It's one of the first questions a Toronto property manager or condo board director asks when a managed micro market comes up: do we need a full owner vote to put this in, or can the board just approve it? Nobody wants to open a can of worms — a notice period, a requisitioned meeting, a two-thirds vote — over a shelf of drinks and snacks in the amenity room.
The good news: adding an in-building smart store is almost always a far lighter lift than a renovation or a new capital amenity. Here's how Ontario's rules actually apply, and how to bring it to your board cleanly.
What the Condominium Act Actually Says
Changes to a condo's common elements in Ontario are governed by Section 97 of the Condominium Act, 1998. The Act sorts changes into tiers, and the tier is driven largely by what the change costs the corporation (as summarized by REMI Network):
- Minor changes — low cost and not a "substantial change" — can generally be approved by the board directly, without notice to owners.
- Mid-tier changes — costing the corporation more than $1,000 but less than 10% of the annual budgeted common expenses — require notice to owners, who then have 30 days to requisition a meeting.
- Substantial changes — costing more than 10% of the annual budget — require notice and a vote, with owners of at least two-thirds of units approving before the work proceeds.
The trigger that pulls a project into the heavier tiers is cost to the corporation. That's exactly where a managed micro market sits differently from almost every other amenity a board considers.
Why a Managed Micro Market Usually Sits in the Lightest Tier
A gym renovation, a lobby refresh, a new package room — these cost the corporation real money, which is what escalates them up Section 97's tiers. A managed micro market from The Merchant Group™ is structured to be the opposite:
- Zero cost to the corporation. We supply, install, stock, and maintain the units. The building spends nothing — so there's no expenditure to push the change into the notice-or-vote tiers.
- No structural or permanent alteration. Two freestanding smart store units sit in existing amenity space, plug into two standard outlets, and connect to the building's Wi-Fi. Nothing is built, demolished, or bolted in.
- Fully removable. If it isn't working for the building, it comes out — no fees, no penalties, no trace. A reversible placement is a fundamentally lower-stakes decision than a permanent build.
Because there's no cost to the corporation and no permanent change to the common elements, most boards find this is a decision they can make directly, the way they'd approve any operational amenity agreement — rather than a substantial change requiring an owner vote.
The One Nuance to Confirm
Cost isn't the only factor. A change can also be treated as substantial if it materially affects owners' use or enjoyment of the common elements. A pair of smart store units tucked into an amenity room rarely rises to that bar — but every corporation's declaration and by-laws are different, and some contain their own rules about amenity space or third-party agreements.
So the honest answer is: in most Ontario condos a zero-cost, removable micro market can be approved at the board level, but you should confirm against your own declaration and, where there's any doubt, with the corporation's counsel. This is general information about how Section 97 works, not legal advice for your specific building. We're happy to give your board a plain one-pager that makes that review quick.
Bringing It to Your Board Is the Easy Part
The reason this matters: residents actually want it, so the internal case writes itself. In a national survey of Canadian renters, a convenience store ranked near the top of the most-wanted amenities — 84% wanted the ability to pick up a missing ingredient or a quick snack without going far, and 60% specifically wanted a cashier-less store in their community. Operator-reported figures from a 2025 Greystar survey go further, suggesting roughly half of renters want an in-building convenience shop and would pay a modest rent premium for one — directional, but pointing the same way.
Put those two facts together — high resident demand, and a governance path that usually stops at the board — and a micro market becomes one of the rare amenity decisions that is both popular and simple to approve.
"It's the rare amenity that residents rank near the top of their wish list — and that the board can usually approve without a building-wide vote."
A clean way to present it
- Frame it as a zero-cost, removable amenity agreement — not a capital project or a renovation.
- Attach the placement agreement so directors can see the exit clause: we remove it, no fees, no penalties.
- Note the resident-demand evidence above — this is an amenity people ask for, not one you're guessing at.
- Confirm against your declaration; loop in counsel only if your governing documents have specific amenity or vendor provisions.
Built by a Retailer, Not a Vending Company
The Merchant Group™ brings 30 years of retail experience — Walmart, Staples, and Starbucks — to every building we serve across Etobicoke and Toronto. We curate the assortment of drinks, snacks, and everyday essentials for the people who actually live in your building, we run the operations, and we handle resident support directly so it never lands on your concierge or your board.
The approval question shouldn't be the thing that stalls a good amenity. In most Ontario condos, a zero-cost, removable micro market is a decision your board can make — and one your residents have quietly been asking for.