Check out the following files and information provided by Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for BC to learn about how strata corporations and strata agents acting on their behalf must adhere to the privacy rules contained in Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
1. Privacy Guidelines for Strata Corporations and Strata Agents [PDF File]
2. PIPA and Strata Corporations: Frequently Asked Questions [PDF File]
. Collection, use and disclosure of personal information
. Retention and protection of personal information
. Requests for personal information
. Personal information of employees
. Privacy tips for minute-taking at strata corporation meetings
. Privacy issues relating to audio or video surveillance and monitoring systems
. Requests for complaint records
. Responding to privacy complaints
. Creating a privacy policy
. Personal information collected before January 1, 2004
. Responding to privacy breaches
. Appendix 1: Guidelines for creating a strata corporation privacy policy
. Appendix 2: Four key steps in responding to a privacy breach
Q: Is a strata corporation subject to PIPA?
Q: Can a strata corporation collect and use personal information in order to manage the corporation?
Q: What personal information can a strata corporation collect at strata council meetings and include in the minutes?
Q: How should minutes be prepared when an individual making or seconding a motion objects to having his or her name recorded?
Q: Can a strata council make an electronic recording of a council meeting?
Q: Section 36 of SPA allows an owner to access a copy of the minutes of annual and special general meetings and council meetings. Do names and other personal information need to be removed before the minutes are released?
Q: When an owner writes to a strata council requesting approval of a renovation, may the strata minutes record the unit number, lot number, or other identifying description of the unit that will be doing the renovation?
Q: Can a resident have access to a letter of complaint about them?
Q: What obligations does a strata corporation have to redact third-party personal information in correspondence when requested by a strata property owner?
Q: Can a strata corporation recover expenses incurred in producing and providing a document requested under SPA?
Q: Can the names and contact information of the members of the strata council be disclosed to anyone who asks, or published in a newsletter or on a web site?
Q: Can a strata corporation provide an owner with the contact information for other owners?
Q: Does PIPA affect a strata corporation’s ability to collect outstanding debts?
Q: Does PIPA affect a strata corporation’s ability to investigate and enforce its bylaws or rules?
Q: Can a strata corporation install video surveillance on strata property?
Q: Can a strata corporation give personal information to a property management company it has hired?
Q: Can a strata corporation disclose account and payment statements to an owner, a purchaser, or a person authorized by an owner or purchaser?
Q: Can an owner use the personal information of other owners to convene a meeting of the strata corporation to elect a council?
Q: Are owners who rent their strata units subject to PIPA?
Q: Can an owner provide the name of a tenant to the strata corporation?
Q: My strata council claims that under privacy law they cannot disclose the names of companies that provided quotes for maintenance. Can they refuse to provide me with this information?
Q: I believe my personal information was shared in an unauthorized way by my strata. How should I follow up?
Q: If an individual sends an email to a strata manager, and requests that the email remain private, is the strata manager allowed to share the email including personal information with the strata council?
Q: Can the signatures of a strata corporation petition be disclosed to another owner?
Q: Is there anything in PIPA that prevents a strata corporation from entering a strata lot to conduct a fire inspection for which proper notice has been provided?
Q: Can a strata corporation store its owner data and records with a cloud provider if the cloud provider’s servers are located outside of Canada?