Condo Living

March 20, 2026 Published by Toronto and Area Chapter - By James M. Russell

2025 Condo of the Year: Crestview Place

From the Winter/Spring 2026 issue of CCI Toronto Condovoice Magazine.

50 Years and still the gold standard

Winning the Canadian Condominium Institute's prestigious Condominium of the Year Award for 2025 is particularly sweet for Crestview Place, as it also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Sitting on a swath of Toronto now known as Don Valley Village, Crestview, established in the early 20th century, was once an expanse of farming hamlets. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that development came to Crestview, transforming furrowed fields into an urban landscape of single-family houses, apartments, and condominiums.

Registered in 1975, Crestview Place is comprised of three freestanding towers: 117 Linus Road West, 260 Seneca Hill Dr., and 350 Seneca Hill Dr. In total, a community of 710 spacious one, two and three-bedroom suites, many of which offer unobstructed panoramic views of the city.

The three buildings share a Recreation Centre, which offers a full-sized indoor pool, sauna, table tennis, basketball court, fitness centre, fully- equipped gym, and party room. The Recreation Centre, located centrally in the Linus Road tower, is accessible to residents of the other two buildings via their shared underground garage or paths that connect at ground level.

Outdoors, the residents enjoy a children’s playground, tennis and squash courts, and a designated BBQ area amid their lushly landscaped property. The impressive health and beauty of Crestview Place’s eleven-acre grounds can, in part, be attributed to Paul, Crestview Place’s resident ‘Tree Whisperer’, who provides the corporation’s landscaping company with guidance concerning the planting and maintenance of Crestview Place’s many trees, shrubs, and flowers that flourish on the grounds.

But Crestview Place didn’t win the Condominium of the Year award for its unobstructed views or BBQ area.

As you might imagine, Crestview Place’s 50th Anniversary BBQ and Fun Fair, held in July, was quite an affair. In attendance were not only 700+ residents but representatives from the Municipal, Provincial, and Federal levels of government. During the hours-long celebration, Crestview Place received multiple honours, including: a Certificate of Recognition from the House of Commons, an award from the Province of Ontario, and an Award of Excellence from the Governor General of Canada, acknowledging:

“the community’s outstanding upkeep, resident engagement, & long-standing legacy of care.”

Crestview Place’s management office received several letters of appreciation in the days following the event, thanking all those involved - Board members, management staff, and residents. One such letter, hand-written in beautiful, flowing script, was from Debbie Dullege, and read:

“All those involved in organizing this event should be applauded and commended… Sharif, Mary, Karen, Christie, Allan. Edgar, to name a few.”

Debbie was one of the twenty original residents who received sparkling golden Special Recognition medallions at the anniversary celebration—a fitting choice as gold is generally associated with 50th wedding anniversaries, a tradition originating in Medieval Germany when husbands would crown their wives with golden wreaths to commemorate the preciousness and durability of the couple’s relationship.

Crestview Place subcontracts recreation management services to North York-based, Lifestyle Recreation & Leisure Services. Company owner Karen Wright and her team provide the on-site management and oversight of Crestview Place’s recreation centre operations, including a host of Crestview Place’s well-attended summer BBQ, year-end holiday gatherings, movie nights, kids’ events and annual garage sale, where residents pay a nominal fee for a table then keep the proceeds from their sales.

Crestview Places’ Board is made up of: President: Marie-Claude McKay; Vice- President: Shauzab Haider Ali; Treasurer: James McKay; Secretary: Daniel Joseph Laframboise; and Director: Lillian Zhang. The Board members actively participate in ongoing education through CCI Toronto, regularly attend webinars, educational seminars, and networking events to stay informed on best practices in condominium governance. Board members have also participated in CCI’s Condo STRENGTH program and annual holiday luncheons, allowing the Board to learn from and connect with other condominium communities.

The Board incorporates interactive Q&A sessions, light refreshments and informational displays that showcase projects and plans into their AGMs as the Board strives to take advantage of every opportunity to enhance residents’ community spirit and sense of involvement. The Board and management provide email follow-ups to residents after the meeting, addressing outstanding questions, clarifying concerns, and sharing key outcomes. The timing of their AGMs often coincides with community-building events such as their annual Easter and Christmas food drives, with donations going to both downtown and local charities.

"Crestview Place is not just a condominium. It’s where generations have grown, neighbours have become family, and every brick is held together by the strength of our shared spirit,” - Sharif Almelik, Crestview Place’s property manager.

