The Landlord and Tenant Board held a closed-door meeting Friday in connection with action brought against the property manager of Waterloo’s One Columbia high-rise.
Known as a pre-hearing conference, the confidential meeting was not open to the media, and none of the parties involved would confirm how many people were involved or what happens next.
“Today was a mediation session, which is confidential – so unfortunately, I cannot discuss anything that happened in that mediation,” paralegal, who represents some would-be tenants of One Columbia, Shaun Harvey told CTV News.
In general, pre-hearing conferences are meant to help clarify issues between parties, seek if anything needs to be disclosed between parties, and look at the details of a possible hearing or settlement.
A number of students who had planned to move into 1 Columbia at the start of the school year were unable to do so, as the building was not yet complete.
Schembri Property Management, the building’s property manager, has previously said the delays were caused by issues with subcontractors.
Earlier this month, a Schembri representative told CTV News that 99 per cent of tenants wanting to move into the building had done so by that point, and that some leases and renewals had been signed for next year.
According to the City of Waterloo, the building was granted partial occupancy for its third through eighteenth floors on Oct. 16 – but its parking lot and main amenity areas are still under construction.
Schembri representatives did not respond to questions from CTV News – including one asking when the building may be complete – before this story was published.
