Ontario Condo Voting Changes 2026–2027 | Ontario Condo Guide

In July 2026, the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) published a clear timeline for long-anticipated meeting and governance reforms. For boards and owners focused on voting, elections, and owner participation, two dates now matter more than the abstract “pending amendments” story that followed Bill 72:

• December 31, 2026 — new rules for owner-requisitioned meetings, non-leased voting units, and reserved board positions
• July 1, 2027 — expanded Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) jurisdiction over certain owners’ meeting disputes, plus a higher damages cap

This article summarizes what the CAO announced and what it means for Ontario condo voting practice. It is educational information based on that public announcement — not legal advice for your corporation.

Why this is a voting story

These reforms are not only about paperwork. They change how owners force meetings, how corporations determine who can vote for reserved director seats, what election notices must say, and where owners can take meeting-compliance disputes when boards miss statutory duties.

If your corporation runs contested elections, struggles with quorum, or sees frequent requisitions, the 2026–2027 window is a planning deadline — not a distant policy debate.

December 31, 2026: requisitions and reserved seats

Mandatory requisition form

Owners who want to requisition an owners’ meeting will need to use a new prescribed form that CAO is developing. The form is expected to capture standardized information such as:

• Purpose of the meeting
• Names and signatures of requisitioning owners
• Contact information for designated representatives
• Election or removal details where applicable

The stated goal is consistency and fewer fights over whether a requisition is valid on its face.

Longer board response window

Boards will have 20 days to respond to a valid requisition, up from the current five days. The response must go to the designated contacts listed on the requisition. That is a material operational change for managers who currently treat requisitions as near-immediate fire drills.

More delivery options

Owners will be able to deliver requisitions by prepaid mail, courier, deposit in the corporation’s mailbox, or electronically where the board has approved electronic delivery. Periodic information certificates are expected to set out available delivery methods.

Revision and withdrawal rules

Boards that deny a requisition must provide a rationale. Owners then have 10 days to revise and resubmit. The amendments also specify who may withdraw a requisition and how, within 15 days of submission.

Non-leased voting units and reserved board positions

“Owner-occupied” language is shifting toward non-leased voting units, with a more objective eligibility test: a unit is generally treated as non-leased unless corporation records show it is leased or the corporation has received the required leasing notice.

Where corporations use optional board positions reserved for voting by owners of non-leased units, meetings that elect or remove those directors will need additional notice content — eligibility rules, relevant legislative references, and participation instructions.

For current election mechanics under today’s law, see board elections and voting rights.

July 1, 2027: CAT and meeting disputes

CAT’s jurisdiction will expand to disputes about whether corporations:

• Hold required owners’ meetings, including annual general meetings
• Send meeting notices within mandated timelines
• Include legally prescribed notice materials (for example audited financials, auditor’s report, candidate names and disclosure information, and governing-document items)
• Should reimburse reasonable costs when owners requisition a meeting and the corporation fails to call it

Equally important is what CAT will not hear: disputes about what happens during a meeting — including how votes were conducted, proxy fights, or ballot challenges — even when combined with notice or AGM-timing issues.

The maximum damages CAT may award in eligible cases rises to $50,000, and that higher limit applies to proceedings regardless of whether they began before or after the change.

What boards and managers should do now

1. Keep running 2026 meetings under current law. These dates are firm targets, not an invitation to invent interim procedures.
2. Audit reserved-seat practices. If your bylaws or custom include an owner-occupied / non-leased seat, map how you identify eligible voters and what your notices say today.
3. Plan notice templates for late-2026 AGMs. Build room for eligibility and process language before the December 31, 2026 effective date.
4. Tighten requisition intake. Document how requisitions arrive, who acknowledges them, and how response timelines will scale from five days to twenty.
5. Treat meeting compliance as litigation risk. From mid-2027, missed AGMs and defective notices become more directly CAT-facing — while vote-count fights still sit outside that channel.
6. Watch for the prescribed form. CAO has said it is developing the mandatory requisition form; boards should not invent a substitute and assume it will satisfy the new rules.

How this connects to Bill 72

Bill 72 extended the government’s proclamation window for related Protecting Condominium Owners Act amendments. The July 2026 CAO announcement is the practical follow-through for meeting and voting items: specific effective dates, operational detail, and a CAT enforcement path for certain compliance failures.

Reserve fund, procurement, budget disclosure, and chargeback reforms that expired without extension remain a separate story — see our reserve fund reforms update.

Bottom line

Ontario condo voting is entering a defined transition. December 31, 2026 brings standardized requisitions and clearer non-leased voting rules for reserved seats. July 1, 2027 brings stronger tribunal oversight of meeting and notice compliance — but not of in-meeting vote disputes. Boards that update notice packages, voter-eligibility workflows, and requisition handling before those dates will be in a much better position than those who wait for the first contested election under the new rules.

Related resources

• Bill 72 and pending Condo Act changes explained
• Ontario condo owners’ meeting guide
• Ontario condo board elections
• Meeting notice checklist
• Electronic voting for Ontario condos