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The province has updated their Strata Housing website which includes helpful guides, links, legislation and other resources for Strata Owners in British Columbia.  This is an immensely useful tool for Council members, Owners and Property Managers.  We encourage you to review the new website and in particular, familiarize yourselves with the various guides contained which answer a great deal many questions about Strata living in BC.

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One of the most common questions we get from Strata Councils is how we calculate the 21 day notice period required before calling an Annual or Special General Meeting. On the face of it, the Strata Property Act appears to only require a 14 day notification period as noted in section 45 below:

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The Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI) is hosting a half day Strata Seminar on Saturday, February 7th, 2015.  The seminar will discuss Contracts for Major Projects & Selecting a Contractor/Consultant and is open to members ($30 registration fee) and non-members ($35) alike.  A continental breakfast will be provided to all attendees.

The seminar will be held on Saturday February 7th, 2015 at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson Street) with breakfast beginning at 8:30am and the seminar stating at 9:00am.

Speakers included Ted Denniston, Principal at Sense Engineering at Jamie Bleay, lawyer with Access Law Group.

You can find more information on the seminar here.

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You did it again! With unbelievable support from our staff and industry colleagues, Stratawest is delighted to have helped to fill up some otherwise empty stockings through the Christmas Bureau for the fourth year running. The response to our Toy Drive this year was awesome, with amazingly generous donations of toys, musical instruments, gift cards, sporting equipment, iPods and other items for needy families… we had a number of loads so there was actually more than the picture below shows and it continues to come in.

We were also very pleased to be a second time sponsor of the Vancouver Special Children’s Christmas Party held at Canada Place this past weekend. We again had staff and family give their time as well to volunteer and actively spread some holiday cheer at this wonderful and important event that benefits the terminally ill, the intellectually and/or physically challenged, and children who have suffered from domestic violence or abuse. This day means a tremendous amount to the parents and children attending the event, and we encourage others to become a sponsor next year alongside us.

As always, none of this happens without you, and we want to sincerely thank and acknowledge the support of our colleagues in the industry and our staff for making this holiday season a better one for so many kids and their families. It is because of the participation and big hearts of many that we are collectively able to make a difference in so many lives, so thank you so much for taking part.

Season’s Greetings to all of you, and best wishes from all of us here at Stratawest Management. Cheers!

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Please make note of the following important dates for the upcoming festive season.

Friday, December 12, 2014 – Staff Lunch, office closed at 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 – Office Closed at 12:00 Noon.

Thursday, December 25, 2014 – Office Closed

Friday, December 26, 2014 – Office Closed

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 – Office Closed at 12:00 Noon.

Thursday, January 1, 2015 – Office Closed

Friday, January 2, 2015 – Office Closed

Monday, January 5, 2015 – Office Re-Opens

As always, call 604-904-9595 and all urgent matters will be addressed whether during regular business hours or after-hours.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays.

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We had recently written about the responsibility of a Strata Corporation to Repair & Maintain Strata Lots in various scenarios, and included advice from Clark Wilson LLP on the subject.  

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The CRT implementation site (http://www.civilresolutionbc.ca) will have information about how the CRT will work, updates on the progress toward implementing the CRT, and guest posts on a variety of related subjects, including online and alternative dispute resolution.

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The Strata Property Act (SPA or ‘the Act’) mandates that a Strata Corporation must have Bylaws.  Those bylaws allow for the Strata Corporation to govern the use of Common Property, such as a parkade, stairwell, lobby or other shared facility.  Bylaws can also govern the use of Strata Lots themselves – restricting the behaviour of Owners within property that they own.  It is for this reason that a Strata Corporation is sometimes referred to as a ‘4^th Level of Government’.  Sometimes a Strata Corporation’s Bylaws may conflict with other legislation, and the question arises as to whether or not those Bylaws are enforceable.  We’ve included below some general commentary, which should not be interpreted as legal advice.  If you are concerned with whether or not a specific Bylaw is enforceable, it is certainly prudent to seek legal advice.

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Followers of our blog will know that the BC Government is preparing the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRF) for action beginning in 2015.

Though there was a temporary Chairperson appointed, the government has now appointed a permanent chair, Ms. Shannon Salter.

The CRT will provide online access to Strata Property Owners wishing to resolve strata property disputes and small claims.

More information about Ms. Salter and the CRT can be found at the CHOA website.

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First off, our standard disclaimer- we are not lawyers, nor do we offer legal advice; however, the following is not actually legal advice, but an advisory and commentary on a recent ruling on a very interesting (if somewhat extreme) case… and it is from an actual lawyer. An industry colleague of ours, the law firm of Lesperance Mendes has kindly provided permission to share the following article written by their own Catherine Scott, and we do so here with many thanks.

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