Ontario’s Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) could be called on to resolve more types of disputes between condo corporations and owners. The provincial government is considering adding processes related to owner-requisitioned meetings to the online tribunal’s adjudication duties.

A 30-day public consultation is now underway, seeking feedback on the process for triggering special meetings and related rules for providing notice, establishing quorum and voting. Currently, if disputes around such issues can’t be resolved informally, disagreeing parties must turn to formal mediation or the courts.

The consultation was announced in tandem with Ontario’s newly tabled Bill 200, a package of various consumer protection measures aimed at homeowners and prospective homebuyers. That includes steps: to prevent suppliers of rented home equipment, such as water heaters, from registering a notice of their interest on the property title; and to instigate a 10-day cooling off period, during which purchasers of new condos or freehold houses could withdraw from the deal without penalty.

Although, there are no amendments to the Condominium Act within the Bill, the government’s accompanying backgrounder reiterates its awareness that “more than one million Ontarians call a condominium community home”. In addition to the consultation on broadening the CAT’s jurisdiction, which is open for comments until June 26th, a future consultation is planned to examine how owners and purchasers can secure better access to and understanding of status certificates, disclosure statements and documentation pertaining to material changes during construction.

“The province intends to explore changes that could help increase operational and financial clarity so that owners are provided with transparency, while limiting burden to the condo corporations that are entrusted with running a condo on behalf of a community,” the backgrounder states.