Charlie Condos, Toronto Condo Reviews 

...Hey Portia, A few points on what you are saying below: 1) You are right in that there have been elevator issues ongoing for a long time. Every building in Toronto and surrounding has been experiencing the same thing. Read any newspaper article and you will find a wealth of information on this topic. Charlie is not alone in this respect. If you look at Shangri La (MAJOR issues), Bond Condos (MAJOR issues), Spire, 650 King West, 95 Bathurst, 55 Stewart (to name a few!) they are all experiencing very similar elevator issues, as well as a slew of condos on the Harborfront. Elevator service providers have royally sucked in this respect, so Charlie is not alone. If you were to look to rent in any other building in the GTA you would find very similar issues and would experience the same level of frustration (yah, it’s frustrating, but that’s condo life!). This is what you get when you live in a building where people ride elevators all day, every day. They go through wear and tear and sadly Builders go for the lowest bidder when it comes to elevator building, maintenance and service, so this building is by far not alone in this respect. Please educate yourself before throwing out things and thinking that Charlie is alone in this respect. All condos in the GTA have the same. 2) As a renter/tenant, you are not entitled to the same rights as an owner, who is a shareholder. You are not as you do not own a percentage of the corporation. You pay rent to your landlord. It is your landlord (who is a shareholder) and who is responsible for reading and educating themselves (and tenants) on ongoing issues and communicating them accordingly. They can attend meetings, ask for minutes, attend Annual General Meetings or vote by proxy. They can vote as they own a percentage. As a renter, you don’t have these rights as you don’t own. If you wish to exercise your rights, perhaps you should purchase so you can also act accordingly and be involved in meetings and decisions. Just a suggestion. As a renter, you cannot do so as you are not a shareholder in a corporation so blanket statement: You do not have the same rights. This is how ALL corporations work. You own shares, you can attend meetings. It’s actually pretty simple. If you don’t like the building, perhaps consider moving to another building and you will experience other frustrations, I’m sure. 3) Regarding any contracts, before making any assumptions, did it ever occur to you (other than here say) from your neighbour that any major service provider (property management, security, cleaning service providers) go through a proper tendering process? If your neighbour (or landlord) read any of the minutes of any meetings, you would then begin to understand that this board member you state as to having not more than an arms length involvement removed themselves from any decision-making whatsoever? It’s been minuted and documented everywhere, in each package, letter, Annual General Meeting that is sent out to all owners (I have attended meetings and have heard this time and time again due to reasons of legitimacy). Perhaps if your neighbour-friend read the minutes or attended meetings and listened, this may have registered in their mind as it’s been documented everywhere, but I can see how that’s an easy fact to ignore to create "talk". I am a unit owner, myself, and understand this without having any preconceived notions or opinions about things. It’s unfortunate you feel so and have stated such without knowing all the facts. Perhaps if every unit holder would read all documentation and attend meetings (for instance, each and every Annual General Meeting) your opinion (or your neighbour’s) would not be so skewed as there was complete disclosure on all behalves without being secretive about anything. Before throwing out accusations and being involved in building gossip, get to know the facts and ask about minutes and disclosure. Everyone is entitled to run a business (we all live in a corporate world!) and by being considered for a contract there is still a proper process with several different vendors coming to the table (I’ve lived in condos a long time, served on a board myself and understand how bidding processes work). If you were running a business, I'm sure you'd be happy to pitch things to a building you reside in! It was with due diligence and knowledge of conflict of interest for the said board member to recuse themselves from any involvement with any decisions during the tender process. Perhaps it was the other board members who actually made this decision by price and a solid offer package?? Did this thought ever cross your or your neighbours’ mind, or were facts just ignored because it's something interesting to talk about? Seems like a hot topic that a lot talk about by ignoring things that have been minuted and documented. Maybe before throwing someone under the gun get to know the facts instead of sheer gossip...