May 2020
There are no rules anymore! That appears to be how some communities have chosen to operate during the covid pandemic.
Some condo boards have taken it upon themselves to make up rules beyond their authority. Pandemic Management has been established by Toronto Condo News in Condo Archives as the resource for high-rise and condo communities. It provides answers to questions and evolving best practices. Since its introduction in March we continue to update content as questions are received from readers and information becomes available.
We anticipate the need to maintain most pandemic practices for many months and possibly ongoing, so Pandemic Management in the Condo Archives is likely to remain available for the foreseeable future.
During the covid pandemic some condo boards and management have distributed confusing communications. They may infer authority they don’t possess, or tell residents to act in one way while the corporation acts differently or fails to communicate its actions. Impact on credibility will remain long after the pandemic subsides. A better approach is the letter distributed in one community shown on the left. (Apologies for image quality which has been enhanced as much as we are able.) It is consistent with authority of the condo board and displays a clear intent on assisting residents:
- It is well written and grammatically correct
- There are no legally-questionable initiatives or mandates that residents disclose personal information
- No personal heath protocols are provided – residents are directed to proper sources
- Enhanced cleaning protocols for common areas are identified
- Initiatives to assist residents are in place
Contrast the letter with this other communication (right) posted throughout a building which infers authority that does not exist.
Should this prohibition on visitors be enforced some residents may be unable to receive assistance, medicine or food from family members or home care workers. Should this result in death and the prohibition identified as a contributing factor, a condo board could find themselves in trouble for acting beyond their authority. Some might feel justified in holding a condo board accountable for their actions.
Refer to Pandemic Management for answers to questions and evolving best practices. Advice on communications can be found under Communications in this section.
