BC Strata AGM Notice & Quorum Requirements

Every BC strata must hold an Annual General Meeting, and two procedural rules trip councils up most often: giving proper notice and meeting quorum. Get either wrong and the meeting's decisions can be challenged. Here's how both work.

How much notice must a strata give for an AGM?

The Strata Property Act requires the strata to give owners a minimum period of written notice before a general meeting — at least two weeks (the SPA also accounts for mailing time when notice is mailed). Notice can be delivered the way each owner has agreed to receive it, including email where the owner has consented.

The notice package must include the agenda and, critically, the exact wording of any resolution that needs a 3/4 vote, unanimous vote, or other special majority. Owners must be able to read a resolution before they vote on it — you can't spring a 3/4 resolution from the floor.

A complete AGM notice package typically contains:

• The date, time, and place (or video link) of the meeting.
• The agenda.
• The proposed budget and current financial statements.
• The exact text of every special resolution.
• A proxy form for owners who can't attend.

What is quorum, and how is it calculated?

Quorum is the minimum participation needed for the meeting to do business. Under the SPA's standard rule (which bylaws can modify within limits), quorum is owners holding at least 1/3 of the strata's votes, present in person or by proxy.

Direct answers to common quorum questions:

• "Do proxies count toward quorum?" Yes. An owner represented by a valid proxy counts as present.
• "What if we don't reach quorum?" The SPA provides for adjournment. If quorum still isn't met after the meeting is reconvened a short time later, the owners then present can generally constitute a quorum so essential business — like passing a budget — can proceed.
• "Does quorum need to last the whole meeting?" Practically, you confirm quorum at the start and note it in the minutes; if owners leave and quorum is lost, later votes can be challenged.

How do proxies and voting thresholds work?

A proxy lets an owner authorize someone else to attend and vote for them. Proxies must be in writing and identify the meeting. Encourage owners to submit them in advance — they're often the difference between reaching quorum and adjourning.

Voting thresholds matter as much as quorum:

• Majority vote — ordinary business and the budget.
• 3/4 vote — significant matters like many bylaw amendments and most special levies and non-routine CRF spending.
• Unanimous vote — a small set of fundamental changes.

Because the threshold drives the notice wording, plan your resolutions before you draft the package.

Running a clean AGM

Send notice on time, include every required document and the exact resolution text, confirm quorum before you start, and record it all in the minutes. A platform like ManageStrata schedules the AGM and assembles the notice package so the timing and contents are correct. For the bigger picture, see how to self-manage a strata in BC.

Reviewing past notice packages and minutes to confirm proper procedure can be tedious. To quickly analyze a strata's documents, tools like SearchStrata use AI to surface the key facts — including whether prior meetings met notice and quorum requirements. Procedure isn't glamorous, but it's what makes your AGM's decisions stick.