Court-appointed administration is supposed to be a rare, last-resort intervention — something that steps in during dysfunction, fixes the root problems, steadies the ship, and hands the keys back with the corporation in better shape than it found it.
That’s the theory.
But theories don’t pay bills, fix leaks, or rebuild trust.
Real-life experience does. And here at The Fountains, our lived experience tells a very different story than the polished narrative presented in the Final Report and court filings.
Let’s walk through what happened — what was promised, what was delivered, and why so many owners feel the administration did not work out to the benefit of our community.
Starting With the Records: What the Documents Actually Say
The Court-Appointed Administrator (CAA) assigned to YRSCC 1253 in 2019 was Dean McCabe, operating through Meritus Group Management Inc., later rebranded under Amicus Community Administration Inc.
His filings consistently paint a positive, almost celebratory picture of his time running our corporation. For example:
1. According to the Affidavit,
- the administration received “positive feedback from the unit owners,”
- the “Shadow Board” endorsed and supported Administrator’s actions,
- and “no owners expressed any objection” to winding down the administration. — well, sure, that part was true enough.
2. According to the Final Motion Letter,
- our corporation was “in a strong position” by 2025,
- the Administrator was “pleased” with the corporation’s condition,
- and owners did not “need to respond to this motion” — what exactly were owners supposed to say, and based on what?
On paper, everything appears harmonious.
But let’s be honest: this does not reflect what owners were experiencing on the ground — not even remotely.
What Residents Actually Lived Through
While the paperwork reads like a success story, residents lived through six years of frustration. Here’s the candid reality owners have been voicing for years:
1. Residents felt abandoned by management.
ICON Property Management, retained under the Administrator’s governance, routinely left day-to-day issues unresolved or indefinitely delayed. Many people waited months — some waited years — for basic maintenance, repairs, or follow-ups.
Speak to the people who actually live here and you’ll hear the same line repeated again and again:
If it were up to us, ICON wouldn’t be managing our corporation.
2. Fees went up while the reserve fund weakened.
Despite the Administrator’s positive framing:
- maintenance fees climbed sharply,
- the reserve fund slipped into an underfunded position,
- and financial stability became a major concern among owners.
This is the opposite of what owners expect when a court is supposed to steady the ship.
3. Floods and plumbing failures continued — even after major pipe work.
Buildings 75 and 85 underwent significant pipe replacement projects, yet unit floods kept happening. Owners were left wondering:
What exactly were we paying for, and why were the same problems still recurring?
4. Professional fees added up — quickly and heavily.
From the Administrator’s own records:
- an invoice of $3,826.46 was issued for services from Nov 1, 2024 to March 6, 2025,
- and legal counsel invoiced $18,896.71 for preparing the Final Report and Motion Record.
And that was only a fraction of the total cost the community absorbed.
5. The public narrative simply didn’t match lived reality.
Reports and letters described a corporation:
- “thriving,”
- “positive and upbeat,”
- and making “significant progress.”
Owners strongly disagree.
Many felt conditions worsened, not improved.
And it wasn’t due to apathy — it was because residents felt unheard and unsupported.
So… Did the CAA Appointment Benefit YRSCC 1253?
On paper? Maybe.
Everything was neatly wrapped up and filed. The Administrator expressed satisfaction, and the court formally wound down the administration.
But from the perspective of the people who actually live here — the ones who pay the fees, deal with the problems, and experience the consequences?
No.
The administration did not work out in our favour.
Not even close.
The gap between the written record and everyday reality is simply too wide to ignore.
Looking Back — and Moving Forward
This experience taught us a hard, expensive lesson:
When control leaves the hands of the community, getting it back comes at a high cost — financially, operationally, and emotionally.
Now that our governance is restored, we have a chance to rebuild our corporation the right way — the traditional way condo communities have always relied on:
- accountability
- transparency
- owner involvement
- and local control
We can’t rewrite what happened. But we can make sure it never happens again.
And we owe it to ourselves — and to our homes — to follow through on that.
