Municipal
Condo communities build up resilience in 2020
With always evolving guidelines and pandemic uncertainty, building resilience in condo communities is more important than ever.
Are condos prepared for climate change?
While many condos haven’t yet experienced the major effects of climate change, statistics and case studies foreshadow the impacts that could come.
When a condo board becomes interim manager
When most people run for the condo board of directors, the last thing they imagine is a situation where they’re actually running the condominium.
Keeping garbage areas in condos healthy and safe
Cleaning garbage rooms and waste chutes is a maintenance concern for all condo corporations, but the current pandemic has made this to-do item even more relevant.
Plans for reopening condo amenities
As provinces gradually gear up for reopening and ease some coronavirus restrictions, there are proactive measures and legal concerns condo communities might want to think
Vancouver to rev up short-term rental reg goals
Vancouver plans to expand its partnership with strata corporations to crackdown on operators who don’t comply with short-term rental regulations.
Forest Hill condo promises direct LRT access
The Forest Hill will become one of the first condos with direct subway access to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Ontario aims to relax scrutiny of accessibility
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing says the underlying principle of improving accessibility will be maintained, and connects the revisions to the government's commitment to cut red tape that is slowing down the production of new housing.
RESCON: Toronto’s proposed restriction of high-rise concrete work to cost jobs, delays
The City of Toronto’s plans to stop after-hours concrete work on high-rise buildings will threaten thousands of jobs and delay the arrival of much-needed condo
Mixed uses to ease into suburban office parks
The new policy would give developers a basis to challenge any local government's veto of non-employment land uses in suburban office parks.
Clothing donation bins may pose liability risk
Commercial property owners who host clothing donation bins could run afoul of their province's Occupiers Liability Act or Occupational Health and Safety Act should an incident occur.
Lounge furniture targeted as multi-res fire risk
Some condo lobbies may be looking spare lately because the lounge furniture that usually occupies these spaces is being targeted as a fire risk.
Vertical density channels Mississauga growth
Nearly five decades of lower-density development will take some time to fill in to more compact neighbourhoods and pedestrian-oriented commercial streets, but the vitality of the city's condominium market demonstrates that single-family residential is no longer the default built form.
Proposed short-term rental regs see early support
Proposed regulations for short-term rentals in Toronto saw early signs of support, with a few exceptions, when a staff report went before executive committee.
Big data backs medium-density development
The development of courtyard apartments, multiplexes and town homes could be among the building blocks of better housing affordability in Ontario.
MPP proposes time limits for elevator repairs
Han Dong, the Liberal MPP for Trinity-Spadina, is proposing to set time limits for elevator repairs with a private member's bill.
Unit owners sell boutique buildings to developer
The sale of a property in midtown Toronto that closed in January marks Ontario’s first case of unit owners terminating a condo corporation by vote.