118 Aldersmith Strata

Under Section 8(1) of our strata by-laws, owners are required to obtain approval from Strata Council before making an alteration to Common Property, including Limited Common Property, and may be required to take responsibility for any expenses relating to the alteration.

Pursuant to the By-Law, this rule requires that owners seek the approval of Strata Council before planting any shrubs, trees, or invasive species (rule does not apply to flowers and shrubs in planters/vases situated on balconies and patios).

A list of strata-approved plants is here. acceptableshrubsforplanting-february112019.pdf

Owners are asked to limit their approval requests to plants on the list.

Below is an Approval Request Form owners will need to complete and submit to the Strata Council as part of the approval process, if they wish to do any landscaping.

landscapingalterationrequestform.pdf

In the past, some residents have planted invasive species resulting in unwanted spread and potential removal expense to the Strata, which means to the other owners in the complex. Accordingly, failure by owners to obtain approval prior to completing any planting may result in fines under the Strata By-Laws.

A couple of new items owners should review – the one below is the strata bylaw that outlines the procedure for making a complaint.

118-aldersmith-pl-strata-council-bylaw-complaint-procedure.pdf

The second item is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about our strata that new owners should review.

strata-faq-2023.pdf

Here is our new strata newsletter. Enjoy!

Our Strata council approved standards for installation of heat pumps at its Oct 2021 council meeting. Owners wishing to install heat pumps must complete an Alterations Agreement for submission to Strata Council for approval at its monthly meeting. Owners can find the Alterations Agreement, the Heat Pump Standards and an Installation Checklist on the page Aldersmith Strata Info.

Federal government will pay up to $5,000 if you make your home more energy efficient

The government of Canada is launching a new program today that offers Canadians grants of up to $5,000 to pay for energy-saving home upgrades.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan rolled out the Canada Greener Homes Grants program today — worth about $2.6 billion over seven years — to help homeowners upgrade heaters, install solar panels and replace windows and doors.

Homeowners will be able to receive grants of up to $5,000 to make energy efficient retrofits to their primary residences, and up to $600 to help with the cost of home energy evaluations.

How to Replace Lost Canada Post Mailbox Keys

1. Go to your local Canada Post Office or contact Canada Post at 1-866-607-6301.
2. Request a change of lock and a set of replacement keys. 
3. Canada Post will replace the lock on your mailbox.
4. Bring the Delivery Notice Card that you receive to the Post Office indicated along with photo identification.

You can also have replacement keys cut at Canadian Tire so you always have a backup available.

During the summer of 2020 several units had their wooden decks replaced with composite decking. Below is the cleaning instructions for the owners of these decks.  
Our decking is Timbertech Edge: 

https://www.timbertech.com/ideas/maintenance-for-composite-decking/

With the change in the colour palette of our complex, we have sourced companies that can supply replacement doors consistent with the model and colour of our existing garage doors. Should you need to replace your garage door, contact:

Depend-A-Door, Steelcraft Doors, Colour – Sandstone QC4611

Tedford, Clopay Doors, Colour- Sandstone

Unit Contingency Coverage & Loss Assessment Coverage.

There are a couple of clauses within your individual homeowner’s insurance policy that you should pay close attention to and review with your insurance agent.

The Unit Contingency Coverage insures your unit so you are protected in case the Strata coverage is not sufficient.

In the event of major loss/destruction of the complex property the Loss Assessment Coverage covers the owner’s individual share of the Strata’s insurance deductible ($2,000,000) for all our common properties.

Re-building of the complex could NOT begin until all owners pay their share of the deductible. Owners are encouraged to check their home insurance polices to see if they have sufficient coverage for this.

The general rule is to change the smoke alarms in our homes every 10 to 12 years. Our units have the ones that are hard wired into our homes and on each level of our units.

One resident has just replaced his with a dual sensor (both heat and smoke). They are the 120 volt ac powered, with a battery backup and a “hush” button for those times we over do our toast or ??? The units are the Kidde Pro series (see picture below) from Rona Home builders. The price is $38.98, unless you get them on Seniors Day (first Tuesday of the month) and get 10% off at $35.08.

The old smoke alarms are not to be discarded in the the garbage because of radioactive sensing element, but can be recycled at the Return-it depot at Ellery and Lampson St in Esquimalt at no charge. It only takes about 15 minutes to change each unit once the power has been turned off.