The strata conference for those who believe in innovative B.C. solutions & information

Many factors have changed how strata meetings are conducted. Join Craig Moore, co-founder of Property Flute Ltd., as he explains how they have set a new standard in managing meetings and voting using electronic tools for strata corporations through innovative features for voter registration, multi-unit-ownership, multi-proxies, vote tallying, fractional voting entitlements, secret ballots, audit trails and more. Learn how strata corporations can use Property Flute to conduct more effective meetings.

Tony Gioventu, Executive Director of CHOA (Condominium Home Owners Association of B.C.) will walk through the sequence of general meetings and how electronic considerations apply including: notice of meeting, format, registration, the role of the chairperson and how voting is conducted and the responsibility of the chairperson.

Shervin Shapourian, co-founder of Power Strata Systems Inc. has been a pioneer in the Strata Management software space since the 2011 launch of their cloud-based property management solution, PowerStrata. PowerStrata is the leading B.C. tailored platform for managing strata corporations, providing services to strata management companies, council members, and strata owners. See how PowerStrata can improve your self-managed or managed strata operations, saving you time and money with features like depreciation report and Contingency Reserve Fund modelling, accounting integrations, Form B generations, owner and tenant tools, document storage, and much more.

Shawn Smith is an experienced strata property lawyer who works with strata corporations throughout the province on a variety of issues. Shawn will review the obligations imposed on strata corporations under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), focusing on how those obligations relate to video surveillance, fob entry systems and other ways strata corporations collect information about residents and visitors. He will review when and how that data can be collected and what can (and cannot) be done with it. Strata councils and strata managers will come away with a better understanding of what must be done to comply with PIPA.

This presentation will provide an overview of the CRT's online dispute resolution process beginning with the Solution Explorer. This online tool uses guided pathways, and interactive questions and answers, to provide free legal information, template letters, and worksheets. The Solution Explorer leads to an online application form if the user decides they want to make a CRT claim. In this presentation you'll also learn about the CRT's secure online platform. Participants involved in a dispute can log into their CRT account to negotiate, upload evidence, and submit their written arguments about their claim. Tribunal members can view the evidence and arguments in the secure platform and make their decision. CRT decisions are posted publicly in a searchable database at civilresolutionbc.ca

Yvette Wu, CEO and co-founder of Yield Exchange, is pioneering the self-managed GIC investment process for strata corporations and Canadian organizations. She’ll show how Yield Exchange allows Canadian organizations to secure the best rates for their GICs from Canadian financial institutions with their easy to use platform.

Before any Strata Council orders a Depreciation Report, they should know what to look for. Jeremy Bramwell, AACI, RI, will address these issues in this informative 20 minute presentation. First, why do we need Depreciation Reports? Owners know that they are required under the law, but do not understand the real statistics behind the legislation. Second, when is an engineer required or recommended? Or when is a non-engineer your best choice, and why? Next, as a Depreciation Report subject matter expert on the BC Housing Policy Branch consultation committee for the changes to the Strata Property Act, Mr. Bramwell will discuss the changes in place as of the date of this talk. Benchmarking reports are the key to understanding the real financial position of a Strata Corporation. This talk will end with a discussion of how to calculate Reserve Adequacy (Percent Funded) and its implications.

Long gone are the days when a strata corporation's records were all in a filing cabinet in the strata secretary's condo. Now strata corporations are dealing with multiple formats from pdfs, jpegs and emails, to letters received by hand delivery or mail, and often a variety of storage locations from USB sticks to DropBox, or an online platform. This presentation will answer the questions: What records does the strata corporation have to keep? and Where can they be stored?

Condominium is a form of ownership that produces separate parcels of land and a structure of local government within multi-unit developments. As one form of common interest community, condominium packages private property with a co-ownership interest in common property and rights to participate in the governing organisation. A statutory innovation, the condominium form has been adopted in jurisdictions around the world and has quickly become the dominant form of land ownership for new-build housing in many cities. As an increasingly prominent feature of urban real estate, condominium is changing the nature of ownership and of local government, and is one of the defining institutions of our time.

Most of us probably know that strata documents are a legal record of the decisions being made in a strata. They also indicate what the current status of the strata is from a financial aspect as well as what types of challenges they may currently be facing. However, what most strata’s don’t often realize is that their documents also act as marketing information for potential buyer’s! Common issues such as missing documents, incomplete information, poor formatting, etc. can all play a part in the impression that are left on buyer’s and Realtors. Putting time and care into your documents can make selling a strata unit much easier for all involved, and have a positive impact on the overall market value of your building.

Ioana Hastings, the founder of FabricApp Inc., will demonstrate how the FabricApp platform improves the resident experience while reducing incoming calls and emails to council and strata managers. You will learn how self-managed stratas and property managers can use the platform to: 1.) create a mobile app for their residents; 2.) send real time updates to residents; and 3.) provide residents with self-serve access to commonly requested information. Additionally, you will see how one of FabricApp's clients is using the platform to improve day-to-day living for their community.

Thomas Beattie, CEO of OctoAI Technologies Inc., is excited to showcase the cutting-edge technology behind the company's AI-powered platform, Eli Report. Thousands of realtors, property managers, buyers and owners use Eli Report to summarize key issues from strata documents and provide valuable insights into their communities. During this presentation, Thomas will demonstrate Eli Report and Sonja Blackburn, Senior Account Executive at Axis Insurance will discuss how it is being utilized to power the future of insurance quotes for the benefit of all strata owners. Don't miss this opportunity to see firsthand how OctoAI is driving innovation in the insurance industry and streamlining the process for real estate professionals.

Sean Jordan, founder of Simple Strata Solutions, Inc. (StrataPress) will show you how managed and self managed strata corporations are using StrataPress to manage document requests and process order payments. StrataPress makes it easy for Realtors, Lawyers and Notaries to obtain strata documents with ease.

Adam Major is the owner of a strata management company, Holywell Properties, on BC’s Sunshine Coast. As his side hustle, he co-founded real estate search site Zealty.ca. Zealty is a leading, BC focused, real estate search site with some specific tools for comparing strata properties. Zealty has a free data base of over 10,000 strata properties where anyone can compare information on a strata’s bylaws, management company, selling and assessed prices, strata fees and more. Adam will demonstrate how Realtors, Buyers and Strata Councils can access data on Zealty and discuss how Zeatly is working to provide more open data and free information for our users.