Editor:
As a homeowner living in a strata complex, I have been waiting to hear from the Town with regard to the installation of a water meter. At the town hall meeting where the proposal of installing water meters within Gibsons was discussed, it was stated that only single-family homes would have separate meters. There were a number of strata owner/residents present who raised concerns about the inequities between water use and billing if only one meter were installed per strata complex.
Before our AGM in early June, I attempted to obtain information on what had been decided so the matter of a water bill could be dealt with in our budget. I recently learned from a strata owner in another complex that the Town would be including sewers and garbage usage on the water bill.
The Strata Act compels councils to divide expenditures incurred by the strata by unit entitlement, and these fees will be no different. Aside from the inequities between usage and billing that this system creates, it also puts extra pressure on strata councils when preparing for and getting budgets passed at yearly AGMs. These fees, previously administered by the Town that was responsible for their collection, will now be the responsibility of strata councils. It raises the possibility that if there are delinquencies in fee payments, shortfalls will have to be covered from funds earmarked for maintenance and other necessary projects.
I would be interested in meeting with strata councils and owners in Gibsons to discuss these concerns.
Malcolm Fullwood
Sunshine Ridge Strata, Gibsons
