Sunridge Estates in January 1988 - All these little trees and bushes grew to stabilize the slope, provide privacy, and park-like views (as well as muffle the traffic noise and clean the air) - no extra decks, fences, railings, stairs, or gates to hide and no extra maintenance or expenses - just natural beauty and higher than average property values.
Shared enjoyment of common property planted with an expensive landscaping plan full of fertile top soil, with thousands of beautiful bushes and hundreds of trees, and 5 acres of evergreen ground cover - in a deluxe design full of beauty and harmony similar to that displayed in the prestigious "street of dreams" neighbourhoods.
Unfortunately, there is little, if any, more "happy talk" to be found in the rest of my strata blogs and posts.
I have prepared these blogs for use on an as-needed basis.
They are not intended to be used in a malicious manner
nor do we support false claims or untrue accusations.
They are not intended to be used in a malicious manner
nor do we support false claims or untrue accusations.
We do not want to be harmful to the parties whose names appear on these blogs, and accordingly, I have not broadcast the existence of these blogs to the public. In case of any leaks in this regard, anyone planning to do business with the named parties can contact them directly.
At this point in time my strata blogs are solely intended for the acquisition of information that may be helpful to the parties involved in making decisions on how to deal with the issues set out within it in the most reasonable and timely manner.
We don't want to erase history; but we would much rather permanently delete
the blogs and their associated contents
than to live with the ongoing stress on us
which is created by the necessity of their existence.
the blogs and their associated contents
than to live with the ongoing stress on us
which is created by the necessity of their existence.
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We are hoping that shining a light on particular problems
will be of value to owners and motivate the powers that be
to provide remedies for these problems
will be of value to owners and motivate the powers that be
to provide remedies for these problems
Extra Decks built illegally on common property are one of the most significant changes
We were happy here until unit 407 took ALL of the common property that was next to unit 409's deck including the screening vine maple tree and left NONE of it for unit 409. In spite of the fact that the original function of unit 409's deck has been significantly oppressed by these illegal actions for years, and the fact that unit 409 continually pays more and owns more of the common property than unit 407 does, and that the strata corporation has built all kinds of deck additions for others, no strata council, nor any owner of unit 407, have ever once made even the slightest attempt to offer an equitable remedy after years of unhappy complaint and irretrievably lost years of enjoyment. Not even the most meagerly remedial 16 inch request has been allowed for unit 409.
Expired deadline for insurance claim
to repair water damage to building
adding further years of oppression
Unrepaired structural damage
- upstairs and downstairs
Unfair allocation of funds in favour of unit 518
Most owners shovel their own snow - but not all
With the new speed bumps on the hills many may not get far anyway
Water pipes - extended for Rainscreen Assembly
but not for unit 409
No one can screw our hose onto our taps - not since 2005
We were happy here until unit 407 took ALL of the common property that was next to unit 409's deck including the screening vine maple tree and left NONE of it for unit 409. In spite of the fact that the original function of unit 409's deck has been significantly oppressed by these illegal actions for years, and the fact that unit 409 continually pays more and owns more of the common property than unit 407 does, and that the strata corporation has built all kinds of deck additions for others, no strata council, nor any owner of unit 407, have ever once made even the slightest attempt to offer an equitable remedy after years of unhappy complaint and irretrievably lost years of enjoyment. Not even the most meagerly remedial 16 inch request has been allowed for unit 409.
Expired deadline for insurance claim
to repair water damage to building
adding further years of oppression
Unrepaired structural damage
- upstairs and downstairsUnfair allocation of funds in favour of unit 518
Most owners shovel their own snow - but not all
With the new speed bumps on the hills many may not get far anyway
Water pipes - extended for Rainscreen Assembly
but not for unit 409
No one can screw our hose onto our taps - not since 2005
Strata provided us with makeshift adaptors
with parts that were taken by others
and never replaced after being reported
Head flashing removed - and not replaced
Hardi cement board plank left cut up in gouges
Pine trees - removed from meridian - stumps ground
Only about 6 trees were marked as significant risk.
