More people living in strata buildings will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at home as the Province has introduced legislation to make it easier for strata corporations and owners to install charging stations.

“Many B.C. strata residents are eager to make the switch to electric vehicles, but the lack of charging stations in their buildings is holding them back,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “Our government is committed to help people reduce their carbon footprints by improving access to EV charging stations in residential buildings. That’s why we’ve introduced legislation to make it easier for strata corporations to greenlight charging stations.”

The proposed amendments to the Strata Property Act, introduced on Thursday, April 6, 2023, will improve access to EV charging stations in residential strata buildings by:

• lowering the voting threshold from 75% to 50% approval for expenditures and changes to common and personal property that are needed to install EV charging stations;
• requiring strata corporations to obtain an electrical planning report to help understand the building’s electrical capacity and plan for the expansion of EV charging stations; and
• requiring strata corporations to approve owners’ requests to install EV charging stations at the owners’ expense, when reasonable criteria are met.   

“B.C. has one of the largest public electric vehicle charging networks in Canada, but we need to make it easier for more people to charge their EVs at home,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “When people have access to EV charging stations at home, they’re much more likely to purchase electric vehicles. This new legislation builds on our ongoing work to get more EVs on the road, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and meet our climate goals.”

The Province has introduced several initiatives to encourage people to purchase electric vehicles, including the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program and a provincial sales tax exemption on used EVs. As a result of these initiatives, the number of EVs on B.C.’s roads has increased from 5,000 in 2016 to more than 109,000 as of December 2022.

Quotes:

John Stonier, EV advocate and past president, Vancouver Electric Vehicles Association —

“These amendments to the Strata Property Act, combined with other provincial initiatives on EV charging, make British Columbia a world leader in supporting EV-charging infrastructure.”

Tony Gioventu, executive director, Condominium Home Owners Association of BC —

“These amendments are a practical solution that reduce barriers for communities and owners converting to electric vehicles in stratas. They strike a good balance between enabling the adoption of more EVs, electrification of parking garages, and providing strata corporations with the flexibility necessary to appropriately manage their properties and protect the interests of all the owners.”

Quick Facts:

• In 2022, the Province introduced a provincial sales tax exemption on used EVs, effective until 2027.
• In 2011, B.C. introduced the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program.
• In 2019, the Province passed the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, which requires 30% of vehicle sales and leases to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, 100% by 2040.

Learn More:

To learn more about the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program, visit: https://goelectricbc.gov.bc.ca/personal-rebate-offers/passenger-vehicle-rebates/#individuals