Expert details condo conflict resolution process after deadly Vaughan, Ont. Shooting

Chroniclejournal.com
Dec. 21, 2022

An industry expert says it would have been rare for a court to force the sale of a condo owned by a man who went on to kill five people at his Vaughan, Ont. building Sunday night.

York Regional Police said Francesco Villi opened fire on three different units in the highrise, killing five people including three condo board members, before he was shot and killed by a police officer.

The shooting appeared to stem from a conflict between the gunman and the condo board.

Documents indicate Villi was expected in court Monday regarding his contravention of an existing court order from 2019 intended to shield the board and building staff from harassment and threats.

The board had recently sought to have the court force Villi to sell and vacate his unit as a penalty for being in contempt of the order.

Lyndsey McNally, president of the board for the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Condominium Institute, says if a resident may harm others or damage the property, condo boards generally can't take extreme measures like obtaining court orders unless they have exhausted other options within their power such as warning letters, arbitration or mediation, or seeking resolution through an independent tribunal.

McNally said it appears the condo board at the Vaughan building had sought expert advice as it attempted to resolve the ongoing issues with Villi.

Given they ended up taking the severe measure of requesting a forced sale, she said she would expect the board had explored all other options first.

McNally said there are only a handful of cases in Ontario where the court actually agreed to force the sale of a condo unit, with past examples involving residents creating unsafe conditions through living habits, routine harassment, and gang-related activities.