September 2018
Condo residents are generally protected from unexpected visitors.
This can change during elections when those canvassing for candidates are allowed to enter private condo buildings and knock on doors. This opportunity to meet with constituents and obtain their vote is considered necessary by candidates. Condo residents may consider canvassing to be an unnecessary and unwarranted intrusion.
More than in other forms of housing, canvassing in condo buildings lead to some surprising encounters. Candidates in Vancouver Centre report encountering naked people during campaign season. One candidate described a male answering the door wearing only an oxygen mask and with a joint in one hand.
Condo buildings present new challenges for political office candidates intending to canvass. Building access is generally not a problem. During the 2011 federal election, Canada Elections received fewer than 20 complaints over lack of access.
In some condo buildings, building access may no longer be sufficient. Each floor may require a properly coded fob or card for access. This makes it more difficult, and time consuming, to access each floor. It may not be possible to travel from floor to floor by the stairwell.
When it comes to canvassing, one advantage of condo communities is increased street traffic. Candidates can speak with up to 100 people an hour on a street corner as compared with no more than a handful during the same amount of time knocking on doors.
