COA Ontario

COA Ontario stands for the Condo Owners Association in the Province of Ontario. It is a non profit Association representing and advocating as a united voice for consumer protection for Condo Owners. COA Ontario has divisions (replicating the various political ridings) to represent Condo Owners in each of the Municipalities i.e. COA Toronto, COA Ottawa, COA Mississauga etc. Within each of the Divisions there are Wards. The structure was designed in this manner to create a voice for Condo Owners working with the various levels of Government and local MP's, MPP's, Municipal Councillors and City Representatives"

COA Ontario COA Ontario recognizes issues with Condo Board Governance across their Divisions and they support better legislation to ensure accountability and transparency. COA Ontario is also an affective resource for all Condo Owners and Buyers providing information on purchasing a condo recognizing strong consumer protection. They provide all aspects of condominium information to include updates and various links to Condo Buyers Guides.

COA Toronto Division COA Toronto, the Condo Owners Association in Toronto has 12 Districts representing 44 Wards and it is the fastest growing condominium community in Ontario. In Trinity-Spadina (Ward 20) alone there are over 70,000 condominium owners as of 2012 and increasing with substantial new development throughout this area. It is very popular for Tourist Attractions such as the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, Metro Convention Centre and some of the areas are commonly known as the Financial District and Entertainment District. It also encumbrances some parts of Toronto's Waterfront and Liberty Village.

COA Toronto has concerns AbOUT The Downtown Toronto Tall Building project which was completed in May 2013. In 2010 it was determined there was a need to regulate tall buildings considering the high pace of development for residential and commercial in Downtown. The residential population grown in Downtown Toronto has grown by 65% over the last 30 years. COA Toronto recognizes that almost 1/3 of these tall buildings are 30 storeys or taller.

Many Developers and Builders have obtained approval for amendments to construct higher density buildings through the Ontario Municipal Board. The concern that COA Toronto has is the traffic congestion and negative impact of new construction relating to noise, dust and excessive traffic, gridlock and inconveniences to Condo Owners. Many condominiums are lacking in visitors parking, bike parking and the overall smaller square footages in new construction. COA Toronto is participating in the Condo Review held by The City of Toronto in the various Districts. Part 1 of the consultations is completed and Part 2 underway.

COA Toronto supports building stronger condo communities without jeopardizing heritage buildings, losing amenities i.e. restaurant, entertainment venues and working together with the City and Condo Communities; Condo Owners to ensure they are supportive to City initiatives.

COA Mississauga Division COA Mississauga, the Condo Owners Association in Mississauga is launched and underway. They welcome Condo Owners to get involved to help COA advocate on their behalf. The City of Mississauga has 11 Wards (Districts of COA Mississauga) and also has a high density of multi-family condominiums. Condo Owners are very concerned about rising maintenance fees and expensive ticket items that need funding for repairs from potentially low level reserve funds

COA Ottawa Division COA Ottawa, the Condo Owners Association in Ottawa is launched and underway. They welcome Condo Owners to get involved and help COA advocate on their behalf.

Condo Act Review

The Condo Owners Association known as COA Ontario was invited to participate in the Panel of Experts along with resident's group discussion to identify the areas of condominium concerns. The Province of Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services through the Public Policy Forum who they engaged to facilitate the review and create five working groups with 90% majority of service trades in the condo sector of condo lawyers, property managers, engineers, developers, mediators, arbitrators etc.

The Condo Owners Association was on the consumer protection panel of the working group. Other panels included financial management, dispute resolution, governance and management. The first stage identified the concerns in condominiums. The 2nd stage discussed and reviewed the concerns to provide recommendations. An Expert Panel of majority service trades then compiled the recommendations to present to the Province. The Condo Owners Association COA Ontario was very discourage with the process believing that there was not enough involvement from other sectors to create a fair review. The Expert Panel did not have representation from COA Ontario. Ministry staff is preparing A Plan in Stage 3 to implement some of the recommendations received from the Expert Panel. Stage 3 was suppose to be completed in early 2014 however is considerably delayed. COA Ontario advocated for licensing of all property management firms and property managers. The Province has since publicly announced the decision of licensing property managers but did not originally include Property Management Firms. They have since included Property Management firms. COA Ontario is now advocating against the possibility of an arm's length condominium owner funded "Condo Office". The purpose of a Condo Office would be to handle dispute resolution however COA Ontario argument is that it is a double taxing for condo owners since we already have a legal system in place.