As we are certain you have heard, on March 23, 2020 Premier Doug Ford announced that all non-essential business would be required to close (or at least operate remotely) at midnight tonight (March 24). At the time of the announcement no specific list was issued of those businesses deemed essential and we understand that this caused much confusion and concern. Late last night, the list was provided by the Ontario Government and can be found here:
https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/3/list-of-essential-workplaces.html
Generally, most service providers in residential condominium corporations are deemed essential workplaces including:
Institutional, Residential, Commercial and Industrial Maintenance
- Businesses that provide support and maintenance services, including urgent repair, to maintain the safety, security, sanitation and essential operation of institutional, commercial industrial and residential properties and buildings, including, property management services, plumbers, electricians, custodial/janitorial workers, cleaning services, security services, fire safety and sprinkler systems, building systems maintenance and repair technicians and engineers, mechanics, (e.g. HVAC, escalator and elevator technicians), and other service providers who provide similar services
Lawyers, engineers, and other support services are also allowed to remain open.
Rest assured that our team continues will continue to work with your community through this difficult time. We will continue with staff safety and disinfection protocols as previously posted and continue to monitor the situation so that we may adapt as necessary. These protocols including instructing staff to follow disinfection protocols as published by Toronto Public Health, limiting direct face-to-face contact between our team and other individuals, and restricting unit access only to actual emergencies. Most trades and other service providers have in place similar protocols. Please continue to respect our closed doors for the safety of our team. We ask that all clients contact our office by telephone and email at this time.
Every condominium corporation is unique, and we are making our best efforts to navigate this unprecedented situation based on information provided by Public Health – which is regrettably limited. If you believe there is a unique situation in your condominium corporation and some direct action should be taken as a result of same, please let our team know so that we can assist.
We are certain that there are other areas of concern in this pandemic related to services within your communities. Some items that we are currently considering include frustration of contracts due to “force majeure” (for example, pool maintenance that need not be performed due to amenity closures), contingency plans in the event there are additional service disruptions, potential cash flow concerns in the event Owners are unable to pay, and response plans in the event of confirmed infections within one of our properties. Rest assured that we are prioritizing a review of same and will continue to communicate as the situation unfolds.
Please continue to take care and be well. Wash your hands and stay home if you can.
