Page 12 - HumberHappeningsMagazine_Spring2021

COMMUNITY News
FROM THE DESK OF
CHRISTINE HOGARTH, MPP
CONSULTING ON NEW PROTECTIONS FOR CONDO OWNERS
Almost two million people in Ontario live in condos and many more are currently considering a condo pur- chase. Etobicoke-Lakeshore has grown in recent years to have one of the largest concentrations of condominium homes anywhere in Canada.
On April 12, my colleague the Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt, Aris Babikian introduced a Motion which I believe will prove to be very important to condominium owners.
In Private Members’ Notice of Motion #149, MPP Babikian moved:
“That, in the opinion of this House, the Government of Ontario should consult with stakeholders and interested parties about expanding the jurisdiction of the Condo- minium Authority Tribunal to better serve and protect condominium owners.”
I am pleased to report that this Motion passed with support from both sides of the House, and that Ontario will indeed begin a consultation regarding protec- tions for condominium owners and the powers allocated to the Condominium Authority Tribunal.
In fact, my office organized a virtual condo townhall with the Condominium Authority of Ontario on January 29. The Chair of the Condominium Authority, Heather Zordel joined me and several of
my constituents on the call to answer their questions. I got to hear a lot of their most current concerns, first-hand. I know we need changes to the current system.
Condominium owners are home- owners. Simply because they do not have a front yard with a white picket fence, does not mean they love any less the homes they worked hard to buy, and work hard to maintain. Condo owners deserve the most effective support our govern- ment can provide.
Across Ontario, we have seen the number of condo units increase by roughly 300% since 2001. This is a growing and important sector in our province, and it is a priority as we recover from COVID-19.
When the Condominium Authority of Ontario was designated in 2017, the gov- ernment of the day did not give the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) sufficient provisions to deal with dis- putes that owners were facing.
This left many condominium owners unable to deal with issues that were occurring.
We have learned that unfortunately up until now, the only way condo corpora- tions, condo owners or mortgagees could resolve disputes not covered by the juris- diction of the Tribunal was informally or
through mediation, arbitration, or court. This process can be burdensome and expensive for the parties involved, resulting sometimes in thousands or tens
of thousands of dollars in expenses.
Last October, we achieved a significant milestone to deliver a better Tribunal for Ontarians. We worked with the Condo- minium Authority of Ontario to both expand the jurisdiction of the Condo- minium Authority Tribunal, and to launch its online multi-party dispute
platform.
This Regulation is good news, but in
itself, it is not enough to solve the problem we have.
During the consultations suggested by MPP Babikian in the months ahead, we have an opportunity to create a better consumer protection process that will address the concerns that keep too many condo owners up at night.
To take part in the next virtual condo- minium consultation organized by my office, please send an email to Christine.hogarth@pc.ola.org and we will add you to our list. HH
Christine Hogarth is the MPP for Etobicoke— Lakeshore. She lives near Mimico with her husband Paul and her rescue crew: dog Bruce and cat Edward.
12 HUMBER HAPPENINGS | SPRING 2021
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