Edior:
Bill 44 was rushed through the legislature by invoking closure just before B.C. MLAs went home for the holidays.
Bill 44 amends the Strata Properties Act by, among other things, invalidating all rental bylaws in strata. Hundreds of strata in B.C. are small – less than 40 units – self managed by owner-volunteers.
The home-like character of these strata risk being changed for the worse by allowing rentals. Renters are notoriously poor volunteers. They pay rent to the absentee landlord and don’t want to be bothered with mundane chores. (A lot like living with teenagers.)
These small strata are invariably owned and run by seniors. It’s their home; it’s where they live. They take tremendous pride in keeping the gardens beautiful, the leaves raked, the snow (perish the thought) shoveled and even the garbage hauled to the curb.
Rather than invoke heavy-handed closure on this bill, Eby should have spent a little time informing himself and his government on the consequences of this mean-spirited legislation.
Premier Eby is an un-elected premier – many of us voted for Horgan. Premier Eby may think that he is the smartest guy in the room, but it seems to me more and more “he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.”
Tom Holland, Stratford by the Park, Surrey