Water pooling at 240: An update (March 24)

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Here’s an update on the issue of water pooling during heavy rain in front of the 240 building, first covered here.

A pipe to nowhere

Council VP Jeff did more exploratory work in the area and uncovered some interesting things.

The first is a small pipe that goes from underneath the north planter in front of the building entrance to…nowhere.

It was apparently intended to feed into the drain shown in the shot below, but as you can see, it doesn’t line up with the drain at all (the other pipe partly exposed is tied to the irrigation system).

A pipe that doesn’t actually connect to the drain.

At its starting point, the pipe is not connected to anything and was 100% clogged full of dirt. Since this pipe is normally buried and does not connect to anything, it would have been impossible to keep it from clogging as designed.

The pipe ends somewhere in the narrow gap in the Allan blocks.

The solution: Giving the pipe a purpose

The solution to this was the following:

  • Install a larger piece of PVC pipe
  • Connect the PVC pipe to the drain
  • Extend the PVC pipe under the planter and connect it to a curved piece of PVC pipe that can collect and direct the water to the drain
Step 1: Connect larger PVC pipe directly to the drain
Step 2: Direct the new PVC pipe through the planter and out to the other side
Step 3: Cap off the pipe before drilling holes and applying river stone
Step 4: The cap now has holes to allow water entry. River stone has been placed around the cap to allow water into the new PVC pipe

The other side: Strange connections

The pipe on the north side had additional holes drilled into it and was also capped off similar to the south planter. The area will be filled with river stone when complete.

River stone will be added.

The configuration of the above pipe is rather odd:

  • The end that points to the courtyard quickly dead-ends
  • The other end appears to run to the edge of the building, where it turns up and connects to a down spout. This means that water coming down the down spout will exit out onto the area in front of the 240 building–not ideal. Jeff thinks there may be a T-pipe that is buried under the planter that is intended to direct the water to the underground parking drainage. If this is the case, that T-pipe is likely plugged (and there is no way to access it without digging).

Generally, the construction of the pipes and drains in front of the 240 building was done in a haphazard manner. Drains should not be in the planters at all and obviously all pipes should connect, not just dead end. Jeff’s fixes should provide adequate relief when heavy rains occur, until proper drains and pipes can be installed as part of Phase 2 of the membrane replacement project.

The north planter, all tidied up and ready for the next big storm.

AGM 2026, Part 2: Running for council

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This is an ongoing series about Copperstone AGM 2026. Some parts will be information, some will be opinion. Opinion pieces will be categorized as such and only reflect the views of me, not council, or anyone else at Copperstone.

A strata council can have 3–7 members on it, per BC government regulation. Copperstone has had a full 7-member council for a few years now and usually one or two spots open up as some council members choose to not stand for re-election.

That is likely to happen again this year (though I do not have any knowledge of who may or may not be running again).

I want to encourage owners to run for council—but only if you can bring something to the table.

What Copperstone needs from council

If you’re thinking of running for council, here’s a short list of what is needed:

  • Building and property maintenance knowledge and experience
  • Finance and budget skills
  • Organizational, communication and research skills
  • Time and resource management skills
  • A basic understanding of how strata corporations operate
  • Familiarity with the Strata Property Act and other regulations
  • Familiarity with Copperstone’s bylaws and rules
  • Familiarity with strata resources, like the CHOA (Condominium Home Owners Association)
  • Being able to work as part of a group and respecting different points of view
  • A commitment to all residents of Copperstone

There are four officer roles that must be filled, chosen by council after election:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary

This CHOA PDF details what each role is expected to do: The Roles and Responsibilities of Strata Council

This is a lot to know or understand before you make the decision to run for council, but it’s important, as you will otherwise spend time trying to “learn on the job.” It’s better to come in with at least some preparation.

