Look around any of Burnaby’s four town centres, and it’s not hard to guess why stories about strata disputes are some of our most read.
Condo towers are popping up everywhere, and many local residents already live in close quarters with their neighbours, all subject to strata rules.
When their disputes can’t be resolved by strata councils, they sometimes end up at the province’s Civil Resolution Tribunal, B.C. Supreme Court or even the Human Rights Tribunal, whose rulings give us a glimpse into the kinds of issues the strata dwellers among us are dealing with.
Here are the local strata stories that garnered the most clicks in 2024.
1. Burnaby strata claims two owners behind giant Metrotown LED screen going dark: A $1-million, 4,300-square-foot screen wrapped around the Gold House condo tower in Metrotown was touted as the largest non-commercial urban art LED display in North America back in 2020, but it hasn’t lit up for years.
A B.C. Supreme Court petition in February shed light on why.
2. Burnaby condo owner fights off $30K in strata fines for son's piano playing: In November, the Civil Resolution Tribunal ruled the strata at Triomphe in Brentwood did not properly investigate before slapping an owner with more than $30,000 in noise bylaw fines related to her son’s piano playing.
The tribunal ordered the strata to reverse the fines.
3. Burnaby owner ordered to reverse apartment renos, pay $12K in bylaw fines: An apartment owner at City Club on the Park learned the hard way not to go ahead with renovations that haven’t been approved by the strata.
In a December ruling, the Civil Resolution Tribunal ordered her to return the layout of her condo to its original state and pay $12K in bylaw fines.
4. Burnaby owner accused of tossing garbage from 9th-floor balcony wins strata battle: In May, an owner at the Midori condo tower in Metrotown won a battle against his strata, which had fined him for allegedly tossing garbage from his ninth-floor balcony.
The CRT ruled the strata had violated the Strata Property Act by imposing the fine without a hearing. But it wasn’t the first time the owner had been accused of throwing trash from his balcony.
5. Burnaby duplex owner has to pay half the cost of neighbour's fence, retaining wall: In August, a Burnaby duplex owner was ordered to foot half the $15,000 bill for a new fence and retaining wall on his neighbour’s side of a property.
The owner argued he doesn't receive any benefit from the fence and wall, but the Civil Resolution Tribunal ruled they were limited common property and the strata was responsible for repairing and maintaining them.
6. Burnaby townhouse owner loses strata battle over COVID-19 pandemic gazebo: A Burnaby townhouse owner lost a battle in October over a gazebo his strata put up on common property during COVID-19 and never took down.
The owner said the strata at Kneale Place, had violated its own bylaws, but the CRT disagreed.
7. Burnaby strata has to allow Great Dane in building with no-dogs policy: tribunal: An owner at the Grand Corniche II in Metrotown got an exemption from the strata’s no-pets rule when he owned a tiny Yorkshire Terrier.
The Human Rights Tribunal ruled in September that the strata can’t reverse the exemption just because he now owns a Great Dane.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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