Court backs decision that gutted condo’s ‘one-dog-only’ rule

A pet-friendly decision by an Ontario court has upheld an earlier tribunal ruling that provided a clear warning to condominium managers and governors: be careful how you deal with disputes around service animals, otherwise it could cost you.

Nearly 10 months after the Condominium Authority Tribunal awarded Claudia Baha $15,000 in costs related to an attempt by her condominium board to enforce a one-pet-only rule, a three-justice panel of Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario dismissed all three legal issues raised in an appeal brought by the condo corporation’s lawyers. With the divisional court weighing in to affirm the original findings, future Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) decisions will now be guided by the precedent.