Ontario MPPs slam 'egregious' condo request that gay couple provide marriage certificate or leave
Elected MPPs at Queen’s Park expressed their shock at a Toronto condominium telling a gay couple to provide a marriage certificate or leave the building, as they quizzed top bureaucrats on the effectiveness of the province’s condo regulators.
The provincial ministry in charge of Ontario’s condo sector said it’s looking into the specifics of the case — as well as whether the rules designed to protect condo dwellers are good enough to stop similar incidents from happening throughout the province.
“As a proud member of a government that champions equal rights for all Ontarians, I was troubled by a recent report suggesting that a gay couple is facing challenges living in the condominium,” said PC MPP Michael Parsa, referring to the CTV News story that first described the issue.
“If you’re unable to enforce basic human rights in what’s described to be such an egregious violation, what other consumer rights are slipping?” asked Liberal MPP Stephen Blais.
“It’s pretty clear from the Auditor General’s reports that condo residents are not provided with adequate protection,” said the NDP’s Jessica Bell.
The deputy minister in charge of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Renu Kulendran, told the committee the government takes possible discrimination very seriously, but said condos largely run themselves.
“Condo corporations are self-governing and it’s up to the condo community to make the rules that work for them,” Kulendran said.
She said the couple could file a human rights complaint over the condo’s definition of the kinds of “families” it allows.
The condo, MTCC 972, defines itself as “single family” which according to its rules means “a social unit consisting of parent(s) and their children, whether natural or adopted, and includes other relatives if living with the primary group.”
The condo management company, TSE Management Services, Inc, has not responded to any questions about the case since Tuesday.
Condo resident Michael Cowan says that definition was what condo management referred him to when his partner moved in earlier this month. He says they asked him for a marriage certificate, and when he couldn’t provide one, they deactivated his partner’s key fob.
“I think this is a human rights issue,” said Cowan in an interview.
Michael Cowan speaks with CTV News Toronto after being told he has to leave his condo because he and his partner are not married.
A former condo resident reached by CTV News Toronto, Avanti Ramachandran, said she had lived at the condo for six years when she invited her boyfriend Samir to live with her. She says there was nothing unusual about it.
“We were never asked for any proof of our relationship and marriage or anything like that,” she said, adding that they weren’t married. “I had a partner move in and there was no issue whatsoever.”
Condo lawyer Rod Escayola, who is not connected to the case, said the “single family” definition is usually just to distinguish the condo from industrial or commercial uses.
“It’s shocking that a condo corporation would use a single family provision and expand it the way they have,” he said.
“The definition of family that appears to be the definition is way too restrictive. It’s not 1945 here,” he said.
A human rights complaint may be the way to go, he said, though the MPP for the area said she hoped the condo would relent.
“We have a clear case here, and the condo board should be doing the right thing,” NDP’s Suze Morrison said.
The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services said in a statement that their government "supports the equal rights of all Ontarians."
"There is no place for intolerance and discrimination of any kind in our province," the ministry said. “Ontario’s Human Rights Code prohibits actions that discriminate against people based on a protected ground, including family status and sexual orientation. The Human Rights Code is applicable to condominium corporations and must be followed."
“The ministry is looking into the specifics of the situation to ensure it is resolved and reviewing ways to improve the Condominium Act and oversight bodies to better protect condominium residents.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.