Toronto condo puts up a sign saying cousins can't live together

TORONTO -

A Toronto condominium has put up a sign saying two cousins are not allowed to live together in another twist on the so-called “single family” rules that have condo boards weighing in on who’s allowed in the condo’s bedrooms.

“Two cousins who wish to live together as roommates is an example of an extended family that DOES NOT constitute a “single family” unit because they have different parents,” says the sign, posted prominently in the lobby of the Horizon on Bay Street.

Owners in the building told CTV News Toronto they thought it was odd to lay out the type of families that are and aren’t allowed.

“It struck me as very strange when I walked in and saw it,” said Andy Lehrer, who said he has lived in the building for about eight years. “It seems like of random."

“I thought those sorts of things died out with the human rights code and the constitution.".

The pronouncement may seem random on the surface, but the condo is referencing a “single family” rule, which appears to be among those designed to keep the condos quiet.

The rules are facing new scrutiny after one was quoted by a condo management company at Century Plaza condominium on Wellesley Street telling an unmarried gay couple living in the building to get married or leave.

Meanwhile, other unmarried straight couples who spoke to CTV News Toronto said the management company, TSE Management Services, was content for them to declare themselves a family without a certificate.

TSE Management Services has not returned any messages from CTV News Toronto since Tuesday.

A CTV News Toronto investigation has found numerous examples of “single family” rules, from very restrictive ones that even exclude childless couples and single people to those that accept any two people pooling their resources as a family.

Some courts have found condos must enforce those single family rules. The Ministry of Government and Consumer Affairs said in a statement Ontario’s Human Rights Code — which prohibits discrimination based on family status — must be followed, but hasn’t committed to legislating those rules away.

The province’s watchdog for condo management companies told CTV News Toronto it’s received no complaints about discrimination, but says if the incident is proven it could be a breach of its ethics.

“Our position is that the Human Rights Code is paramount to other legislation and instruments, such as the declaration, by-laws, or rules of a condominium corporation,” said a statement from the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario.

There may be a chance to test that soon. Condo owner Paula Boutis had complained about the “single family” rule denying her a chance to rent to a variety of family types a year ago, but when CTV News Toronto did a story on the case on Thursday, the complaint hadn’t been accepted.

On Friday morning, she received a notice that the complaint would go forward and the condo, High Park Lofts, would be served with the complaint.

“I don’t understand why a condo would be allowed to pass rules that are contrary to the human rights code,” Boutis said.

One viewer told CTV News Toronto about a simple way of letting all types of families live together regardless: declaring in writing that any couple is a family. She said it’s worked in her condo in Toronto for over a year.