What stays out of the minutes: privacy for BC stratas
Minutes are read by every owner, future buyers, and sometimes a tribunal. Write them knowing the audience, and keep personal information out.
Strata corporations are subject to BC's Personal Information Protection Act, and minutes are the strata document with the widest audience: every owner receives them, buyers read two years of them, and the Civil Resolution Tribunal quotes them back. The discipline is simple to state: minutes record the corporation's decisions, not its gossip, and not personal information the decision does not need.
The habits that keep minutes safe
Decisions, not debates. The Act requires results of votes, not a transcript of who argued what. "Council discussed the landscaping contract and resolved to renew for one year" is complete. Attributing positions to named people adds legal exposure and neighbourhood friction, and adds nothing to the record.
Lot numbers, not names, in enforcement. Bylaw complaints, fines, and arrears belong in the minutes as corporate business, but at the level of "a noise complaint concerning SL 8 was reviewed; a warning letter will be sent." The owner involved already knows who they are; the other fifty-nine owners and every future buyer do not need to.
Arrears in aggregate. The financial report can say "total arrears stand at $4,320 across three lots." Publishing a name-and-shame list in the minutes is the classic PIPA complaint, and it is entirely avoidable.
Never health, family, or bank details. If a hardship request or medical accommodation is discussed, the minutes record the decision ("council approved a payment plan for one lot") and nothing else.
Sensitive matters and the in-camera record
Some council business is legitimately confidential while it is live: legal advice, negotiations, personnel issues with employees or contractors, the details of a hearing. Many councils keep a brief separate confidential record for those items and let the circulated minutes say only that the matter was considered. Use this sparingly and honestly; it is a privacy tool, not a way to hide decisions owners are entitled to know about.
Video meetings and recordings
A recording of a meeting is a bundle of personal information. If one is made to help the minute-taker, announce it, use it, and delete it once the minutes are approved. Do not archive recordings alongside the minutes; the minutes are the record. More in our electronic meetings guide.
When owners ask for more detail
Owners sometimes ask why the minutes are "vague" about a neighbour's dispute. The honest answer is the right one: the minutes record what council decided, and the privacy of individuals is protected by law. An owner with a direct interest in a matter has other routes, including requesting a council hearing, where the details can be discussed with the people entitled to hear them.
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
Bylaw Enforcement
Council Hearings
Electronic Meetings
Minute-Taking Guide