A Unique Property Management Firm

Infinity Property Services
Written by Nate Hendley

Infinity Property Services (IPS) is a full-service property management company with a difference. Based in Toronto, with branch offices in Barrie and Thunder Bay, Ontario, IPS offers a variety of services to clients who include both tenants and property owners.

Infinity can prepare financial reports, arrange meetings, and perform project management, to name just a few of its services. The company is not focused on a single type of property but applies its expertise to everything from commercial buildings to social housing.

While there is no shortage of other companies in Ontario that offer similar property management services, Infinity is unique. It is both an agency of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and a Certified Aboriginal Business (CAB).

“Prior to Canada’s crystallization as a nation, a new Aboriginal people emerged out of the relations of Indian women and European men … subsequent intermarriages between these mixed ancestry children resulted in the genesis of a new Aboriginal people with a distinct identity, culture and consciousness in west-central North America—the Métis Nation,” explains the MNO website.

Infinity Property Services’ Certified Aboriginal Business (CAB) designation is granted by the Toronto-based Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). To become CAB-certified, a company must be “fifty-one percent or more owned and controlled by an Aboriginal person(s),” says CCAB information. IPS can network with other CCAB firms and take advantage of any work tenders posted by other certified companies.

“CCAB builds bridges between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal peoples, businesses, and communities through diverse programming, providing tools, training, network building, major business awards, and national events,” says the CCAB website.

While Infinity is happy to work with people from any background, assisting Métis and First Nations people is an important component of what it does.

Infinity has been operating as a one-stop shop for property-related services since 1995. The company’s client base is extremely broad, extending from owners of commercial buildings to non-profit organizations, private residents, and government agencies. Among its clients are the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Ontario Power Authority, the Thunder Bay Métis Community Council, Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, Nokiiwin Tribal Council, Confederation College, the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Kenogamisis Non-Profit Housing Corporation.

Infinity’s abilities are almost as wide-ranging as its clientele. The company can offer financial services, contract administration, tenant and homeowner management, and facility management.

Financial services consist of everything from preparing and drafting capital planning documents and annual budgets to collecting fees such as rent, overseeing reserve funds, offering advice to a housing board regarding its financial responsibilities, and arranging for financial audits to be conducted.

Its contract administration services cover procurement, contract negotiations, maintenance management, record-keeping for condominium corporations, organizing board meetings, advising boards on compliance issues with regards to provincial condominium legislation and mandatory repairs, and preparing status certificates.

The facilities management category comprises inspection and assessment services like energy assessments, safety inspections and building condition assessments as well as maintenance and property repair, project management, assisting in developing and implementing an emergency management plan, and assessments of property and grounds.

For tenants and homeowners, IPS performs tenant selections and placements, tenant communication, responses to complaints from owners, lease administration, unit advertising when they become vacant, and tribunal hearings for landlords and tenants.

IPS is heavily involved in the affordable housing market. “Infinity Property Services provides property management services for the affordable rent program. Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS), the owners of the rental properties, have implemented a new housing platform where all current and upcoming vacant units within the portfolio will now be part of an affordable rent program,” according to the IPS website.

Available vacant rental units are listed on its website. Most are bungalows, complete with appliances. Monthly rent, which does not include utilities, is eighty percent of market value. Infinity also offers contact information and details about other useful organizations and programs that help find rental quarters for Aboriginal clients and programs for energy savings.

The organization to which IPS belongs was launched for a very specific reason: “to create a Métis-specific governance structure,” states the MNO website. The organization began in 1993 to represent “those individuals and communities that are a part of the Métis Nation.”

MNO hosts an annual general assembly, operates community councils around the province, has organized a charitable foundation to support Métis cultural activities, and has an economic development arm. In addition to giving a voice to Métis people, MNO also offers an assortment of services through different branches. IPS is one of these.

The MNO also delivers services that target health, education, and economic development, among other sectors. “Through these various branches, the MNO maintains 30+ service delivery access points across the province, administers over $20 million annually, and employs over 200 personnel,” states MNO information.

Into the future, expect Infinity Property Services to expand its service offerings even further as it continues to assist clients in a huge selection of housing and property-related issues.

AUTHOR

CURRENT EDITION

Hands-On Learning for Future Success

Read Our Current Issue

PAST EDITIONS

Cladding and Exteriors

February 2024

A Concrete Foundation

December 2023

Elegant and Eco-Friendly

November 2023

From Beautiful Bridges to Breathtaking Buildings

October 2023

More Past Editions

Featured Articles