Legislative Updates
Government of BC Strata Website
Strata legislation and changes
Changes to strata legislation – Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
May 1, 2023: Effective immediately. Changes to Strata Property Regulation expand exemptions to 55+ bylaws
January 24, 2023: Effective April 1, 2023, strata corporations and sections will have to provide a summary of their insurance coverage on the Form B: Information Certificate. The Form B is a provincially prescribed form and the current version must be used.
November 24, 2022: Bill 44 Building and Strata Statutes Amendment Act, 2022 passed third reading and received Royal Assent Nov 24, 2022. With the passing of Bill 44 strata corporations across BC will no longer be able to enforce bylaws that prohibit or restrict rentals. Effectively immediately, all rental bylaws are no longer enforceable. Landlords are still obliged to provide a strata corporation with a Form K Notice of Tenant’s responsibilities and landlords and tenants must comply with all other bylaws and rules of a strata corporation. The application of an Owner Developer Form J Rental Disclosure no longer applies. Short term accommodation bylaws the prohibit AirBnB or VRBO type uses are still in full force and effect, with fines of up to $1,000 per day if a strata corporation has amended their bylaws. Only age restriction bylaws of 55 and over that apply to occupancy are now enforceable, with a requirement to accommodate live in care givers or support persons. Electronic meetings are now permitted without the need for a bylaw, and secret ballots are not permitted at electronic meetings to ensure eligible voters and proxies are identified and calculated accurately.
February 16, 2021 In April 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General issued an order under the Emergency Program Act to allow all strata corporations in British Columbia to conduct remote meetings during the COVID-19 state of emergency. The order applies to all strata corporations whether or not they currently have a bylaw that permits remote meetings.
On February 16, 2021, a regulation under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act confirmed that strata corporations may continue to conduct remote meetings until July 10, 2021, regardless of when the state of emergency declared under the Emergency Program Act ends.
Accordingly, if strata corporations wish to continue to conduct remote meetings after July 10, 2021, they may wish to pass bylaws to permit electronic meetings.
September 4, 2020 ORDER OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL (Order in Council No. 499) FINANCIAL PRODUCTS DISCLOSURE REGULATION.
August 2020 BILL 14 – 2020 MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AND HOUSING STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT (No. 2), 2020
May 29, 2020 ORDER OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL Order in Council (OIC 270 2020):
The BC Government announced amendments to the Strata Property Regulations, specifically allowing an insurance premium to be funded from the contingency reserve fund without a 3/4 vote and allowing a strata corporation another two months to call their annual general meeting as long as there is a declaration of a state of emergency or if a declaration of a state of local emergency is in effect in the region your strata is located.
April 17, 2020 Ministerial Order No. M114 ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE AT STRATA PROPERTY MEETINGS (COVID-19) ORDER