1. November 2010 by admin.

One of the issues that came up when chatting with one of my neigbours is the “barking dog”.  I wonder what you think about it.  As far as I know, small breed dogs are allowed in the building. 

Some dogs are cute, some are shy, and some are barking a lot.   When they are inside, they bark when they hear people on the hallway.   When they are on the hallway, they bark for other reasons.  For example, they call for their masters, who are not coming out of their appartments to get them out.  Once their masters are out on the hallway, dogs bark because they anticipate the amazing smells that could be experienced outside and the grass that tickles their paws.  When dogs are outside, they bark at other dogs.

The question I am asking is this:  Is a dog owner who often lets his or her dog on the hallway to run, scratch at the door, and bark for minutes, a reasonable neighbour?

Have a great November!

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4. October 2010 by admin.

Hello everyone,

I am very happy to report that the repair of the pipe insulation (P1 parking) was completed.  It took a while but it looks really good.  Many thanks to our property manager!

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Property Manager Know, Let the Board Know | No Comments »

20. September 2010 by admin.

 Hello everyone,

I noticed that sometimes shoes are left on the hallways, in front of a unit’s door.   One of the condo rules say that nothing, not even a door mat, should be left on the hallways.  Assuming that people do not know about this condo rule, what would be some reasons for which people would leave their shoes outside their unit?

 Here are some reasons I could think of:

• there is no more space in the unit
• there is a social, cultural, or religious rule that says shoes should be left outside
• mom and dad always left their shoes outside
• the shoes are not clean
• the shoes have an unpleasant odor
• leaving the shoes outside convey a sense of respect for the house
• leaving the shoes outside convey a sense of class

In my humble opinion, even people who do not know the condo rule on this subject would not have a good reason for leaving their shoes outside their unit, because none of these reasons would be sufficient to justify this kind of use of a common space.

What do you think?

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Board Know | No Comments »

8. September 2010 by admin.

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while… I hope you had a great summer.

Here are few pictures from Norway.  I thought you would like to see the condominium buildings with docks for boats.

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4. May 2010 by admin.

  Shower

I cannot figure out why I feel compelled to respect the written and unwritten rule of taking a shower before hitting the swimming pool?

In my mind, even if I take a bath in my own unit, I still have to take a shower before using the swimming pool.  I see it as a sign of respect of others and of myself.  Yet, other people using the pool, including a member of the Board, do not seem to care about this courtesy rule.

 What is wrong with me, people?

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4. May 2010 by admin.

 After… with a twist

Things are looking up!

Slowly but surely this repair is on its way on being done properly.  It is nice to observe the good intention to mark the pipe so that no new “collisions” would occur.  It reminds me of the Japanese concept of “kaizen”.

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Property Manager Know, Let the Board Know | No Comments »

20. April 2010 by admin.

 Before                 After

At our annual meeting I voiced my concerns about the fact that it is difficult to communicate with our property manager and about the fact that issues requiring attention are not dealt with.

 The Board told us that our property manager is a busy man and that we should send another email if he does not reply.  I find this to be an encouragment of a practice that is not acceptable: not responding to messages sent by owners and not acting on the issues brought to the attention of the property manager.  The fact that a property manager has other buidlings to maintain should not reflect negatively on the maintenance of our building.

 Here is an example of a repair done after more than six months since it was first reported.  In my humble opinion, this is a shame.  The pipe was not marked to be more visible by drivers of tall vehicles, as promised, and the repair is an eyesore.

 I do not think that the Board upholds high service standards when it comes to the services provided by our property manager but I am very grateful to the members of the Board for their work and time.

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Property Manager Know, Let the Board Know | 1 Comment »

16. March 2010 by admin.

Our wonderful building is maintained, cleaned, protected, administered, and managed by many people.  Without the work and dedication of these people, our lives at  200 Rideau Street in Ottawa would be a lot harder.

When you have a chance, please thank the people working for, in, and around our building!

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Property Manager Know, Let the Board Know | No Comments »

15. March 2010 by admin.

The salt used this past winter around the front entrance of our building is Bomix De-Icing Salt.  I don’t know if this product is better than regular salt.  Hopefully, this type of salt does not affect negatively the structure of our building and the aluminium frame of the main entrance door.

Posted in Let the Tenants Know, Let the Property Manager Know | No Comments »

2. March 2010 by admin.

In my humble opinion, it is a mark of courtesy and class to take a shower before going into the pool, even if a person just took one in their own unit.

Posted in Let the Tenants Know | No Comments »