The Board and management’s regular communication channels include: email, their four-page newsletter, a lobby display monitor, and notices posted in their three elevators, all to ensure residents are well-informed about corporation-related matters, maintenance updates, and community news. Additionally, the corporation will soon implement Concierge Plus, a digital platform that integrates digital notices and resident engagement tools.

The Board’s decades-long emphasis on preserving financial stability and fiscal responsibility has earned the residents' confidence and gratitude, as has the Board and management’s robust preventative maintenance program. Sharif, who also holds the position of Vice President, Client Engagement at GPM Property Management, ensures tasks are scheduled and carried out on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi- annual, and annual basis to maintain consistent upkeep. Regular contracted services include carpet cleaning, HVAC servicing, elevator maintenance, fire safety system inspections, pest control, window cleaning, garage power washing, generator testing, water system treatments, and roof and exterior inspections.

Crestview Place’s security, maintenance and cleaning staff are a mix of contractors and employees. Khalid, a Crestview Place security guard for the past thirteen years and an Afro- Beat DJ in his spare time, strikes a friendly but unerringly professional presence at the concierge desk.

“The people are so nice and friendly,” - Khalid says of Crestview Place’s residents and visitors alike.

Like any corporation of Crestview Place’s regal vintage, their Board has not always enjoyed smooth sailing. Around the year 2000, the Board faced a significant financial challenge due to a substantial budget deficit; however, instead of resorting to a special assessment, the Board conducted a comprehensive review of all service contracts and operational expenses, renegotiated terms where possible, and identified areas for cost reduction without compromising service quality. Preventive maintenance programs were introduced to avoid unexpected repair costs, and the budget was realigned to restore financial health. This proactive, solutions-focused approach set the foundation for Crestview Places’ ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility that continues to define the corporation.

“We (the current Board) benefit from the actions taken by the former Board,” says James.

Both he and Marie-Claude agree that the corporation’s strong financial position is directly related to the disciplined fiscal planning, proactive budgeting, emphasis on long-term sustainability and legislative compliance adhered to by previous Boards.

This September, Crestview Place embarked on a complete refurbishment of their balconies. The capital-intensive project will be conducted in stages over the next five years to minimize inconvenience to residents.

Much of the credit for Crestview Place’s success, as a corporation and community, can be attributed to Sharif, his assistant, Mary Tawas and Adam Lau, Crestview Place’s Condominium Administrator.

“As the Property Manager, I have had the privilege of seeing what most visitors do not. I see the quiet acts of kindness between neighbours. I see the Board members who take the time from their families to serve others. I see the seniors tending to the garden beds and the children waving to the concierge. I see a community that is alive, grounded, and genuinely connected.”

Mary, who has been at Crestview Place since 2004, loves the sense of community at Crestview Place. “The staff is very helpful too,” she adds. Sharif, Mary and his capable staff are instrumental in maintaining Crestview Place's health by ensuring all service requests are carefully tracked, addressed promptly, and followed through to completion.

Over the years, Crestview Place has implemented several successful initiatives that have significantly reduced operational costs while enhancing long-term sustainability. One major success was their lighting retrofit project, when traditional lighting throughout the common areas was replaced with energy- efficient LED fixtures. The retrofit not only lowered electricity consumption and utility costs, but reduced maintenance needs due to the longer lifespan of LED bulbs. Another key project was the replacement of the original boilers with new high-efficiency models. The boiler upgrade improved heating performance across all three buildings and resulted in noticeable savings on energy bills, particularly during the winter months. The improved system reliability also reduced the need for emergency repairs and ongoing maintenance. These initiatives have helped preserve the corporation’s financial health while ensuring continued comfort and efficiency for all residents. Other initiatives include implementing preventative maintenance scheduling, which significantly contributes to extending equipment lifespan and optimizing energy usage across all three buildings. And planned upgrades to the building’s electrical distribution equipment and panels to support future EV charge installations.

Original resident Margaret Pettler, a retired Labour and Delivery Nurse at North York General Hospital, and one of Crestview Place’s Special Recognition medallion recipients, remembers she purchased her unit when the Canadian condominium industry was in its infancy.

“I bought it mostly because my friends were talking about Crestview Place. I love the location and community.”

As Crestview Place looks forward to its next fifty years, one is reminded of the East African proverb that states, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Condominium of the Year winner Crestview Place has not only gone far, but the Board, management and residents, working together, have created and maintained a healthy, vibrant community, worth far more than its weight in gold.

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James M. Russell, Newsletters et Cetera