Geotechnical issues ignored:
- Restrictive covenants that run with the land
- Coquitlam tree cutting permit protection bylaws
- Sinking land and buildings
- No site visit by city arborist until April 2006
- After the trees around Unit 409 were cut down
The property of the Hell's Angels in Coquitlam looks like this.
The fence addition at Sunridge Estates looks like this.
It was built after Mr Mac removed the screening trees and bushes and destroyed our beautiful street of dreams landscaping. The fence is an attempt to restore some lost privacy, but it does not remedy the loss. It added costs owners could not afford to bear and sticks another unfunded long term maintenance burden onto the permanent owners. What is actually needed is to reinstate the trees and bushes on this high profile corner and charge all of the associated costs back to Mr Mac.
Vine maple cut down illegally - trellis planter placed on deck
Section 71 of the Strata Property Act ignored
- Mature trees removed - without a vote - without legitimate cause
- Invading our home with this soul crushing view
- Leaving noise, air pollution, grime, misery, and stress
Loss of use and enjoyment of deck:
- Complaints and remedial proposals ignored since 2001
- Twice demolished and reconstructed without requested extension
- Special levy funds diverted from landscape reinstatement to extra decks for others - who pay less than we do and get more than we do - the difference is not small - it's huge. The damage is not isolated - it is constant and ongoing
- User fees not paid for exclusive use and benefit or "Special Privilege"
From my position it looks like strata councillors, managers, and lawyers and have acted in a variety of conflicts of interest - in spite of the foreseeable damages to the strata corporation and the health and welfare of others - myself in particular.
2008
After the surrounding trees were cut down and not replaced the new door started scraping our threshold and jamming so bad that it could barely open, as our building sank, once again.
The ground has been sinking as well - not just the buildings
Our retaining wall had to be rebuilt since it sunk
after the tree below was removed to extend unit 407's deck
More supporting beams had to be added underneath building 17
when it sunk after the trees in front of it were removed
This large deep hole was left open at the northeast corner of unit 409 from May 2008 to November 2008; even while pressure washing the buildings. We do not know why.
There was no investigation that we know of to determine the degree of erosion that may have travelled beneath our building while this hole was left open for such an extended period of time. We worry about the long-term consequences of the visible caves that developed.
After 20 years of minutes with little or no mention of cracking walls - cracks suddenly began to be mentioned in nearly every issue of the 2oo8 minutes - alleging that "settling cracks are owner responsibility."
Cracking walls and sinking land and buildings after half the trees were cut down are not all. After surrounding trees were cut down, at least 3 of the pine trees that had grown in groves for nearly 20 years quickly blew down in the wind when they were left standing alone.
When more than half a grove are cut down and rainwater is no longer absorbed into the ground - the water tables are known to drop - and surviving trees die as a result. These trees were cut down in 2008 as they were dying.
The roots of 1 living birch tree can absorb 10 bathtubs full of water in 1 spring day - without the trees rainwater runs into drains and sits in pools like this - instead of replenishing the water table the way that it did with the original landscaping
Falling Rains - Rushing DrainsThis 2008 video records the sound of rainfall rushing off (with soil) into our ditches, instead of soaking into the earth as it used to. We have not previously heard anything like this in more than 15 years - not until about 150 trees were removed.
(volume must be turned up for this video
please click the triangle pointer to play)
Is it not obvious to council that those trees must be replanted to correct and prevent further damage? With 7 people standing for council each year for the last 5 years has anyone of them done any reasonable investigating or reporting on this issue to owners?
It does not seem probable to me that pipes and buildings would all of a sudden start cracking and "settling" 20 years after this development was built - as they did - if half the trees were not cut down and not replaced before their roots decomposed. I think it is shameful to allow responsibility for cracking walls to be transferred onto innocent owners - rather than remaining with those others whose actions are the most likely cause of the problems.
When I attended a meeting of council on December 4, 2008, it sounded like the estimated cost to connect a pipe near our unit might be about $25,000 - presumably because the roots from trees that no longer exist are no longer able to absorb the rainwater or prevent erosion and the water was rushing loudly into the drains when the pipe broke or disconnected from the sewer. The number of pipes that broke all over the complex was alarming - resulting in more and more patched pavement, as the roots of trees that were cut down illegally and not replaced decomposed completely in the years after they were cut down.
