Search Title:
  1. Strata management oversight involves standard safeguards

    Financial transactions must be routinely reviewed and compared to invoices and accounts Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: An issue has come up at our council meeting with our manager dealing with the signing authority on cheques and our accounts. We have two council members who have created friction with our property manager and are now […]

  2. Maintenance issues – you can pay now or pay even more later

    Maintenance issues – pay now or pay more later Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our strata council is trying to cut corners on costs this year as we have experienced dramatic increases in our insurance costs. As an owner and council member, I am concerned that we are not meeting the requirements of our basic […]

  3. Plenty to consider before re-opening shared facilities

    The absolute first priority in opening shared facilities is the safety of residents Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our strata corporation share’s a central community facility with five other properties. There is a club house for meetings of up to 100 people, a kitchen and lounge, fitness centre, change rooms and showers for the pool […]

  4. Addressing the challenges of electronic AGMs

    Addressing the challenges of electronic meetings Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: What happens when an owner attempts to attend a general meeting that was issued as a proxy-only meeting for our annual general meeting? Because our strata cannot safely social distance in our common room, the council determined we would conduct a proxy-only meeting and […]

  5. Make updates and reduce risks to tame rising insurance cost

    Reduce risks, make updates to curb rising insurance cost Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our Langley condo renewed our insurance policy in April and the maximum amount of coverage we can obtain is only 70 per cent of our replacement value with a $500,000 deductible. I admit we are an older building and have some […]

  6. Electronic meetings under emergency orders

    Remember, electronic meetings aren’t a quick fix solution Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: What happens when an electronic meeting has to adjourn as a result of technical issues and voting problems? We held our annual meeting last week via Zoom conference. The meeting was confusing from the beginning. No one had planned how the registration […]

  7. Don’t cut corners to accommodate hardships

    A strata council doesn’t have the authority to undo a decision Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our strata council has decided to defer strata fees for several months during the COVID-19 restrictions. Of the seven council members, five are people who are off work for the short term, but the remainder of owners who are […]

  8. Electronic meeting check list for annual or special general meetings

    Crucial checklist for your annual or special meeting Tony GioventuThe Province To lawfully facilitate and conduct a general meeting by an electronic method — which requires every eligible voter to be able to communicate with each other — your strata council and manager will still be required to meet the technical requirements of notice, registration, […]

  9. Review bylaws before electronic meeting

    Only practical method of voting may be calling the roll one at a time to identify how they vote Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our strata corporation is 118 units in the Fraser Valley. In 2010 we adopted a new bylaw package that was drafted and reviewed by our lawyer that included a bylaw that […]

  10. If possible, try to maintain business as normal

    It’s important to create an annual schedule for building maintenance, inspection, service and repair requirements Tony GioventuThe Province Dear Tony: Our strata had our Annual Meeting by restricted proxy and a simultaneous Zoom meeting which worked very well. We had the largest participation ever. Out of our 110 townhouses and 50 apartments, 135 people sent […]