Condos are a major source for housing in Ontario and offer affordability, shared responsibility, efficient land use and community living. The many benefits of condo living mean that condos will continue to be an essential part of our housing landscape.

All condo communities, however, are faced with navigating a period of unprecedented change. Aging buildings, rising repair and operating costs, more demanding reserve fund requirements, increasing climate-related risks, and growing expectations of owners, residents, boards, managers and property staff are putting even more pressure on an industry already struggling to keep up. For some older and smaller condos, this may raise difficult questions about long-term financial viability and whether their current model is sustainable, and some have started to look at possible redevelopment options.

This engaging fireside session will bring together management, legal and real estate perspectives from experienced industry professionals to explore how these pressures are impacting the future of condos. The panel will discuss increased financial pressures, shifting market conditions, changing demographics, increasing formal governance, and whether growing workloads, potential liability and increasing incidents of criticism and harassing behaviour will make it harder for condos to attract and retain good directors and managers.

The panel will also look at artificial intelligence, digital access systems and other emerging technologies, where they are useful, the risks they create, and why they cannot replace the human relationships at the centre of successful condo communities.