Bylaw Committee Policy

Approved by the Board of Directors, January 2024.

Bylaw Committee Role

The Bylaw Committee has two functions:
– develop bylaws and policies
– member education about co-op bylaws and policies

Developing bylaws and policies

The Bylaw Committee, on behalf of the Board of Directors, ensures that the co-operative has workable and up-to-date bylaws and policies for managing the co-operative.

The Board of Directors can request that the committee develop or revise a document. This may be due to government legislative changes, Co-operative Housing Association recommendations or a gap in Woodsworth’s framework that requires the development of a bylaw or policy.

The Bylaw Committee may propose to the Board that they develop, create or update a bylaw or policy.  Legal authority to make decisions on behalf of the co-op corporation rests with the board of directors.

Either the Board must give the committee the parameters for developing the document or the Bylaw Committee must report back to the Board with a plan or scope in a timely manner.

Bylaws may be reviewed by a lawyer before approval being brought to a general members’ meeting (GMM).

Bylaws approved by the Board must be confirmed by 2/3 of votes cast by members at a general members’ meeting. Policies need a simple majority of votes. Normally, the Bylaw Committee presents the bylaw or policy to the members’ meeting.

Member education

The committee participates in member education through the co-op newsletter, website, forums and other means.

The Bylaw Committee can act as an advisor on bylaw interpretation to the Board of Directors, committees, members and Management. However this advice does not take the place of legal consultation by the Board when appropriate.

Committee Membership

The general membership can request to join the committee. The Board can assign a member or members to join the Bylaw Committee if they wish. This may be due to specialized knowledge or any other reason.

The committee will select a chairperson and a secretary. The committee may set and delegate other roles as required. The chairperson will be responsible for overall coordination of the committee, for convening meetings whenever necessary, for chairing meetings and for reporting to the Board of Directors. The Chair should share reports with the committee before submitting them. The committee must report the makeup  of the committee to the Board of Directors.

The committee will not have the ability to spend any money, authorize any expense, enter into any contract or commit the co-op to anything.  However the committee can submit a budget request for the operating budget subject to bylaws and the approval of the Board of Directors.

Committee members are responsible for attending all meetings or if unavailable, to give notice of absence, for being punctual, for performing an equal share of assigned tasks, and for contributing to decision-making. If a member misses three (3) consecutive meetings, without giving prior notification or having suitable justification, their position on the committee will be reviewed with sufficient notice to all committee members and they may be asked to resign.

All committee members would be notified of the review with at least ten (10) days notice. The vote will happen without the presence of the committee member under review. The Board will be notified if a recommendation of removal is approved by a simple majority vote. (A simple majority is more than half of the votes cast, rounding up if necessary. Abstentions and spoiled ballots are not considered votes cast.)

The quorum for committee meetings will be 50% of committee members. (i.e. of seven members, four are required, including the chair.) If requested by a committee member, the rules of order in the Organizational Bylaw will be followed.

Confidentiality, privacy and conflict of interest

This committee is not normally privy to confidential information. However, the committee members are bound by the articles of the Organizational Bylaw for confidentiality and conflict of interest.

The Bylaw Committee must report to the Board of Directors at least annually or as requested.

Approved by the Board of Directors:    January 9, 2024

Approved by the members:

Making Woodsworth Accessible: policy

Policy on Making Woodsworth Accessible
Approved by the Board of Directors in 2020 to replace the S4S policy approved at the GMM on November 20, 2006

The Policy on Making Woodsworth Accessible addresses ways that the co-op can be made more accessible to all members, staff, other residents and visitors.

1. The accessible one bedroom apartments 306, 307, and 310 will continue to be allocated to people with mobility impairments.
These units are adapted for the use of a person using a wheelchair, although they do not meet current standards defined in the National Building Code or the Ontario Building Code.

Priority will be given to residents. If no current members or individuals on the external waiting list qualify for these units Woodsworth Management and the Membership Committee shall liaise with community agencies to fill the unit as quickly as possible.

2. Expenditures on common areas accessibility upgrades will be referred to the Board or membership. All future renovations and upgrades to common areas should incorporate Universal Design standards when possible. New barriers should not be created when building new facilities or renovating old ones. This can help offset possible future costs of accommodation requests.1

3. At any member’s written request, the Co-op will install minor safety and accessibility enhancements in any townhouse or medium-rise apartment. These minor assists or safety features shall include, but not be limited to, installation of bathroom safety grab bars, replacement of standard door handles with lever handles.

4. All safety and accessibility changes to a unit are permanent. Members will not be expected to return the unit to its original condition when they move out, nor will the Co-op agree to restore the unit to its previous state for subsequent residents.


1   OHRC handbook “Human Rights and The Duty to Accommodate”: “Housing providers…should use the principles of universal design when they are developing and constructing the physical features of housing, and when they are designing housing policies, programs, and procedures. New barriers should never be created when building new facilities or when renovating old ones. Instead, design plans should incorporate current accessibility standards such as the Canadian Standards Association’s Barrier-Free Design and the Principles of Universal Design.”

Occupancy Bylaw #82: about the rights and obligations of the co-op and members

A BY-LAW ABOUT THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CO-OP AND THE MEMBERS, OCCUPANCY BY-LAW #82

Table of Contents includes:

1. About This By-Law (including Occupancy Agreement)
2. Members’ Rights
3. Members’ Contributions
– 3.2 Member Involvement (PARTICIPATION)
– 3.5 Last month’s housing charge deposit and maintenance deposit
4. Setting Housing Charges
5. Members’ Units
6. Use of Units, principal residence
7. Behaviour, including domestic violence / spousal abuse
8. Members’ Households and Guests
9. Household Size
10. How Members Withdraw from the Co-op
11. Dealing with Arrears
12. Dealing with Problems
13. Eviction Procedures
14. Alternatives When Dealing with Problems
15. Appeals to Membership
16. Legal Action
17. Miscellaneous
17.1. Personal Information to Membership
17.2. Legal Actions by Members
17.3. External Complaints
17.4. Co-op Employees
17.5. Non-Member Units
17.6. Non-Members in a Member Unit
17.7. Proof
17.8. Serving Documents
17.9. Signing Schedules for Co-op

Schedules and Attachments

Schedule A: Occupancy Agreement
Appendix A: Member Charge
Appendix B: Household Members
Appendix C: Housing Charge Subsidy Terms and Agreement.
(Related bylaw: Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw)

Appendix D: Special Needs Unit Terms
Schedule B: Long-term Guest Agreement
Schedule C: Sub-Occupancy Agreement
Schedule D: Notice to Appear for Arrears
Schedule E: Notice to Appear
Schedule F: Board of Directors’ Eviction Decision for Arrears
Schedule G: Board of Directors’ Eviction Decision
Schedule H: Notice of Eviction Decision for Arrears
Schedule I: Notice of Eviction Decision
Schedule J: Performance Agreement Arrears
Schedule K: Performance Agreement
Attachment A: Summary of Time Requirements and Examples

Related policy has been Approved by the Board of Directors:

Guideline for prohibited conduct Aug 2020


 


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