Serving Ontario's condominium communities since 2008
We wrote about condo meetings and election pitfalls in the past (see HERE and HERE) but those articles focused on “what happens at the meeting/election”. A recent Superior Court decision highlights the dangers of poor meeting notices – these meetings were essentially dead before they hit the ground.
Continue Reading Hell hath no fury like condo scorn: avoiding meeting and election woes
We saw “condo meeting” cases before the court in 2021, seeking procedural directions or injunctions to stop them.
For each case that made it to a judge, more cases were negotiated between condo lawyers and owner lawyers, at a cost to both parties. The negotiations often aimed for meeting transparency from notice through vote tabulation.
The Condo Act is silent on many issues management, boards and owners face in navigating meeting minefields. We turn to rules of order, past practice and common sense. Here are some of the common questions and issues we have recently encountered.
A Toronto condominium corporation finds itself in the news lately (link to article here) over a hotly-contested election.
Two unsuccessful candidates brought a legal proceeding claiming election interference after they won on an initial count by a slim margin of two votes but lost on a recount. The candidates claim their proxies were disqualified without reason and votes were illegitimately added the ballot box. In the wake of a close election we often see accusations of conspiracy, corruption and impropriety thrown around. In this condo’s case, this has resulted in a nasty legal battle: both sides reportedly incurred at least $200,000 in legal fees so far.
While the truth remains to be seen, the financial and time cost devoted to determining who’s right seems extreme; the issue is clearly important to those involved and it is up to the parties whether to continue the battle. Whatever the case may be, Tony’s Takeaway is that these problems are avoidable.
Whether meetings are held electronically or in-person, here are a few best practices we suggest to ward off accusations of “stolen elections” or demands to “stop the count”:
Continue Reading Condo elections, dodging “fake news” and voter fraud