What Copperstone DOESN’T need

Here are some reasons to NOT run for council:

  • You think it will be easy (it’s hard work and very time-consuming)
  • You think it’s just going to be some monthly meetings and voting on a few items
  • You want to see the finances in order to determine if you should stay or sell
  • You want to push through personal projects or your own agenda, regardless of how it might affect others
  • You want to enforce the rules over everything else. Council is not meant to be “strata police”–rules can be imperfect or become obsolete and council members need to adapt and evaluate how best (or whether) to apply them.
  • Conversely, you ignore rules, including informal ones set by council regarding its own actions. There’s a difference between being an independent thinker and wilfully acting against what everyone has agreed on.
  • You are unprepared to commit the required time (which is significant), especially over the full 12 months
  • You don’t work well with others
  • You are rigid and inflexible in your thinking
  • You expect others to provide you answers without having to do any of your own work

If you want to run for council at the AGM

If you think you’d be a good fit for council, here’s what you need to do:

  • Be an owner at Copperstone in good standing
  • Show up and register at the AGM. It’s on March 31, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Sapperton Community Hall, 318 Keary St., New Westminster.
  • Volunteer yourself or have someone nominate you when the call is made for nominations for council near the end of the AGM
  • Be prepared to offer a short speech to the owners on what you will offer to Copperstone as a council member

On the last point, here’s what NOT to do:

  • Offer empty platitudes like “I’ll work hard” or “I have plenty of free time”. These don’t mean anything, anyone can make generic promises.

Instead, offer this:

  • Tangible examples of skills or experience you can bring to council
  • Your vision for Copperstone as a community

Good luck to all who run!

Litter pick-up update

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This is just a quick post to note that the Category on this blog known as Butt Patrol is now Litter pick-up. The “butt” in Butt Patrol referred to cigarette butts and the category name amused me, however “Butt Patrol” always had the potential to lead to…awkward confusion, hence the name change.

And here’s a bucket of the stuff I picked up today. When I do a litter pick-up, this is what I usually cover (and did cover today):

  • The central courtyard and visitor parking lot
  • The sidewalks on the property
  • The sidewalks and grassy areas adjacent to the property on Allen Street and Sherbrooke Street
  • The hospital bike/pedestrian lane west of the property
  • The stairs leading down to Allen Street
  • The area in front of the 244 underground parking

I usually go out 2–3 times per week.

Here is what I got today:

Cigarette butts, scraps of paper and packaging are most of the litter.

Here’s the area I normally cover, shaded on a shot from Google Maps.

Green: Covered every time
Yellow: Covered less often

Less frequently, I will do the entire Heritage Courtyard and the lawn behind the 240 building and easement facing Brunette Avenue.

Water pooling issue at Building 240

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The problem with atmospheric rivers

Earlier this winter, as water pooled outside the entrance to the 240 building, council opted to rent a pump to help drain away the excess water to avoid the possibility of it reaching the building.

With the current “atmospheric river event” in full swing today, water again began pooling outside the entrance of 240. I notified the council VP (disclaimer: The council VP is also my partner, so I’m allowed 24/7 access, heh) and he directed me to do two things (he was at work and not able to directly assist):

  • Use a mattock to dig around a small perforated pipe adjacent to the right planter outside 240 (as you look toward the building). This would provide some flow for the water and prevent flooding.
  • Purchase a pump similar to the one used in the previous water pooling, so council would always have one on hand in the event of an emergency.

I went to Princess Auto on foot and let me tell you, some of the puddles I encountered were big enough that the vehicles plowing through them were kicking up waves the size of a small house. It wouldn’t have mattered much in terms of getting wet, because the rain was continuous all day, just varying in intensity. I got thoroughly soaked, but got the pump!

I checked on the water level after returning and digging around the perforated pipe had allowed enough water to drain away to allow direct access to the building entrance, rather than having to approach from the sides to avoid the mega-puddle.

The pump was set up and in a short time it drained away the rest of the water. Council will continue to monitor the water levels tomorrow as the atmospheric river winds down.

I’ll talk a bit about a permanent solution to the issue below (and why it’s happening).

