Condo Smarts: Withdrawing owners’ votes without evidence is bad idea (BC)

Dear Tony: We are a mid-sized condo building of 55 units. Our units are mostly retired owner-occupied, as we have a very desirable location.  At our annual meeting, we routinely have at least 50 per cent or more of the owners attend. This year at our meeting, our new property manager advised five owners when […]

Condo Smarts: Owners on hook for repairs below deductible (BC)

Dear Tony: In your Sept. 5 article discussing the $75,000 water-damage incident to three units, where the deductible is $100,000, you mention that “each strata lot owner will be responsible for the repairs to their owner units.”  Are you saying that the three impacted owners alone must pay for the repair of their own units? […]

Condo Smarts: Premiums up in older building, deductible soars (BC)

Dear Tony: Our strata corporation is an older wood frame condo. In the past three years ,we have experienced a number of water claims on our insurance. Two claims this year were failures of pipes, and last year leaks were owner-caused as a result of home repairs to a sink, overflowing bath tub and a […]

Fort Saskatchewan condo residents waiting for answers a month after evacuation (AB)

A month after being evacuated, residents of an apartment complex in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., say they’re still waiting for the condo board to tell them when they can return home or get their belongings.  On Aug. 2, residents from the 44-suite Riverview Estates complex, located at 9930 100th Avenue, were evacuated after city officials determined […]

Engineering firm on evacuated Fort Saskatchewan condo lost licence in 2004 (AB)

An engineering firm that worked on the recently-evacuated Riverview Estates complex in Fort Saskatchewan had its permit revoked in late 2004, one year after the condo was built, says the Association of Professional Engineers and Geosciences of Alberta (APEGA).  The engineer on the same project resigned from his licence to practise months later, APEGA said […]

Condo Smarts: Plan strata contributions to avoid special levies (BC)

Dear Tony: We sold our condo in Burnaby in February. At the time of the sale, we were instructed to pay for a special levy that was due over the next three years to increase the contingency reserve fund.  As part of our sale, the strata manager and council advised we would be required to […]

Tall Pines neighbourhood in Kimberley working towards FireSmart certification (BC)

A Kimberley strata Council is asking for help from the City of Kimberley in hopes of achieving FireSmart status in the community.  The FireSmart Canada Community Recognition Program is designed as a management approach to reduce fire hazards in the community. The program is tailored to each individual community and/or neighbourhood and each assessment addresses […]

A 25-foot man holding up a condo courts controversy in Toronto (ON)

If the point of public art is to stir debate, then a new piece by a St. Clair W. condo development is a resounding success.  The 25-foot bronze and stainless steel sculpture, which depicts a towering man in a white button-up shirt holding up a tall condo building while standing on a foundation of multicoloured […]

Smoking in condos cloudy issue

As more and more people choose to live the condo lifestyle and developers continue to build larger high density condominium projects, condo boards, managers and lawyers are now faced with some unique challenges.  One issue that has been the focus over the past year with the legalization of cannabis, is whether a condo corporation should […]

Condo Smarts: Reallocating surplus exposes owners to dispute (BC)

Dear Tony: I sold my strata lot in June. As a condition of sale, the buyer agreed that if there were any refunds from the $3.5-million special levy we paid in 2017, she would authorize the payment to be directed to the seller.   Read the Q&A………………………..

Witness describes fire at Chilliwack condo complex (BC)

A witness is describing a fiery scene in Chilliwack after a blaze reportedly sprung up at a condo complex early Saturday morning.  Kelly, who declined to give her last name, lives in a three-building condo complex on Stevenson Road and says she could smell smoke coming through her air conditioning unit at around midnight on […]

Strata fight forces Langley, B.C. couple out of unsafe townhouse for 2 years

Barb Mykle-Hotzon says her home, which has been gutted by repeated attempts by engineers to find foundation problems, is “ground zero.”  Mykle-Hotzon is the owner of a 25-year-old townhouse in the Bridle Run development of Langley, but she and her husband, Terry Hotzon, haven’t been able to live there since 2017.   Read the article……………………..

Sasquatch Mountain considers 600% increase for water fees (BC)

People with homes in Sasquatch Mountain Resort could be paying 600 per cent more for their water, if the proposed increase from the Hemlock Valley Utilities goes through.  On June 21, residents received a notice from the utility saying the company had made an application to increase the rates for service beginning Aug. 1 of […]

What condo owners can do to oust short-term rentals from their buildings (NS)

A real estate lawyer says Nova Scotia condo owners can use a 2016 Ontario court decision as a blueprint for how to get rid of unwanted short-term rentals in their building.  CBC News reported Tuesday about a conflict in the 88-unit Anchorage building in the King’s Wharf development in Dartmouth.   Read the article……………………………….

