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

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

Table of Contents only. To read the bylaw, see the attached PDF:

1 About This By-Law  …..  Page 7
1.1. Introduction …..  Page 7
1.2. Priority of this By-law  …….  Page 7
1.3. Repeals   …..  Page 7
1.4. Laws about Occupancy ….. Page 8
1.5. Occupancy Agreement ….. Page 8
1.6. Special Meanings  ……  Page  9
(including business day, definition of housing charges, eviction and year)
1.7. Summary of Time Requirements  …… Page 11

2. Members’ Rights    …… Page 11
2.1. Use of a Unit and the Co-op’s Facilities  …. Page 11

3. Members’ Contributions …..  Page 11
3.1. Housing Charges  ……  Page 11
3.2. Member Involvement    ……. Page.12
3.3. Payment of Housing Charges  ……. Page 12
3.4. Other Charges    …. Page 13
3.5. Last Month’s Housing Charge Deposit and Maintenance Deposit  ….. Page 13
3.6. Housing Charges Are Per-Unit   ….. Page 14
3.7. Housing Charge Subsidy   …… Page.14

4. Setting Housing Charges   …. Page 15
4.1. The Members Set the Full Monthly Housing Charges …… Page 15
4.2. Annual Budgets     .. Page 15
4.3. Notice of Proposed Budget    … Page 16
4.4. Changes in Housing Charges    …. Page 16
4.5. Mid-year Change in Housing Charges   … Page..16

5.    Members’ Units   …..  Page 17
5.1. Maintenance and Repair   ….. Page…17
5.2. Privacy     ……. Page 18
5.3. Damage by Fire, etc.    ……… Page….19
5.4. Members’ Insurance    ……… Page…..19

6. Use of Units     …… Page 20
6.1. Residences    ….. Page 20
6.2. Principal Residence  ….. Page   20
6.3. Related Uses   … .. Page 20
6.4. No Transfer of Membership or Occupancy Rights  … Page 21
6.5. No Profit from Unit  ….  Page 21
6.6. Co-op’s Insurance   …. . Page..21

7.    Behaviour    …….. Page 21
7.1. Prohibited Conduct …..  Page  21
7.2. Human Rights    …… Page 22
7.3. Violence    ……… Page 22
7.4. Domestic Violence   …. Page  22
7.5. Return of Member …… Page .22
7.6. Explanations     …… Page 23
7.7. Calling Police and Other Authorities   … Page 23
7.8. Acts of Others    … Page 23

8. Members’ Households and Guests ……Page  23
8.1. Basic Requirements  ….. Page 23
8.2. Addition of a Member    …… Page 24
8.3. Turning Sixteen (16)    ………. Page 24
8.4. Long-term Guests   …. . Page 24
8.5. Casual Guests     ….. Page 25
8.6. Sub-Occupancy and Absence from Unit  ……. Page 25
8.7  Evicted Persons    ……. Page 26

9. Household Size     …. Page 26
9.1. Purpose of Household Size Requirements   …… Page 26
9.2. When Household Size Rules Apply   …… Page 26
9.3. Occupancy standards   ………  Page 27
9.4. Not Meeting Minimum House Page hold Size  …….. Page 27
9.5. Reporting Change in Household Size   …… Page 28
9.6. Subsidized Households    ….. Page 28

10. How Members Withdraw from the Co-op   …. Page 28
10.1. Membership and Occupancy are Linked  ……. Page 28
10.2. Ending Membership and Occupancy   ….. Page 28
10.3. Part of Household Ends Membership and Occupancy …. Page 29
10.4. Death of a Member   ……. Page 30
10.5. Vacant or Abandoned Unit    …… Page 31

11. Dealing with Arrears    ……. Page…..31
11.1. Eviction     ……. Page 31
11.2. Non-Payment and Late Payment  ……… Page 31
11.3. Replacement Payment    ……. Page  32
11.4. Late Payment and Failed Payment Charges  ….. Page 33
11.5. Directors in Arrears   …… Page  33
11.6. Arrears Payment Agreements  …. Page 34
11.7 Notice to Appear for Arrears or Persistent Late Payment ……. Page 35

12. Dealing with Problems   ….. . Page  35
12.1. Eviction     ……. Page 35
12.2. Notice to Appear  …….. Page  35
12.3. Deciding to Give a Notice to Appear   …. Page 36
12.4. Limits of Action by Co-op  …..  Page  36

13     Eviction Procedures     …. Page 36
13.1. Board Meeting on Notice to Appear   …… Page 36

14. Alternatives When Dealing with Problems  …. Page 37
14.1. Alternatives to Eviction   …. Page 37
14.2. Conditional Eviction Decisions  ….. Page 38
14.3. Performance Agreements    …. Page 38
14.4. Information to Others    …… Page 38
14.5. Non-Performance by Member   ….. Page 38
14.6. Authorization of Performance Agreements …… Page 39

15. Appeals to Membership  ……   Page 39
15.1. When a Member Cannot Appeal   ……… Page 39
15.2. How to Appeal    …. Page 40
15.3. Appeal Information ….. Page   40
15.4. Procedure for Appeals at Members’ meetings …… Page 41

16. Legal Action  …  Page 42
16.1. Enforcing Eviction Decisions  … Page 42
16.2. Membership Rights on Eviction  …  Page 42
16.3. Interest   …..  Page 43
16.4. Rights Not Cancelled    …… Page 43
16.5. Co-op Costs     …. Page 44

