A special general meeting is how a BC strata handles business that can’t wait for the AGM: a special levy, a bylaw change, terminating the management contract. The procedure lives in sections 42 to 51 of the Strata Property Act, and the Civil Resolution Tribunal has voided votes over notice defects that took thirty seconds to make. This checklist covers before, during, and after, with the section numbers your secretary can cite.
Key takeaways
- Calling it: Council can call an SGM at any time (s.42). Owners holding 20% of votes can force one (s.43); council has 4 weeks to hold it.
- The real notice period: “At least 2 weeks” (s.45(1)) plus 4 days of deemed delivery (s.61(3)) means Day 20 or later by mail or email. Day 16 by hand.
- Resolution text is mandatory: The notice must contain the proposed wording of every 3/4-vote resolution (s.45(3)) — the omission that gets meetings re-run at the CRT.
- Forgiveness is narrow: Section 47 saves a vote where notice failed despite a reasonable attempt, not a notice missing the resolution.
Two weeks’ notice is really twenty days. The votes that get struck down trace back to that arithmetic, or to resolution wording the owners never saw.
Two ways an SGM gets called
Who can call a special general meeting in a BC strata?
The council can call one at any time under section 42 of the Strata Property Act, and owners holding at least 20% of the strata corporation’s votes can force one by written demand under section 43.
A requisition means a written demand from holders of at least 20% of votes, requiring council to put a specific resolution to the owners. CHOA’s Bulletin 400-038 warns that council has no authority to rewrite a petitioned resolution — the signatories’ wording is what gets voted on. The sequence is fixed:
- The demand is given. Under s.63, a mailed or emailed demand is deemed given 4 days later; handing it to a council member, in contrast, counts immediately.
- Council holds the SGM within 4 weeks. The president may call it without a council meeting (s.43(4)).
- The demanded resolution goes first on the agenda (s.43(5)).
- If council misses the window, the signatories may consequently hold the meeting themselves (s.43(6)).
Alternatively, under s.46, the same threshold can force the resolution onto the agenda of the next AGM or SGM.
The notice: two weeks means Day 20
How much notice is required for an SGM in BC?
At least 2 weeks’ written notice under s.45(1) — which, once deemed delivery is counted, means the meeting can be held on Day 20 or later for mailed or emailed notice.
From our research into the notice rules, this arithmetic trips more councils than any other step. Section 45(1) requires at least 2 weeks’ written notice to every owner, plus mortgagees who filed a Form C request and tenants assigned a landlord’s vote. However, s.61(3) deems notice sent by mail, email, fax, or under the door given 4 days after delivery. The Interpretation Act then excludes both the sending day and the meeting day.
VISOA’s worked example does the sum: 2 days plus 4 days plus 14 days equals 20 days, so a notice put under doors on June 3 permits a meeting on June 22 at the earliest. The provincial guidance table likewise confirms Day 20 for deemed delivery, Day 16 for hand delivery. A council that books the room for Day 15 has scheduled a defective meeting before anyone votes.
| How notice went out | Deemed given (s.61(3)) | Earliest meeting |
|---|---|---|
| Mail, email, fax, under the door, mail slot | 4 days after delivery | Day 20 |
| Handed directly to the person | Immediately | Day 16 |
The notice must also contain the proposed wording of every resolution requiring a 3/4, 80%, or unanimous vote, plus the date, time, place, and electronic-attendance instructions (s.45(3)). One trap: an owner with an address outside the strata plan (a landlord, for example) may only be noticed by hand or by mail (s.61(1)(a)). Email alone does not count for those owners.
In the room: quorum, thresholds, and proxies
Quorum is eligible voters holding one third of the strata’s votes, present in person or by proxy (s.48). The figure rises to two thirds where the strata has fewer than four lots or four owners, and both defaults are subject to your registered bylaws. No quorum within half an hour adjourns the meeting to the same day next week. If quorum fails again, however, the voters present constitute a quorum, unless the bylaws say otherwise.
Most matters pass by majority vote (s.50(1)). The definitions in s.1(1) set the denominators:
| Threshold | Counted against |
|---|---|
| Majority and 3/4 votes | Votes cast by those present in person or by proxy, excluding abstentions |
| 80% and unanimous votes | All eligible voters, present or not |
In other words, a 3/4 vote means three quarters of the votes cast in the room and by proxy, not three quarters of the building. A circulated 3/4 resolution can be amended only for non-substantial changes, and the amendment itself first needs a 3/4 vote (s.50(2)).
Proxies must be written and signed (s.56); anyone can hold one except the strata manager or a strata employee, per the provincial voting guidance. Standard Bylaws 25 to 28 supply the conduct rules, all amendable: voting cards, secret ballot on request, results announced and recorded. Electronic and hybrid meetings, meanwhile, have been permanently available since November 24, 2022 under s.49, with electronic attendees deemed present in person.
What the CRT voids, and what it forgives
From our analysis of the published CRT decisions, we found the split runs along one line: content defects put votes at risk of being struck down, while execution defects are usually forgiven. In Farrell v. Strata Plan K 414, 2018 BCCRT 382, for instance, the notice omitted the proposed wording of 3/4-vote special-levy resolutions. The tribunal found the voting “was improperly conducted,” contravening s.45(3), and ordered a new meeting with proper s.45 notice within 30 days. Farrell was an AGM, but SGM notice rules are the same: the defect costs the whole meeting, re-run on a fresh 20-day clock.