Strata issues have triggered anxiety attacks that have put me in hospital, and distractions so profound as to result in a car accident and a bare miss of running over a neighbour.
If I attend a meeting, buy a book, or take a class, and it has ANYTHING to do with the strata - it triggers headaches, bowel spasms, and painful muscle tension - which is often so extreme as to completely disable me, forcing me to remove myself from the source as much as I am able.
When I'm at home - the stress and insomnia triggered by strata issues is far more difficult to manage. It is physically impossible to remove myself from the source - as ongoing strata stress surrounds us constantly - it's an inseparable part of our home itself.
I try to put strata problems out of my mind. When that does not work, I try reading and learning - and if that does not work, I try writing and reporting - when I feel up to it. Moving away is not a satisfactory option - it does nothing to reform systemic breakdowns in strata living - and would add at least another $20,000 to our exisiting losses.
ENDLESS STRATA DISPUTES ARE NO FUN
If I had enough money for law suits I could be out riding...
or sailing
or skiing
or visiting family
or making gifts for loved ones and friends...
or be just relaxing with the cat...
instead of missing sleep, missing work, missing school, missing life, messing my pants (believe me - you don't need pictures), having migraines and anxiety attacks -spending my day in the emergency ward - while clients wait and my work piles up.
We have waited years for answers to our requests:
- replacement of trees in critically sensitive locations
and around Unit 409 in particular - repairs of the water damage and structural damage to our floors, doors, and walls
- replacement of defectively designed doors
- replacement of defectively located addresses
- a remedial deck extention (and reasonable explanations for the delay in answering our deck requests since 2001)
- our water taps extended like others so we can screw on our hose
- the head flashing reinstalled above our kitchen window, or replacement of the gouged hardi-board siding
- even-handed allocation of funds
- proper access to strata records
- accountable strata management
- the chance to live in peace once again
We are obviously not charmers or good public speakers.
We are ill-equipped to be social/political activists.
We can't afford to sue - nor do we wish to.
After having the same management company for over 15 years, in the 5 years surrounding the building envelope project this troubled strata corporation went through 5 strata management companies, and even more strata managers, with well over half the owners selling. The whole of the circumstances convinces me that Sunridge Estates needs amended bylaws to provide for:
- a strata council secretary who is not the president
- legitimate standard form voting on motions
- far better access to strata records
- better, more accountable strata management
- far more transparent financial records
- fair and reasonable user fees
- annual nominating committees
- owner lists and improved opportunities for communication
- written legal advice on strata bylaws and management contracts
We can't afford to lose anymore of our investment either.
We don't know what to do.
We love our home - We don't want to move.
We hope to recover our comparative property value - as much as possible at least.
We want to enjoy what is left of our lives - in peace and quiet.
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I created these blogs to allow owners to investigate factual data for better informed decision-making. Hopefully sharing information this way may assist when voting, volunteering, and controlling owners or management.
Community service is important to me, but in seeking remedies I am also motivated by self-interest, self-defence, and the obvious need for self-preservation.
I have tried to be careful.
If any of the facts set out are not a source of pride please vote to change them and correct the problems, reduce the stigma, and try to restore the original good reputation of this complex.
I have tried not to rant too much and admit, with apologies, that I have failed miserably in that respect; for reasons beyond my control, my emotions keep getting the best of me.
If anything I post is erroneous or posted in ignorance it is not intentional, and as I have told council and management for more than 2 years I will make corrections as soon as a specific error is pointed out to me. In spite of Al MacLeod's April 1, 2009 actions at the AGM to have the stata corporation hire a lawyer to try to stop me from posting strata blogs no errors have been pointed out to me as of April 1, 2010, nor to the date you read this.
"It is better to shine a light, than to curse the darkness."
- Amnesty International
RELATED LINKS:
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/S/98043_01.htm
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/s/strataproperty/43_2000.htm
http://fr.cfans.umn.edu/extension/urban_com/MinnnesotaLawAndTreesPages/DamageDoneToTrees.doc
In 2023 any sense of safety and security on strata property was destroyed. As of February 2024 we've sold and fled from the endless corruption, horrific harassment, and devastating losses.
