What shall we do with the pool?

All information on this page is unofficial, refer to the official meeting package for the official information.

YCC 50 has had a pool since 1972.  

• 2020 Mar 4: YCC 50 owners voted to remove board members and replace them with a new board.  YCC 50 has permanently lost the minutes of this meeting.

• 2020 Mar 16:  The new board directed the property manager to put all pool repairs on hold.

• 2020 May 25: The board directed the property manager to keep the pool closed for the full 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2020 Jun 6: The board directed the property manager to install hallway cameras with approximately $120,000 of "contingency" funding by diverting the reserve fund contributions required to maintain the pool in a state of good repair.

• 2020 Oct 29: The board directed the property manager to begin collecting quotes for repair and restoration of the pool after a year of disuse, including removing the concrete that had been poured in the drains to seal them.

• 2020 Nov 19: The board decided that the quotes for repairing the pool were larger than they expected, and they would ask owners if the pool should be permanently closed.

• 2020 Dec 4:  The board announced in an Owners Meeting (Annual General Meeting) that they hoped to permanently close the pool, and that by halting all savings in the Reserve Fund for pool repairs (diverting some to "Contingency" for camera installation) that they would reduce Monthly Maintenance Fee increases in 2021.  The board did not initiate the legally-required voting to obtain owner consent for closing an amenity, nor did they obtain owner consent for maintaining a separate "Contingency" fund that the board could spend on items (i.e. hallway cameras) without including those items in the budgets presented to owners.

Where do we stand right now?

• Now, in 2025, a new board of directors is at legal risk if the pool matter is not resolved by following the correct legal process to either permanently close the pool or repair it.

• All owners have the right to demand that the board immediately initiate the repairs to the pool and return it to a safe and clean amenity.

• In addition to legal damages that any owner could claim from the corporation, YCC50 can also be fined under the Condominium Act for failure to maintain the common elements in a state of good repair.

• This type of action initiated by any individual owner would have significant legal and insurance costs in addition to the cost of repairing the pool.  

• If this type of action is initiated by any individual owner before owners vote on March 25th, the board will be forced to immediately apply a Special Assessment to all owners.

• Therefore, a vote by owners on March 25th is our last chance to prevent this Special Assessment.

Current options

Permanently close the pool and fill it in

• There is no additional cost to owners, as the board has already been saving up the $500,000 for this option within the Reserve Fund, this money should be available by 2027.

• At least 250 Owners must vote NO to keep the pool in order to allow the board to remove the pool.

• We are not confident that the 250 vote threshold will be reached, so we are also voting on a loan bylaw.

• This exact same vote from owners failed in 2024, but we will be voting again.

• Permanently closing the pool will reduce our property values by about $20,000-50,000 per unit.

Fix the pool with a loan

• The total additional cost to owners will be spread out over 5 years through monthly fees, and will result in an overall savings of approximately $2,868 from the currently projected condo fees.

• This savings comes as a result of delaying the planned window replacement project ($5.7M) by 9 years from 2027-30 to 2036-39.

• At least 188 Owners must vote YES for the pool loan bylaw (to pass By-Law 14) and fewer than 250 Owners had voted NO to keep the pool.

• This loan cannot be used by the board if the vote to close the pool succeeds.

Fix the pool with a Special Assessment - Default option

• One-time 2025 cost of approximately $6,450 per three-bedroom, $6,000 per two-bedroom, $5,000 per one-bedroom.

• The board is required by law to initiate this Special Assessment if both of the above votes fail.

• If you do not have available savings for this expense, your bank or mortgage provider will likely offer you a convenient loan (Home Equity Line of Credit) at competitive interest rates.

• Current competitive mortgage rates for you are probably about 5% (call your mortgage provider to ask), but the proposed CLG loan to YCC50 is about 7% (refer to the official presentation for details).  

• If homeowners do not pass either of the above options, the board will still delay the planned window replacement project by 9 years to keep monthly fees lower than the existing projections.

What happens at the meeting

• Owners received the official Notice Of Meeting on March 10th that includes the specific language for the two votes.

