Copperstone Community

Tonight, Copperstone owners elected a mostly new council. Here’s wishing them ( and us) success. Congrats to all.

And a big thanks to owners for voting down the special resolutions, both of which were ill-conceived.

The site will have some updates over the next few days as time permits to reflect the new state of affairs.

The current council (save for the two returning members elected last year who have valiantly tried to improve things for owners), has spent the last year deferring decisions and allowing our financial position to worsen, Meanwhile, the strata property manager has spent the week before the AGM sending out a bunch of error-riddled messages with critical omissions to make it look like they are doing actual work.

Here’s the reality:

• Owners approved the $3.5 million settlement for the parkade membrane project at an SGM in November 2022. In nearly two and a half years, no work has been done on this project.
• The estimated cost of the membrane replacement is more than $5 million, which would drain our CRF and leave us in debt. Where is the plan on dealing with this?
• Owners approved $35,000 for parkade lighting at last year’s AGM. A year later, no work has been done and council–clearly not understanding the scope or real cost of this unnecessary project–is asking for $20,000 more.
• We are running a deficit of over $53,000 (the second yearly deficit) with no explanation or plan in the budget. At the same time, council is asking for $50,000 for unnecessary new projects. Where are the priorities?

We need new people on council who will take better care of our finances, properly prioritize items and communicate openly and honestly with owners, instead of relying on spin to make things look better than they are.

It’s in the hands of owners now. Here’s hoping they vote for a better future for Copperstone and not more of the same.

White Diamond, the company contracted to do Copperstone’s snow removal this past winter, is here today re-installing the speed bumps, six days before the AGM.

I’m sure it has nothing to do with optics.

It’s been 53 days since they were removed.

Copperstone deserves better.

The Copperstone Community forum is live and can be found here:

https://www.copperstonecommunity.org/copperstone-community-forum/

This is a forum for Copperstone owners and residents to offer ideas, feedback and help to each other.

Here’s a quick guide to getting started:

NOTE: The forum can use an existing WordPress.com login, but this is not required.

1. Follow this link and click the Register button at the top of the forum. The forum will not be visible to non-registered visitors.
2. Enter a username and a valid email address when prompted and click the Register button.
3. Check your email and follow the link. Enter a password when prompted.
4. You will be sent to your Profile page for the Copperstone Community site. Click Copperstone Community in the top-left corner and choose Visit Site or just go directly to https://www.copperstonecommunity.org/copperstone-community-forum/
5. You are now a Guest and once approved by the admin, you’ll be able to see all forums and post.

Yes, it’s a lot of steps, but this is to keep spammers or other unwanted people from easily posting and making a mess.

Enjoy the forum! Be nice!

We are advocating that owners vote NO on everything at this year’s AGM, which is being held on Monday, March 31st. That might seem negative, but voting no is key to getting a positive outcome!

We believe it’s critical to elect a new council, and a new council can’t be burdened by the poor decisions of the current council. By voting NO, owners can help give a new council a clean slate, and a fresh start to do things better.

We also believe that the resolutions and budget do not stand on their own merits, which makes voting them down even more important.

Vote NO on the budget

The proposed budget will raise strata fees for the second year in a row (by 9.9%, after last year’s 5% increase), partly, they claim, due to “larger than expected water and sewer costs” which we verified are only 6% for water and 10% for sewer. See here for more. At least some of the numbers presented in the budget do not appear to be accurate. This is a budget no owner should approve.

If the budget is voted down, a (hopefully new) council will come out with a revised budget and it will be voted on by owners at an SGM (Special General Meeting). This would give a new council time to conduct a review of the budget numbers and, importantly, request an audit of Copperstone’s finances, something unlikely to happen under the current council or property management company.

Vote NO on the $20,000 special resolution on parkade lighting

Until we have a truly clear picture of Copperstone’s finances, we shouldn’t be spending money on non-urgent matters. Last year owners approved $35,000 for the project and council has done nothing since, except talk to a few contractors. This project needs a new council to properly reassess it.

Additionally, the proposed sensors to dim lights will likely reduce safety, result in negligible cost savings (LED lights are already incredibly efficient), will almost certainly cost more than anticipated to retrofit into place, and may not even comply with building codes.

Vote NO on the $30,000 special resolution for “security”

This is ridiculous overreach based on fearmongering and little else, and hands the strata property manager a huge amount of money with virtually no restrictions–the cost was never even discussed in any council meeting this year.

Copperstone does not need to be turned into a surveillance state. The current council is already allowing far too many people to observe the existing video camera feeds—we do not need more cameras, locked gates and other security features that would turn the property into a virtual prison. This is a colossal waste of money and should never have been approved as part of the agenda.

Vote NO on current council members seeking re-election

Technically, you don’t vote no for someone running for council, you just don’t vote for them.

We are advocating for new council members in all officer positions: president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary.

• Copperstone needs fresh eyes on council, to better tackle the issues we face
• The current council lacks vision—they talk a lot, but do little
• The current council lacks knowledge, often voting on items they don’t appear to fully understand, leading to waste and unnecessary expense
• The current council relies far too heavily on the management company to do most of the work. Deferring to an outside contractor whose priorities may not match what Copperstone needs is not good for our strata.
• The current council is paying too much and getting too little across a variety of contracts, leading to poor maintenance and higher costs for everyone
• We need a new council committed to reviewing all contracts, having our finances audited, communicating directly with owners and more