still getting familiar with these new documents and we are receiving many questions about them; especially about the new proxy form. In this blog, we discuss the new proxy form and how to complete it. The new […]
The Forms Under the New Condo Act Are Out!
We have added a new tab at the top of our blog to facilitate access to the new forms. You can also click here and be redirected to these new forms. After many years of discussion and speculation, the new Condominium Act is finally here! The majority of the amendments to the Act and the […]
Can Condos Prohibit the Display of Canadian Flags?
With Canada Day just around the corner and important festivities expected to take place this year for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation, Canadian flags will start popping up everywhere. How are condominiums to deal with requests from owners wishing to display their maple leaf pride? The Great Flag Debate First, a little history. In […]
Condo Arrears Include Legal Fees
In a recent unreported Ottawa case, a condo owner sued his condominium to recover the legal fees charged against his unit following his failure to pay his common expenses on time. This case reminds owners of the importance of paying in time the totality of the arrears… including the interests and the legal fees incurred by the corporation […]
The “5 Ws” of a Condo AGM
Fall is often a good time for condominium corporations to hold their annual general meeting (“AGM“) of owners. Owners are back home after the summer holidays and snowbirds have yet to migrate to warmer weather for the winter. My condominium should hold its first AGM in the next few months. People who are new to condo living may not fully understand what an […]
The First Year in the Life of a Condominium Corporation
The first year of a condominium corporation is a big one. In addition to dealing with ongoing construction work, construction deficiencies and perhaps budgetary issues, the board of directors has to take important decisions in terms of management of the building and has to set the tone with the owners and residents. Depending on how the developer/declarant […]
Can a Condominium Corporation Prohibit the Display of the Canadian Flag?
With Canada Day just around the corner and important festivities expected to take place next year for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation, Canadian flags will start popping up everywhere and condominium corporations may be faced with situations where owners wish to display a flag in their windows or on their balcony. Many corporations already […]
Condos Do Not (Always) Have to Disclose Sewer Backups in their Status Certificate
In a recent Ottawa case, the court had to determine whether the condominium corporation was responsible for the damage caused by repeated sewer backups originating from common elements, which damaged an owner’s unit basement. As unfortunate as the situation was for this unit owner, ultimately the court found that the condominium corporation was not responsible […]