Conflicts that Should have been Mediated: (2) The Elusive Parrot

Photo credit:  SantaRosa OLD SKOOL (via flickr)

Every now and then I hear about a conflict that wasn’t mediated but should have been.  Mediation would have saved the participants time, money and aggravation.

What is the cost of breaking a rule?  If you live in a condo in Ontario the cost can be very high indeed.  One of the provisions of Ontario’s Condominium Act is that condo owners who fight compliance applications can be obliged to pay the condominium board’s legal costs, as well as management fees and surveillance costs.  An owner who doesn’t pay up might find a lien placed on his unit.  The reason for this extraordinary provision (which is not enjoyed by individuals or corporations) is to discourage owners from pursuing frivolous lawsuits against boards.  After all, the legal costs for a condo board are shared by all owners, and it would not be fair for the corporation as a whole to suffer because of one litigious owner.  Condo owners who go to court over compliance issues have to be pretty confident that they have a strong case.

(Please note that I am not a lawyer and the above paragraph is not intended to be taken as legal advice!  If you are a condo owner in dispute with a board, please consult a lawyer, preferably one with experience in this area.)

The cost of breaking the “no pets” rule for their condo building almost cost Michael and Margarita Bazilinsky more than $40,000.  At some point, late in 2010, judging by squawks heard in the corridor, a parrot took up residence in the Bazilinskys’ unit.  Mr. Bazilinksy claims that he was merely parrot-sitting for a friend, and he supplied affidavits from three independent parties (a personal trainer, a real estate agent and an electrician) affirming that there was no parrot in the unit.  The board inspected his unit in early 2011 and found no evidence of a parrot.  They were convinced, however, that Bazilinskys had smuggled the parrot out of the unit for the day, and pointed to what they deemed “suspicious” footage on a surveillance camera of the Bazilinskys taking a covered box out of their residence.  In August 2011 Mr. Bazilinsky consented to an order to remove the elusive parrot, and to pay the board’s court costs of $3000.

The board then exercised their right under the Condominium Act to recover “actual additional costs” related to their eviction of the parrot.  They placed a lien on the Bazilinskys’ unit for $41,599.  Last month a judge ruled that this amount was excessive, and ordered Mr. Bazilinsky instead to pay $6500 of the board’s legal fees, less the $5000 he had to spent in court costs to bring the recent motion.

I learned about this case from an article in the Globe and Mail by Ian Merringer, who mentions that both parties claim that the other party had waived opportunities for mediation.  The Condominium Act includes a mediation process intended to resolve disputes before legal costs become excessive for either party.  From the brief description and the outline of facts presented in the article, it would seem that both parties had something to gain from an attempt to mediate.  Even if the Bazilinskys had eventually to find another home for the parrot, a mediated agreement to that effect would have cost significantly less than the legal costs they eventually incurred.  Mediation would have saved money and probably also time for the board.  And let’s not forget that the Bazilinskys and the board members are neighbours who are likely to see one another in the corridors and other public areas of the building.  I can’t imagine that their interactions now are anything but tense.  While they might never have been friends in the first place, listening to each other and working towards a mediated agreement might at least have given them the dignity of mutual respect.





Read about another Conflict that Should have been Mediated (curiously, also involving an animal.)