BC Tribunal Tosses $200 EV Fine: Why This 'Electricity Theft' Case Matters for Condo Buyers

The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal recently overturned a $200 fine imposed by a strata corporation on a homeowner who plugged his electric vehicle into an outlet in the building's underground parking garage. According to the April 2026 decision, the strata had accused the owner of "stealing electricity" and violating bylaws, but the tribunal member found no applicable bylaw existed to support the penalty. The dispute arose after the owner requested permission to charge his EV on December 30, 2023, following an earlier September 2023 email indicating the strata permitted EV charging under specific conditions—namely that only one vehicle charged at a time and owners paid $0.14 per kilowatt hour for tracked usage. Despite this precedent, the strata placed a moratorium on new charging requests by January 2024, then fined the owner in April 2024 after discovering his vehicle plugged in during a routine breaker inspection.