ODN sits down with Stuart Syme
Publisher: Stuart and I don’t talk to each other very often. We don’t agree on much. I sent him an e-mail to say he is “being maligned in some ways” and asked if he would “talk face to face with ODN?” I included five questions that I wanted to ask. He called me and said, “buy me a coffee”. The rest of our phone call was about why we don’t get along … and then we agreed to meet over coffee.
Publisher: Why here? Why now?
Stuart: A lot of what is said in this Town is said in the coffee shops. Every coffee shop in Oliver is like a cluster of grapes on a vine. Stories pass around this grapevine very quickly – that’s a good thing. The problem is that the content is mostly opinion and very little fact. I would like to change the coffee shop paradigm.
Publisher: What’s your opinion about the situation at Park Place?
Stuart: I won’t answer that question … for three reasons: One, I am the Secretary/Treasurer of the Park Place strata and I am not the Public Information Officer so I cannot speak for the owners or the strata corporation – in fact, I don’t want to even appear to speak for the strata. Two, my personal opinion has no greater value than that of any other owner. And three, I want to change the coffee shop paradigm.
Publisher: Why did the residents move out of Park Place?
Stuart: I can tell you why Karen and I moved out of Park Place. You would have to ask the other 42 owners why they moved out.
Publisher: Why did you and your wife, Karen, move out of Park Place?
Stuart: Good question – I’ll answer that one. On the 6th of June 2013, every owner received the same letter from Lawrence Riding – the structural engineer who had just completed his report on the cause of the damage to Park Place. In his letter, he wrote:
“All Strata Lots and Common Property on the main floor of the building must be vacated no later than August 15, 2013. All remaining Strata Lots and Common Property on the second and third floors must be vacated no later than September 1, 2013. Note that in the case of an emergency, at any time, Strata Lot Owners will receive a maximum 72 hour notice to vacate the Strata Lots and Common Property. Depending on the nature of such an emergency, if it occurs, the notice to evacuate may be immediate.”
“It would be in the best interest of everyone for all Strata Lot Owners to immediately begin securing alternative accommodations and storage. I strongly recommend that all Strata Lot Owners remove their heavier or bulkier possessions soon knowing that the elevator could be affected by the continuing structural movements and may not be available for use.”
My dear wife has mobility issues. She could not walk down the three flights of stairs if the elevator was not operating. She is also hearing impaired to the point where she cannot hear a smoke alarm in the same room so we had a strobe light connected to the building fire alarm installed in our suite. I’m telling you this because one night in early June 2013, she was awakened in the middle of the night by a number of sharp cracking noise in the trusses overhead. They must have been extremely loud because she is mostly deaf. Other residents were also awakened. That was enough for us and we moved out. Did anyone make that decision for us? No.
Publisher: Is the building unsafe for human occupation?
Stuart: I am not qualified to answer that question. If anybody does give you an answer to that question, I suggest you ask to see their qualifications.
Publisher: What is needed to fix it?
Stuart: Tough question, Jack. It depends what the person you ask is trying to achieve. If you ask an owner who intends to sell their suite and not move back into Park Place – and that is a personal decision that Karen and I have made together – then it would take a lot of fixing to be able to sell any suite for its full potential value. If you ask someone who wants to move back and live in Park Place, they would probably say some things have to be fixed first and other things can be fixed later. At the end of the day, what gets fixed will be decided by the owners and nobody else.
Question and answer about a previous offer of assistance redacted
Publisher: Who should pay for the needed repairs?
Stuart: I think that your question is getting very close to the root of the problem … money. The owners were told that some investors would help … but that offer has evaporated.
Question and answer about the offer of assistance redacted
Publisher: Did you go to the meeting at the Fairview Golf Course?
Stuart: I wasn’t invited. I believe that only two of us were not invited.
Publisher: I have heard that some owners have received offers to purchase their suites.
Stuart: I have heard that, too. If someone made an offer to us, we would take it to our real estate agent and lawyer, and proceed with their professional advice.
Publisher: What is the biggest problem you face right now?
Stuart: I broke a tooth a couple of weeks ago and put in a temporary filling myself. As true as that is, you deserve another answer, Jack. The biggest problem for everyone right now is communication. There is too much being said and at the same time there is not enough being said. I’m no different than anyone else. We all have urgent and immediate issues to deal with – like a broken tooth – while other people bombard us with things they want us to believe are more important and more urgent. I am open to your suggestions, Jack. How do we reduce the pressure to make important decisions quickly?
Publisher: Anything you want to add?
Stuart: Merry Christmas, Jack.