ALLIANCE FOR AFFORDABLE CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING

Minutes of Meeting
Thursday, July 3, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Recreation Room, Windmill Line Co-op, Toronto

PRESENT: Donald Altman (Church-Isabella; chairing), Bridget Bayliss (Windmill

Line), Barbara Czarnecki (Windmill Line; recording), Brian Eng (Oak Street,
Wellesley Institute), Christine Mounsteven (Charles Hastings), Patrick Newman
(Cardifff), David Sells (Innstead), Brynne Teall (Oak Street), Beth Wilson (Toronto
Women’s)

REGRETS: Morley Chalmers (Church-Isabella), Angela Cowie (Hugh Garner),

Murtaza Dogo (Eamon Park), Corrie Galloway (Windward), Marilyn Garner
(Three Links), Pat Leslie (Hugh Garner), Darlene Morris (Tannery Gate), Edward
Nixon (Windmill Line), Brenda Roman (Arcadia), Sharyn Wallace (Innisfree),
Quentin Wright (Vancouver East)

1. Introductions

2. Adopt agenda
Added to 6, Current projects: Rally for Thornhill Green.

3. Minutes of May 13, 2008

Agreed by consensus.

4. Updates
— “existing tools/additional assistance” letter:
Stanley Knowles and Windmill Line received responses from Minister Solberg.
The letter says nothing new. This is the final confirmation that “existing tools” are
not available to co-ops that do not have problems other than subsidy shortage.

— deputation on Housing Opportunities Toronto:

Brynne, Christine, and Corrie made a deputation on June 16. The text will be
posted on the AACH Yahoo Group site. Toronto Women’s also made a
deputation; Carrol Downey spoke about her own experience. The focus was on
having enough affordable housing. The city’s final plan will be available in the fall.

— meeting with Bob Rae on Liberal Party platform development:

Rae heads the platform committee and has more co-ops in his riding (Toronto
Centre) than any other MP. Beth was there, with Tom Clement and Maria LaVida
from CHFT and Christopher Wilson for CHF Canada. They pitched the proposal
to “create” 10,000 affordable units in co-ops at a cost of $36 million. Rae said the
amount is “peanuts.” He does not favour the sort of national housing plan
Canada had in the 1960s.
AACH Minutes, July 3, 2008

— counting vacancies for response to George Smitherman:

No one from CHFT was present to report. Members noted that the commitment
to give vacancy numbers to Smitherman was made in March. He has now shifted
from Health to Energy; the interest he expressed in March was related to health
aspects of housing, especially for people with mental illness. Beth will follow up
with CHFT. Brian noted that the new minister of health is David Caplan, who has
a good background in housing issues.

— CSPC research project:

Beth’s project at the Community Social Planning Council is about the potential for
housing co-ops to provide more RGI accommodation. Things will get moving in
the fall.

5. CHF Canada AGM

— AACH meeting
Although the flyer did not get into the registration package, turnout was good: 40
people signed in. The room was too small. The agenda was crowded, leaving no
time for participants to hear from one another. But the presentations by Beth and
Carrol from Toronto Women’s, Doug Perry of Cana Management, and David
Granovsky of CHF Canada were great, and there was a bit of discussion.
Ideas sent in for next time: an agenda should be sent out ahead of time.
Have a longer meeting in a bigger room.

— resolutions and business meeting:

All political resolutions passed.

— workshops:
The Agency workshop was about the comparative statistics that are now being
collected and reported. The Agency is open to asking more and different
questions in the future. Members discussed a wish list of questions that would
give a fuller picture of subsidy funding:
• How many households receive RGI subsidy?
• How many get federal money, and how many get provincial or internal
funding?
• What was the greatest number of units to receive subsidy, and what is the
number now?
• What percentage of income do members receiving subsidy contribute to their
housing costs?
• How many households, including those not receiving subsidy, pay more than
30% of income (the impossible question)?
• How many households are on an internal waiting list for subsidy?
• When was the last time you accepted external applicants who needed
subsidy?
Barbara will send these questions to Alexandra Wilson.

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AACH Minutes, July 3, 2008

6. Current projects
— lobbying MPs and candidates in target ridings
Meetings are being organized by CHF Canada and CHFT, such as the meeting
with Rae that Beth attended. Patrick attended a meeting with MP Derek Lee and
urged him to promote a federal role in affordable housing.

— “building a house” for October housing summit

The summit has been envisioned as a gathering of housing advocates to support
a meeting of provincial ministers. The timing remains uncertain, and it is not clear
whether the federal minister will join. If these things all happen, they will be
around the same time but not necessarily on the same days.
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee has a house frame that might work for
our purposes. Barbara will follow up with Cathy Crowe.
An organizing meeting was set for Wednesday, July 23, 7:00 p.m. at the
Wellesley Institute. Brynne will draft an email; Barbara will circulate it with a
“please forward” line. This meeting will draft a to-do list, and turnout will give us
an idea of who is willing to contribute time and resources.
Beth will begin drafting a handout about AACH.

— rally for Thornhill Green:

A rally for Thornhill Green, which is under threat of takeover by York Region, is
planned for July 15. Barbara will circulate information about transit and will
coordinate a car pool.

7. AACH business: the financial statement is unchanged.

8. Task list
Nothing to report.

9. Not to be forgotten
— treating internal subsidy as charitable contribution
— contacting non-housing co-operatives and other allies
— media strategy
— connecting with other housing advocacy organizations
— provincial lobby campaign (after report of upload review)

Date of delivery for the upload report is unknown. The Matthews report on
poverty is expected in October.

10. Next meetings:

Wednesday, July 23: organizing meeting for “house” project, 7:00 p.m.,
Wellesley Institute.
Tuesday, Sept 2: regular AACH meeting, Windmill Line

11. Adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

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AACH Minutes, July 3, 2008

Task List – as of July 3, 2008

Date Item Who TASK Target

# Assigned Date
Apr 9/08 29 Tom Talk to Homestarts about S95.

May 30 Tom CHFT workshop/discussion group for Fall

13/08 staff about the Agency’s toolkit. 2008
Mar 33 Barbara Collect economic eviction instances.
15/07
Jan 8/08 37 Corrie/ Call co-ops with 2007 and 2008
Christine rollovers.
May 42 Nick Sidor Look into meeting with editorial board
13/08 of Tor Star to link with AGM.