The Most Important Conversations We Expect to Have at The 2024 Condo Conference

This week, we are excited to be in illustrious company as we take part in the 2024 Condo Conference as panelists and exhibitors.

The event is organized and hosted by two industry organizations, The Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario (ACMO) and the Canadian Condominium Institute of Toronto and Area (CCI-T). This is a must-attend event for people who work in the condo sector and will take place from November 15-16th at the Toronto Congress North Building.

Last year’s event was attended by over 2000 professionals from all over the condominium industry, including property managers, condominium owners/boards of directors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, and more.

What We Will Be Talking About

This year’s theme is, “The Changing Landscape of Fire Safety and Condominiums,” and we feel this couldn’t be a more timely topic.

We will be offering our perspectives as to why fire safety is changing. This will include talking about the rise in fires and deaths over the last few years, as well as some headline-making developments such as a property manager in Ontario receiving actual jail time for ongoing fire code violations.

We’ve also seen some things that have even shocked us. Like when there was a tragic townhome fire that claimed the lives of two people, and the fire department discovered that over half of the units didn’t have working smoke alarms.

Why all the recent changes? It’s important to remember that Ontario’s fire department increased their focus on regular annual inspections in high rises a few years ago. They were stunned at the number of deficiencies that they saw, which is why they have now upped that mandate for regular inspections and issued more inspection orders to get our buildings as safe as possible, as quickly as possible. Because at the end of the day, we’re dealing with human lives.?

?

A lot of people in the condo industry are shocked to learn that their fire alarm company is only responsible for 50% of the building’s fire code compliance – the rest is up to the staff and management. And once the shock subsides, people quickly feel overwhelmed. A big part of our discussion will be reminding condo professionals that they don’t have to feel overwhelmed!??

The path to a safe and compliant building can be relatively smooth because you can designate people to handle various aspects and spread the work around. You can designate a contractor, contracted staff security companies, your board of directors, your superintendent, and even the property manager, depending on the size and budget of your building.?

The bottom line is that we really want to leave them with a feeling that this is fully achievable.

We’re also really looking forward to important panel discussions with:

Dean McCabe, President at Meritus Group Management Inc.

Dean McCabe is also a former President of the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario. He has been a property manager for many years and he brings a unique perspective to the table. His career began during a time when Ontario had very little enforcement from the fire department, which means he’s witnessed all of the changes and increased focus on inspections/ enforcement firsthand.?

We look forward to hearing his experiences and his insights into today’s landscape.

Jason Reid - Senior Advisor; Fire, Safety & Emergency Management at National Life Safety Group

Jason Reid has over 20 years of experience in fire safety. He's a member of CCI. He also does a lot of training in fire and life safety experience and remains an active educator in the industry.

Larry Cocco – Toronto Fire Services Deputy Fire Chief

Larry Cocco is an excellent speaker, and his talks often serve as a bit of a reality check for the people in the room. He has personally witnessed the tragic side of fire. Of course, life safety system problems have a financial cost, but we should never forget the human cost of an emergency.

If you’re putting together a panel to discuss “The Changing Landscape of Fire Safety and Condominiums,” these are the experts you want. Each has seen these changes over the years and will offer unique insights into what these changes mean for people who work in the condo sector.

Our session will take place from 10:45 to 11:45 on Friday, November 14th in Horlick Condo Law Session room - Hall H (1-4) in The North Building. If you would like to take part in this must-attend event, click here for more information.