Josh Milgrom B.A.(Hons), JD. Lash Condo Law
Cover Story
The Ideal Condo Board Communicate, Act Swiftly, and Adapt
These directors are tasked with managing a budget, enforcing their governing documents, complying with the Condominium Act and other relevant legislation, attempting to satisfy the owners (or at least most of them), and for many condos, directing a manager to facilitate the dayto-day operations of a complex and everevolving condo community. How do you make sure that your board has the skills, the tools, and the support necessary to succeed? How to you put yourself in a position to sit up at the head table at
your next AGM with pride to share the year’s worth of accomplishments with the owners at the AGM – and to have them applaud your efforts? Starting Point Each director should be operating within the confines of and be guided by the Condominium Act. This establishes the legal boundaries and sets the stage for the board to make all of its decisions. At a bare minimum, a director must act honestly and in good faith, and exercise
reasonable care, diligence and skill while performing their role. Directors should become familiar with their condo’s governing documents. And while a director doesn’t need to be able to recite the Condominium Act or the declaration on command, they should know what types of issues are covered in the documents so they know where to look when an issue arises. Sometimes boards play years’ worth of broken telephone, transferring bad habits from one board to the next. Rather than fall in the same trap, it’s important to think critically about the long-standing assumptions that may be guiding a board down the wrong path by asking questions and satisfying yourself that the assumpCONDOVOICE FALL 2019
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ILLUSTRATION BY R.O. BLECHMAN
With thousands of condos in Ontario, and a board of at least 3 directors for each one, directors are responsible to govern over 1.3 million homes.