Who does what on a strata council
The Act says surprisingly little about titles. The Standard Bylaws and good practice fill in the rest, and dividing the work is what keeps volunteers sane.
Owners elect the council at each AGM by majority vote, and the council then runs the corporation between general meetings, exercising the powers and performing the duties of the strata corporation under section 26 of the Strata Property Act. The familiar officer titles come mostly from the Standard Bylaws, which have council elect a president, a vice president, a treasurer, and a secretary from among its members at the first council meeting after the AGM. Minute that election; it is the year's first item of business.
The four offices, honestly described
President. Chairs meetings, keeps discussion moving, is usually a signing authority, and is the default spokesperson. The president has no extra vote and no solo power; a president who decides things alone is a governance problem, not a leader.
Vice president. The understudy: chairs when the president cannot, and shares the load in practice.
Treasurer. Watches the money: reports operating and contingency balances at each meeting, tracks arrears in aggregate, drafts the budget with the manager or bookkeeper, and makes sure two signatures move funds.
Secretary. Owns the record: minutes distributed within two weeks, the section 35 records, correspondence, and meeting notices. It is the heaviest recurring workload on most councils, which is why it has its own guide.
Members at large round out the council and take projects: a landscaping file, a parkade repair, a bylaw review. Committees of owners can help, but committees recommend; council decides.
The standard everyone serves under
Section 31 sets the standard of care for every council member: act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the strata corporation, and exercise the care, diligence, and skill of a reasonably prudent person in comparable circumstances. Section 32 adds the conflict rule: a council member with a direct or indirect interest in a matter must disclose it, abstain, and leave the room, and the minutes should record that they did. These two sections are the ones quoted back at councils in disputes, and clean minutes are usually the proof of compliance.
Sharing the load
The commonest failure mode is one heroic volunteer doing everything until they burn out and resign with the records on their laptop. The fix is boring and effective: divide the offices as above, keep records in a shared place from day one, and make each meeting's minutes show who took which action item. If nobody wants the secretary's pen, that specific job is the one this website exists to carry.
Let us handle the minutes themselves
StrataMinutes turns your council's rough notes into complete, professionally formatted minutes that meet the requirements of the Strata Property Act, usually within minutes. Every document comes with a compliance checklist.
No payment details needed for your first council meeting.
This page is general information for BC strata councils, not legal advice. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.
Related guides
Secretary Duties
Self-Managed Stratas
Meeting Agenda
Council Hearings