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Sun, Snow & Statutes: Comparing Condo Obligations from Florida to Ontario

December 9, 2025

WEBINAR — 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET

Sun, Snow & Statutes: Comparing Condo Obligations from Florida to Ontario

Why don’t all expenses over $10,000 need an owner vote?
Why doesn’t the Board need owner approval for the budget?
And what’s the real purpose of a Reserve Fund Study anyway?

The tragic 2021 collapse of a high-rise condominium in Surfside, Florida, brought global attention to how maintenance and repair decisions are made—and funded. Could something like that happen here in Ontario?

Join CondoTalk for an eye-opening discussion on the pros and cons of how these critical decisions are handled. Have we struck the right balance between board authority and owner oversight? Who’s really watching? And where are the condo police?

 

 

Moderator

Richard Elia, B.Comm., LL.B., LL.M. (ADR), A.C.C.I.
Elia Associates

Richard Elia had been actively involved in the area of condominium law for over 20 years, advancing the objective of effective and ethical advocacy. Founded in 2001, Elia Associates provides legal services to condominium communities throughout Ontario.

Richard holds a Master of Law with a focus on Appropriate Dispute Resolution and the “A.C.C.I.” - Associate of the Canadian Condominium Institute - designation, which is the country’s only condo-specific designation for condominium professionals. This designation evidences Richard’s extensive condominium knowledge. 

 

Speakers 

James Armstrong BSc, CET, EMBA
Project Principal, Shareholder Edison Engineers Inc.

James is responsible for delivering outstanding customer service for reserve fund studies. He has been in the industry since 1990 and joined the Edison team in 2012. James enjoys Board interactions in developing customized reports. James improves Edison’s internal processes with the objective of improving our client’s overall experience.

 

 

 

Tom Gallinger, FCIP
Atrens-Counsel Insurance Brokers

Tom Gallinger is the Vice President of Atrens-Counsel Insurance Brokers, a brokerage that specializes in managing insurance programs for condominiums, unit owners and property management professionals.  Tom has been in the insurance industry for 14 years in various underwriting, brokering and management roles.   As a specialist in Commercial and Condominium insurance, Tom strives to deliver a high level of service by managing the long-term insurance needs of his clients.  In his career with Atrens-Counsel, Tom has done a number of educational presentations for various industry associations and groups aimed at unit owners, boards, and property managers. Tom holds an honours bachelor’s degree in business, his Fellowship Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP), as well as his Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designations.

 

 

Kristi Gundzik,
Wilson Blanchard Management

Kristie Gundzik has been part of the condominium world since 2013 and is now a General Licensed Portfolio Manager with Wilson Blanchard Management. Her condo career began under the Florida sun as an onsite Community Association Manager for a private club—where she somehow managed fourteen condominium associations and a master association without losing her sense of humour (or her sunscreen).  After deciding she wanted to be a “real manager,” Kristie graduated to portfolio management, overseeing a mix of high-rises, low-rises, townhomes, commercial properties, HOAs, and country clubs—basically, if it had owners and bylaws, she managed it. 

Born in Florida with Alabama roots, Kristie grew up moving along the eastern U.S. before marrying a proud Hamiltonian in 2011. In 2021, she made the move north with her spouse and son, trading palm trees for parkas—and she’s been thriving in Ontario’s condo scene ever since. 

 

 

Thank you to Our Sponsors

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