Condo Smarts: Council goes against strata act (BC)

Dear Tony: Our strata council has just purchased and installed eight cameras in our main entry, and parking entry to try and address a growing security problem in our community.  At first, council refused to disclose how much was paid for the cameras and monitoring service or any of the details of the monitoring. However, […]

Condo board fights short-term rentals at Dartmouth tower (NS)

Condo owners at The Anchorage in Dartmouth, N.S., are locked in a dispute with a prominent developer over short-term rentals at his Kings Wharf development.  The debate with Francis Fares over listings on sites such as Airbnb is now subject to confidential arbitration.    Read the article……………………….

A brief history of condo evacuations in Alberta

The residents of a Fort Saskatchewan condominium complex who were forced to evacuate on Friday are not alone in their experience. Over the past decade or so, residents of condo and apartment buildings across the province have met similar fates where they had to quickly pack and relocate on short notice due to multiple structural […]

Proposal put forward for Mattamy Homes to develop part of Stonebridge golf course (ON)

A working group of residents in Stonebridge has come up with a possible solution to development on Stonebridge golf course.  The Stonebridge Community Association unveiled the proposal at a packed community meeting Tuesday night. The Stonebridge Working Group came to the solution after multiple negotiations with Mattamy Homes, who owns the golf course.    Read the […]

Etobicoke condo residents protest living conditions (ON)

Members of a tenant advocacy group joined frustrated residents of an Etobicoke condo who say moldy, water damaged ceilings, crumbling walls and leaking sewage is threatening their health.   Watch the video report……………………………

Janitors locked out of jobs at downtown Toronto condos (ON)

Should a janitor be expected to purchase their own garbage bags if they need more than are provided by their employer? Is it reasonable to ask cleaning staff to use four rags to clean an entire building including washrooms? These are some of the questions being asked by a union representing janitors in Toronto.   Read […]

Wasaga golf course owner told to get court decision (ON)

The owners of Marlwood Golf and Country Club will be asked to get a court ruling on whether a development proposed for the course is affected by a restrictive covenant.  Opponents to plans to build 65 units on the course — a change that will affect the length of the course, though its owners maintain […]

Part 2: Strata fails to look after non-smoker (BC)

Last week, we started looking at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal case of Bowker v. Strata Plan NWS 2539. The case involved a militant smoker (LR) in a condominium unit.  Above her lived Ms. Bowker, a woman with pulmonary fibrosis. Mr. Bowker filed a human rights claim, complaining about second hand smoke.  She brought her […]

Condo Smarts: Installation of cameras violated strata act (BC)

Dear Tony: Our strata council has just purchased and installed eight cameras in our main entry and parking entry to try and address a growing security problem in our community. At first, the council refused to disclose how much was paid for the cameras and monitoring service or any of the details of the monitoring;  […]

Province pauses condo rule changes (AB)

The province has paused new condo regulation changes as part of its red tape reduction plans.  Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Nate Glubish, who is also Service Alberta Minister, noted there is no need to worry about the delay. Since elected two months ago, Glubish stated he’s heard an overwhelming amount of feedback from affected stakeholders. The […]

Condo Smarts: Quirky provision allows mixed-use amendments (BC)

Dear Tony: What happens when bylaws are amended in a mixed-use strata corporation?  The strata council, at our AGM, proposed a new bylaw that prohibits smoking or use of any types of combustible substances on common property or strata lots. Of the 12 commercial units, only one attended the meeting and voted in favour of […]

Maple Ridge medical marijuana patient fighting her strata’s no-smoking bylaw (BC)

Tammy Gadsby credits medical marijuana for ending her use of serious pharmaceuticals that included a tranquilizer and an opioid.  With marijuana, the 60-year-old Maple Ridge resident said she has been able to better manage her fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety and PTSD than with any other drugs she has tried. Inhaling marijuana produces nearly immediate relief and […]

Condo Smarts: Owner on hook for tub leak, strata for gutter overflow (BC)

Dear Tony: We are very confused about who is responsible for repairing a strata lot when there is a minor leak causing damage.  For example, a bird nest plugged one of our drains, resulting in a gutter overflowing and a unit being damaged because an owner left a window open.      Read the Q&A……………………………