Comment on Resident Experience
September 2, 2021
ICE Condominiums is pleased to share details on our efforts in several key areas that affect residents’ experience. The condominium’s management and Board of Directors are committed to taking actions that allow residents to feel proud to call ICE Condominiums their home. Although this is a process of continuous improvement, we are confident that ongoing operations and recent initiatives contribute to this important objective. We are grateful for the feedback and opinions shared by residents and are committed to continually reviewing and improving standards, practices and procedures to benefit all ICE Condominiums residents.
With respect to a TikTok video and comments circulating, ICE Condominiums disagrees with many of the comments made. We hope any viewers will find that the information provided below demonstrates the inaccurate and outdated nature of these comments.
Cleanliness: Cleanliness is a key priority. According to a survey the Board conducted in April 2021, 80% of residents are satisfied with the cleanliness of lobbies and hallways. While this feedback is positive, our cleaning team is working to increase it by performing more frequent spot-cleaning in key areas. Although — like in any condominium — waste chutes can sometimes become temporarily blocked, our sanitation team cleans all hallways and waste disposal rooms as part of its daily routine. Our maintenance team conducts frequent inspections of the building and rectifies issues promptly.
Elevators: The condominium contracts its elevator maintenance with TK Elevator, which has a strong reputation in the industry. Currently, all 16 elevators are running. Most floors in the condominium are serviced by three high-speed elevators, so residents can still access their homes even when one is being serviced. Substantial investments in elevator upgrades over the past two years have yielded favourable results: since March 2021, elevator uptime has been over 97%. Although an elevator outage may sometimes last a few weeks if a part is on-order or if a detailed safety inspection is required, there have only been eight incidents in the past six months when an elevator was down for longer than two days.
Masking: The condominium’s security team proactively reminds residents and their guests to wear masks in common areas, as is required by City of Toronto bylaws. All contractors and staff are required to wear a mask and sign in for contact-tracing purposes. The condominium also has extensive signage to emphasize masking and distancing requirements.
Amenities: Following Ontario Government guidance, the condominium’s two fitness centres reopened on July 29, 2021 with physical distancing and contact-tracing protocols in place. The condominium’s swimming pool will reopen under similar conditions on September 3, 2021.
Fire Alarms: Some false fire alarms are an unfortunate reality of high-rise living and are a by-product of compliance with the fire code. Nonetheless, we’re taking efforts to reduce the number of false fire alarms by preventing abuse with enhanced security, educating residents, and mitigating mechanical issues that can sometimes cause false alarms.
Short-term Rentals: The condominium has worked with the City of Toronto’s Bylaw Enforcement group since the City began enforcing its short-term rental bylaws earlier this year. Bylaw officers from the City have commended our condominium’s initiatives in this area and we’ve observed an outflow of hosts from the condominium. Only people who own and live in their units may host short-term rentals in the condominium; this represents a small number of units. Currently, under 10% of units are registered to conduct short-term rentals. We continue to deter non-compliant short-term rentals with ongoing monitoring, access control, a reward program for people who report illegitimate hosts, and mutual cooperation with the City of Toronto. Many former short-term rental hosts now find long-term rentals a better approach. The overwhelming majority of unit owners support the corporation’s initiatives to manage and minimize short‑term rentals within the condominium.
Security: The safety of our residents is one of the condominium’s top priorities. In March 2021, the condominium engaged a specialized security services provider, which helps keep residents comfortable and secure by providing enhanced access control and bylaw compliance measures during peak hours. This provider works alongside the condominium’s 24/7 security team. The condominium has also recently invested in several enhancements to its key-fob access control systems and additional security measures will be considered, as deemed necessary to further secure the property. Because the condominium is located in the core of the city, adjacent to Union Station and Scotiabank Arena, most of our residents understand that incidents that occur around the building are often unrelated to the condominium itself and beyond its control.
The condominium’s board and management strive for operational excellence in the condominium — particularly by ensuring the most fundamental aspects of condo living are reliable. Our residents deserve the best. As a landmark of downtown Toronto, ICE Condominiums’ Board and management strives to create an environment where residents can be proud to call home.