‘The Canadian dream’
TWENTY YEARS AGO, the view from 2411 New St. was much sunnier.
Joe Gillis and his wife’s boys had grown up and his workplace had just moved from Etobicoke to Oakville.
It made sense to live closer and the Burlington condo fit the bill, the retired millwright recalls.
“You were purchasing it and it was all redone inside. That was the deal.” That’s where Megna came in. On their brochure, brothers Bruno and Roy promised “elegance and excitement” at the New Landing Condominiums.
The units were “totally renovated” and located in a “well maintained and secure” building.
The firm, located at 1236 Barton St. E. in Hamilton, had more than one condo-conversion project on the go.
In 1998, The Spectator reported that Megna had 1,200 condo units in the region, including Hamilton, Brantford, St. Catharines and Burlington.
Bruno Megna, president and CEO, said projects usually involved buildings that were gutted down to the brick and completely refurbished.
“I think conversions are in the best interests of tenants and of Megna.”
That remark was consistent with the “vision” on the brochure:
“To make it easy to for our client to purchase their own condominium with very little or no down payment at all from our well selected condominium projects, and be a major contributor to our clients (sic) success.”
The brothers were selling dreams — a pitch that resonated with Burlington city council.
Bruno and renters in a clutch of buildings asked council to greenlight the conversion of nearly 200 units, many of which he co- owned, into condominiums. Enough agreed. “Home ownership is part of the Canadian dream,” Alderman Bob Brechin said. “Here we have the opportunity to have a lot of people achieve that dream.”