October 31, 2022, marks the end of an era. This was the last day ACMO’s industry-leading condominium management courses were accepted for the purposes of general licensing in Ontario. While licensing education is now the exclusive purview of the industry regulator, the groundbreaking work of countless ACMO members over the past 45 years led the way in building, transforming, and professionalizing condominium management in Ontario. It is this missionary work that paved the way for industry regulation.

The origins of ACMO’s condominium management courses go back to the late 1970s when the condo industry was unregulated, unprofessional, and characterized as the “wild, wild west,” and not in a good way! ACMO’s founders realized that education and professional standards were the only way to tame the industry.

As a result, in 1978, ACMO formed an education committee charged with the responsibility of developing proprietary courses in condominium management. In turn, these unprecedented courses became the educational foundation for the industry’s first professional designation, ACMO’s Registered Condominium Manager (RCM) designation, launched in 1983 and still the gold standard in condo management.

Jump forward to 2017, and the Ontario government stepped in to regulate the condominium industry by creating two new regulatory bodies, the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) and the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO). Recognizing ACMO’s leadership and expertise in condo management education, the government entered into a 5-year partnership with ACMO, designating our four courses as the mandatory educational requirement to attain a general license. The vast majority of licensed managers working today completed ACMO’s management courses, either through our partner colleges (in person or online) or via in-house programs conducted by ACMO 2000 Certified management companies.

When one era ends, another begins, and again ACMO is leading the way by shifting focus to developing high-quality continuing education to give managers the knowledge they need to succeed in the ever-changing condominium world. This new era started last fall with the launch of ACMO Certificate Courses, a series of advanced online courses that delve into specific condominium management topics. Next year, Certificate Courses will form the basis of our more robust RCM designation program designed to exceed minimum licensing requirements by far, as it has since inception.

While October 31 went by without fanfare, the Ontario government and the entire condominium sector owe an incredible debt of gratitude to countless volunteers, instructors and staff that facilitated the education and development of today’s managers. Let’s all say thank you to those pioneers who built the field while looking forward to a new and improved era of condominium management.

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