Some photos:

The water level as I initially encountered it.
The perforated pipe after I dug out the dirt and gravel around it. It was originally completely submerged under water.
The pump shortly after being set up.
Approximately 15 minutes later, the water is pretty much drained away (and yes, the pump was moved, to allow optimal pumping to continue).

Why is this happening?

The 240 and 244 buildings both suffer the same issue–inadequate drainage. The 240 building, in particular, has no real drains at all around the entrance, so when we get a very intense amount of rain in a short period of time, it starts pooling up.

The same thing has happened with the 244 building. I took to referring to the giant puddle that would form in front of the entrance as “Lake Copperstone.” Previous councils apparently talked about looking into doing something about this, but nothing ever happened. Council VP Jeff took it upon himself to provide better drainage for the 244 entrance on his own, before he was on council, and now pooling is much less severe there than it used to be. But the main problem remains: When there’s a lot of water in a short span of time, it has nowhere to go.

Outside the 244 building, same day. Water pooling is much less here.

What’s the long-term solution?

Phase 2 of the membrane project should provide a permanent fix to this. As with Phase 1, new drains will be added in areas where it makes sense. For the water pooling issue, the ideal location of new drains will be between the planters in front of both buildings, with the paving stones gently sloping toward the drains to allow the water to naturally flow into them and away from the entrances. This work will be relatively easy to facilitate, because the affected areas will be open/exposed due to the Phase 2 construction. I do not know of an ETA on Phase 2, but it will likely happen as soon as it is feasible.

Crack repairs in the underground parking, March 16-19, 2026

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UPDATE: This post originally stated the work would be complete on March 18. It has been corrected to Thursday, March 19.

I’m a bit late on posting this, but several people have asked about it, so here is the update:

Crack repairs related to Phase 1 of the membrane project are currently taking place in the underground parking below the 244 building. A large area has been cordoned off and plastic sheets have been put up to contain dust and debris while the concrete slab is drilled. When drilling is complete, the crack will be filled with a concrete-like mixture that will prevent leaks from above.

The work should be completed on Thursday, March 19. Owners who had vehicles in the affected area were notified, I am not sure why a general notice of work was not made to all residents.

You can just see some of the plastic sheeting on the left side of the photo below, which shows the contractor’s vehicle.

The original crack was sealed from above with Kryton Krystol but was not covered in plastic and never cured properly. Rather than fixing it, Prostar and Strata Engineering opted to continue with work on the membrane installation, thus requiring the more expensive repair from below.

Here is a shot of the crack a few days after it was filled with the Kryton Krystol, from November 14, 2025. Most of the crack is submerged under rain water and the repair material is already breaking away.

AGM 2026, Part 1: What is an AGM?

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This is an ongoing series about Copperstone AGM 2026. Some parts will be information, some will be opinion. Opinion pieces will be categorized as such and only reflect the views of me, not council, or anyone else at Copperstone.

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) is something that takes place every year as part of the operation of a strata corporation, like Copperstone.

You can get the BC government's official information on AGMs here

What happens at an AGM

  • A yearly budget is approved by majority vote (50% +1) of the registered owners attending.
    • Copperstone’s budget year begins on February 1st, so it is already running when it gets voted on–but it can still be voted down!
  • Any special resolutions are voted on. These generally require a 75% vote to pass. Special resolutions can range from bylaw or rule amendments to levies or approval for large expenditures.
  • Election of strata council. All current council members have their term end at the conclusion of the AGM and any wanting to stay on must get re-elected. Councils can have 3–7 members.

Time and Location

This year’s AGM takes place, as it usually does, at the Sapperton Community Hall.

Location: 318 Keary Street, New Westminster
Time: 7 p.m.
Registration for owners: 6:15 p.m. to 6:55 p.m.

The AGM usually runs about two hours.

Late attendees will be fed to the lions (just kidding).

Sapperton Community Hall. The AGM takes place on the main floor, through the doors shown.

Attendance

Owners can and are encouraged to attend AGMs.

Per the BC government regulations:

Tenants or occupants, regardless of whether they are eligible to vote, can attend the AGM or SGM.