17. Miscellaneous     ……… Page 44
17.1. Personal Information to Membership  …. Page  44
17.2. Legal Actions by Members   … . Page  44
17.3. External Complaints   ….. Page 45
17.4. Co-op Employees   ….  Page 45
17.5. Non-Member Units ….  Page 46
17.6. Non-Members in a Member Unit   …. Page 46
17.7. Proof  ….   Page 46
17.8. Serving Documents  ….. Page  46
17.9. Signing Schedules for Co-op  …. Page 47
17.10.Minor Errors, Omissions or Irregularities  . .. Page.47
17.11.Starting Date for this By-law …  Page 47

Schedules and Attachments   ………… Page..48
Schedule A: Occupancy Agreement ….   Page.49
Appendix A: Member Charges    ….. Page 51
Appendix B: Household Members   … Page 53
Appendix C: Housing Charge Subsidy Terms and Agreement … Page 55
Appendix D: Special Needs Unit Terms  …….. Page 59
Schedule B: Long-term Guest Agreement   …Page 62
Schedule C: Sub-Occupancy Agreement  …… Page  64
Schedule D: Notice to Appear for Arrears   …. Page  67
Schedule E: Notice to Appear   …… Page 68
Schedule F: Board of Directors’ Eviction Decision for Arrears …..Page  70
Schedule G: Board of Directors’ Eviction Decision  …….. Page .71
Schedule H: Notice of Eviction Decision for Arrears ….. Page  72
Schedule I: Notice of Eviction Decision  ……. Page. 73
Schedule J: Performance Agreement Arrears   …….. Page  74
Schedule K: Performance Agreement   …. Page 76
Attachment A: Summary of Time Requirements and Examples ….. Page 78

This related policy about Article 12 Dealing with Problems has been Approved by the Board of Directors:

Guideline for prohibited conduct Aug 2020


 


The full text of the Occupancy Bylaw #82

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Racial Discrimination: from the Ontario Human Rights Commission

Submitted by the Board of Directors, July 6, 2022

The Board sometimes receives complaints about violations of our Human Rights Bylaw which is based on the Ontario’s Human Rights Code. We remind members that we must strive to live together free of discrimination, and that when the Board receives complaints, we must investigate. Below is an instructive article from the Human Rights Commission’s website.

Ontario’s Human Rights Code 

The Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) provides for equal rights and opportunities, and freedom from discrimination.The Code recognizes the dignity and worth of every person in Ontario. It applies to the areas of employment, housing, facilities and services, contracts, and membership in unions, trade or vocational associations.

Under the Code, every person has the right to be free from racial discrimination and harassment. You should not be treated differently because of your race or other related grounds, such as your ancestry, colour, place of origin, ethnic origin, citizenship or creed. This applies to areas covered by the Code such as at work, at school, in rental housing, or in services. Services include places such as stores and malls, hotels and hospitals, recreation facilities and schools.

Racism and racial discrimination

In Canada, there are strong human rights laws and systems to address discrimination. At the same time, we also have a legacy of racism – particularly towards Aboriginal persons, but to other groups as well, includ ng African, Chinese, Japanese, South Asian, Jewish and Muslim Canadians. This legacy affects our systems and structures even today, affecting the lives of racialized persons and all people in Canada.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission describes communities facing racism as “racialized.” Race is a social construct. This means that society forms ideas of race based on geographic, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors, as well as physical traits, even though none of these can be used to justify racial superiority or racial prejudice.

Racism is a broader experience and practice than racial discrimination. Racism is a belief that one group is superior to others. Racism can be openly displayed in racial jokes, slurs or hate crimes. It can also be more deeply rooted in attitudes, values and stereotypical beliefs. In some cases, people don’t even realize they have these beliefs. Instead, they are assumptions that have evolved over time and have become part of systems and institutions, and also associated with the dominant group’s power and privilege.

Racial discrimination is the illegal expression of racism. It includes any action, intentional or not, that has the effect of singling out persons based on their race, and imposing burdens on them and not on others, or withholding or limiting access to benefits available to other members of society, in areas covered by the Code. Race only needs to be one factor in a situation for racial discrimination to have occurred.

Racial harassment is a form of discrimination. It includes comments, jokes, name-calling, display of pictures or behaviour that insults you, offends you or puts you down because of your race and other related grounds.

Racial discrimination can often be very subtle, such as being assigned to less desirable jobs, or being denied mentoring and training. It might also mean facing different job standards than other workers, being denied an apartment because you appear to have Aboriginal ancestry, or facing unfair scrutiny from police while driving or from security staff at a shopping mall.

Systemic racial discrimination 

Racial discrimination can happen on an institutional – or systemic – level, from everyday rules and structures that are not consciously intended or designed to discriminate. Patterns of behaviour, policies or practices that are part of the structures of an organization or an entire sector can disadvantage or fail to reverse the ongoing impact and legacy of historical disadvantage of racialized persons.This means that even though you did not intend to, your “normal way of doing things” might be having a negative impact on racialized persons.

Identifying and addressing racial discrimination 

Organizations must take proactive steps to make sure they are not taking part in, condoning or allowing racial discrimination or harassment to happen.

An anti-racism program will also make it easier for organizations to promote equity and diversity goals, and it makes good business sense.

For more information 

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy and Guidelines on Racism and Racial Discrimination and other publications are available at www.ohrc.on.ca.

Woodsworth’s Human Rights By-law is available on the co-op website – www.woodsworthcoop.ca and in the By-law binder in the photocopy room on the 2nd floor.