Content defects put votes at risk. Execution defects are usually forgiven.
Conversely, not every breach unwinds the meeting. In Craig v. Strata Plan 1526, 2018 BCCRT 310, a self-managed strata breached s.45(1) and s.45(3), yet per the BC Law Institute’s roundup, the tribunal ordered council-governance training rather than voiding the votes. Section 47 points the same direction: a notice failure does not invalidate the vote if the strata made a reasonable attempt to comply with s.45.
After the vote: minutes and the one-week wait
Section 35(1)(a) requires minutes of general meetings, including the results of any votes. Recording the counts, not just “carried,” is good practice. No statutory deadline, however, exists for circulating SGM minutes: Standard Bylaw 19’s two-week rule covers council minutes only, and s.36(3) gives two weeks to answer records requests.
A close 3/4 vote triggers s.51:
- If holders of less than half of all votes voted in favour, the strata waits one week before acting.
- Within that week, owners holding at least 25% of votes may demand a reconsideration SGM, held within 4 weeks.
- The quorum rule, notably, reverses there: no quorum within half an hour means the meeting must not proceed, and the original resolution stands. Reconsideration happens only once.
If your SGM exists to pass the three-quarter vote that changes management firms, the 60-day transition playbook covers what follows.
The receipt: before, during, and after
Print this and clip it to the notice package.
| Phase | Check | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Trigger confirmed: council decision or 20% written demand | s.42, s.43 |
| Before | Requisitioned meeting within 4 weeks; demanded resolution first on agenda | s.43(3), (5) |
| Before | Exact resolution wording in the notice (3/4, 80%, unanimous) | s.45(3) |
| Before | Meeting on Day 20+ (mailed/emailed) or Day 16+ (hand-delivered) | s.45(1), s.61(3) |
| Before | Off-plan owners noticed by mail or in person, not email alone | s.61(1)(a) |
| Before | Electronic-attendance instructions included if hybrid | s.45(3), s.49 |
| During | Proxies written, signed, not held by the strata manager | s.56 |
| During | Quorum: one third of votes; half-hour adjournment rule if short | s.48 |
| During | 3/4 resolutions amended only for non-substantial changes, by 3/4 vote | s.50(2) |
| During | Secret ballot if any eligible voter asks; results announced and recorded | Standard Bylaw 27 |
| After | Minutes prepared with the results of every vote | s.35(1)(a) |
| After | Close 3/4 vote: wait one week before acting | s.51 |
| After | Records requests answered within 2 weeks | s.36(3) |
Related reading for your council
- Strata council duties in BC — what the council owes owners between meetings.
- The 60-day transition playbook — if the SGM’s purpose is switching firms.
- The strata management contract checklist — the clauses to read before signing.
Frequently asked questions
- How much notice is required for an SGM in BC?
- At least 2 weeks' written notice under section 45(1) of the Strata Property Act. Notice sent by mail, email, or under the door is deemed given 4 days after delivery under section 61(3), and the Interpretation Act excludes the sending day and the meeting day. In practice the meeting can be held on Day 20 or later for mailed or emailed notice, or Day 16 or later if hand-delivered. Winding-up resolutions require 4 weeks' notice under section 45(1.1).
- Who can call a special general meeting in a BC strata?
- The strata council can call an SGM at any time under section 42 of the Strata Property Act. Owners holding at least 20% of the strata corporation's votes can require one by written demand under section 43, and the council must then hold it within 4 weeks. If the council misses that window, the signatories may call and hold the meeting themselves under section 43(6).
- What is a quorum for a strata general meeting?
- Eligible voters holding one third of the strata corporation's votes, present in person or by proxy, under section 48 of the Strata Property Act. The figure rises to two thirds where the strata has fewer than four strata lots or fewer than four owners. Both defaults are subject to the bylaws, so check your registered bylaws before relying on them.
- What happens if there is no quorum at a strata meeting?
- Under section 48, if quorum is not present within half an hour of the scheduled start, the meeting stands adjourned to the same day the next week at the same time and place. If quorum again fails within half an hour, the eligible voters present then constitute a quorum, unless the bylaws provide otherwise. The exception is a reconsideration SGM under section 51(9), which must not proceed without quorum; the original resolution stands.
- Can a BC strata hold its general meeting by Zoom or phone?
- Yes. Electronic and hybrid general meetings were permanently enabled for all BC stratas on November 24, 2022 under section 49 of the Strata Property Act, with no bylaw required. The notice must include instructions for attending electronically, all attendees must be able to communicate with each other, and electronic attendees are deemed present in person.
- Does a defective meeting notice invalidate the vote?
- Not automatically. Section 47 of the Strata Property Act preserves a vote where the strata made a reasonable attempt to give notice under section 45. A notice that omits the proposed wording of a 3/4-vote resolution is a different kind of failure: in Farrell v. Strata Plan K 414, 2018 BCCRT 382, the CRT ordered a new meeting because the resolution text was missing from the notice.