  • The package was sent by "notify@condocontrol.com" at about 5:00pm on March 10th to the email address you have registered with the management office for use with Condo Control.

  • If you did not receive the email, please contact the management office.

• On March 25th, we will have an online Owners Meeting, with online voting through Condo Control.

  • If you received the package by email, then you can vote online early and change your vote anytime with the same link until voting closes during the meeting.

  • If you received only one package by email but you own two units, please cast your second vote by submitting a proxy form to the management office by March 21st.

• If you do not have email, your package was delivered on paper, and includes the proxy form for your vote. 

  • Your deadline to submit this signed proxy form to the management office is Friday, March 21st.

  • A maximum of 30 owners will be welcome to watch the online meeting in the Party Room, but there will be no paper ballots available, only proxy forms.  To attend in person, you must register in advance at the management office.

  • Owners that cannot vote online must visit the management office with their paper proxy form or to see there are any in-person seats still available.

  • There will be a security guard at the door to the party room, only the 30 pre-registered owners will be granted entry.

  • Because this is an online meeting, owners in the party room will not be permitted to speak or ask questions unless they speak into the provided microphone so the online participants (Owners, Lawyer, Minute-taker, etc.) can hear them.

• Because the lawyer will have to review each proxy form to compare with the online voting to make sure nobody has voted twice, we might not know the results of the votes until later in the week.

• If we do not collect enough votes (online and by proxy form) on March 25th to meet the 188 and 250 minimums for each type of vote, then the board will be forced to apply the Special Assessment. 

• If fewer than 90 owners vote (quorum), then we will have to have another vote at YCC50’s expense, and the cost of rebuilding the pool will increase because the current quotes will have expired.

How can I help before the meeting?

• We cannot start campaigning or knocking on doors until after the official Notice of Meeting is sent on March 10th.

  • We have prepared some instructions and guidance for canvassing volunteers.

• Stay engaged within the Community Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ycc50 - this is where most volunteer organizing will take place.

• Owners have the right to skip the meeting and owners have the right to abstain from voting.  Management staff cannot individually follow up with owners to encourage them to vote.

• We, as owners within the community, have the right to contact other owners and to discuss the vote with them.

  • Our priority in volunteering is to get as many owners as possible to vote, we should not be campaigning or lobbying for any specific outcome.  

  • If we do not collect at least 250 votes, we are guaranteed a pool repair by default.  If we do not collect at least 188 votes, we are guaranteed a special assessment instead of a loan.  If we collect more than 250 votes, then the board will know exactly what we chose.

• We have compiled a list of all 374 owner names and contact information.  

  • Each door-knocking volunteer will be assigned a slice of the list in order to visit them.  (6 people own two units each and will only be visited once, they should receive two proxy forms)

  • For the 53 owners that do not live in their units, we have a list of their mailing addresses.  We have email addresses for only 35 of the 53, but we have phone numbers for 6 of those 35.

• Volunteers will be trained in how to help others fill out the paper proxy forms, but owners must trust that you will respect their decisions.  

  • Volunteers must remain respectful and may not harass owners.

• If you would like to volunteer to knock on some doors but you are not on the Community Facebook Group, please send an email to pool@ycc50.ca to volunteer.

How do I fill out the proxy form?

• For owners that cannot vote online, Download the proxy file and print it.

• Review the instructions template below.

• Provide the completed paper form to the management office or to a volunteer that you trust.  (Deadline: Mar 21st)

• You are always able to change your vote by voting online before the end of the meeting.

How do I vote online? 

What if I have questions about the pool repair plan, the loan terms, or our financial situation?

• Review all the engineering reports and financial information that has already been posted to Condo Control: https://app.condocontrol.com/ 

  • The official meeting information package for March 25th is below.

  • The full audited financials and reserve fund study from the 2024 AGM is below.

• Send any and all questions to the management office at YCC50.Info@GMail.com 

• Post discussion matters to the Community Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ycc50 

• Discuss the management office answers with the board of directors in the 1350 Lounge on March 17th from 7-8pm.

  • Please don't expect the board members to be fully prepared for all of your surprise questions if you haven't first sent those questions to the management office!