June 2024
Our building superintendent is also a director in our condominium corporation. When up for re-election she had access to owner phone numbers and contacted them to sign proxies on her behalf.
When I ran as a candidate for director, my letter to owners declaring my candidacy was not distributed as part of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) package. Only that of the superintendent was included.
There appear to be some unethical business practices in this process. How do you suggest we address these concerns?
L. P.
Response from Toronto Condo News
It seems that your condominium board has chosen to commingle the roles of director and superintendent. While this is not illegal, it is not a best practice and can lead to problems such as you have described.
You are suggesting that elections in your condominium corporation have been manipulated. The superintendent/director utilized corporation records to contact owners by telephone, and asked them to come to the office to complete a proxy form. Neither condo directors, management or staff are to influence condo elections. You further state that candidate profiles were not distributed to owners except for that of the superintendent/director.
There are actions you can take if your condo elections have been manipulated or if condo directors exceed their authority. These are concerns you can bring to the Condominium Authority of Ontario for advice on how to proceed.
I would encourage you to follow whatever advice is provided by the Condominium Authority of Ontario which may involve making a submission to the Tribunal. While this may be a lot of work, it may be the best way to address the abuses you have described.
