Tag: community

Reconciliation Bylaw #45

The Reconciliation Committee was renamed Conflict Mediation in 2025.
See  6 steps to repair.

WOODSWORTH HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE, INC.

RECONCILIATION BY-LAW (No. 45)

Passed at the AGM on 27 November 1996
(formerly the Grievance Policy and Procedure)
Amended by By-law No. 50 at the GMM on 22 November 1999;  Consolidated up to April 2010 and adopted by the members on September 30, 2010.
By-law and committee name amended, Sept. 30, 2010 By-law 69.

1. OBJECTIVE

As a cooperative community, it is our goal to live together harmoniously. When conflicts arise between members, we should strive to resolve them in a sincere and sensitive manner instead of allowing misunderstandings and personal differences to escalate. The grievance procedure is a means of resolving differences among members of the Woodsworth community which cannot be accommodated through other channels. This procedure should be used only when a member feels that his or her use and quiet enjoyment of the co-op are being unreasonably compromised and threatened by another member or by a member’s guest. The specific focus of this procedure is on complaints regarding interpersonal conflicts.

2. RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE

Relationship with the Board

The purpose of the Reconciliation Committee is to help resolve formal grievances to the satisfaction of all involved parties. If this is not possible, the committee may recommend further action, as appropriate, to the Board of Directors. The committee is not a disciplinary body or a ‘court of law’ within the co-op. It cannot take any disciplinary action against any member or members who contravene Co-op rules or regulations. It can only refer such cases to the Board for resolution.

Composition

 The Reconciliation Committee of the Co-op shall consist of seven voting members as follows:

(a) six members shall be elected at a general meeting, three each year, for two-year terms.

 (b) One director shall be appointed by the board of directors as its liaison and shall attend meetings of the Committee as a voting member.

Meetings

 Grievances shall be dealt with by duly called meetings of the Committee and the quorum for such meetings will consist of any four of seven Committee members.

Responsibilities

The Committee shall appoint a Chairperson and a Secretary from among its members. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping proper minutes of the Committee’s meetings. The Secretary shall also be responsible for storing and maintaining the Committee’s files concerning the particulars and disposition of all formal grievances.

Conflicts of Interest

Members of the Reconciliation Committee who are directly parties to a complaint must step down from the Committee until the complaint has been resolved. Members of the Committee who have a conflict of interest in a dispute must declare that conflict.

Exclusion

The following type of cases shall not be dealt with by the Reconciliation Committee:

  • Cases Involving Other Co-op Bodies: The Committee is not authorized to deal with complaints against the staff, the administration, or the other committees of the Co-op. Such complaints should be addressed to the Board of Directors. Complaints that fall within the specific jurisdiction of another committee, especially with respect to by-laws, policies, and regulations as found in the Occupancy Agreement, should be directed to the appropriate committee or staff person.

  • Offenses Against the Law: The Committee will not proceed with a grievance if, after investigation, it considers that the matter should more properly be handled by the police or the courts.

  • Cases Requiring Professional Intervention: The Committee will not attempt to intervene, or to provide services, where an investigation indicates that help of a medical or social service agency or professional is indicated.

3. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

 The following steps shall comprise the normal steps of a normal grievance procedure:

Member’s Initiative

A Co-op member who has a grievance against another member must first contact that member in person — as soon as possible after the action causing the grievance has occurred — and attempt to resolve the grievance directly. The only exception to this requirement is where the member is certain, based on past attempts or experience, that such direct contact will be unsuccessful, or where the member genuinely fears that abuse or retaliation may result.

Filing a Grievance

 If the member’s direct initiative does not resolve the conflict, then the member should put the grievance in writing and submit it to the Co-op office, marked ‘Confidential — for the Attention of the Reconciliation Committee.’ The member would do well also to telephone a member of the Reconciliation Committee to alert the Committee to the fact that the grievance has been filed. The grievance should include the following information:

  • the name and unit number of the member filing the grievance;

  • the name and unit number of the person against whom the grievance is laid;

  • the nature of the alleged infraction or action causing the grievance, with as many facts and details as he or she considers necessary;

  • an account of the attempts that were made to resolve the grievance directly, or the reasons why such attempts were not made.

Committee Discussion

The Committee, having received a written grievance, shall review it at its next regular meeting and determine how to proceed. If the matter is urgent, a special meeting can be called at the discretion of the Chairperson.

Investigation

Providing that they are confident the complainant has made all the appropriate attempts at an amicable resolution of the problem, the Committee shall proceed to investigate the facts involved in the dispute. The details of the alleged offense, together with the attitude of the complainant, shall be investigated by means of personal interviews with (in the following sequence):

  • the complainant;

  • the person complained against;

  • any available witnesses.

These interviews shall all take place at the earliest possible opportunity. Normally, each interview which involves the principals to the dispute shall be conducted by at least two members of the Committee, each of whom shall be responsible for preparing a written report of the interview.

Review of the Investigation

The necessary interviews and investigations having been completed, it will be normal practice for the Committee to meet again in order to share the information acquired so far, and form an opinion as to whether the grievance is valid, in whole or in part. Note that the Committee members will not inform either of the parties of their opinion as to the validity of the grievance at this point.

Mediation

The Committee will next attempt to effect a resolution of the grievance. Normally, this will call for further interviews with the parties involved, either separately or in a face-to-face meeting. If a face-to-face meeting with both parties occurs, it will normally be held in a space that does not belong to either party involved.

Resolution

If a resolution is effected, this will normally end the process. In some cases, the members may agree that the Reconciliation Committee participate in some form of monitoring of the resolution reached.

If a Resolution Cannot Be Reached

If no resolution of the dispute has been effected by the meditation process, the Committee shall then re-examine the issue to determine whether, in its opinion, the grieving member’s use and quiet enjoyment of his or her unit are still being unreasonably compromised. If it decides this is the case, it will normally refer the grievance to the Board of Directors. If, however, the Committee feels that the grievance was of doubtful merit it shall so advise the complainant and inform him or her that the Committee is closing its file on the case. At the same time, the Committee shall inform the complainant that he or she has the right to appeal its finding to the Board of Directors.

Record Keeping

All particulars and minutes of meetings shall be kept strictly confidential and shall be disclosed only to the Board of Directors at their request. At the end of each year, and after consultation with the Committee, the Secretary shall précis and record the premise and conclusion of each grievance, to be kept in the files of the Reconciliation Committee and the members involved. This is to facilitate the resolution of future complaints that might involve any of the parties. All related testimony, documents and notes will be destroyed.

Consolidated up to April 2010 and adopted by the members on September 30, 2010.

The Reconciliation Committee was renamed Conflict Mediation in 2025.
See 6 steps to repair.

Donations Policy

WOODSWORTH HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE, INC.

DONATIONS POLICY

Passed at GMM on May 14, 1991

The amount allocated for community donations will be recommended to the general members annually as part of the normal annual budgeting cycle. The recommended amount will be set at the discretion of the Board with advice from the Finance Committee.

  1. The Board of Directors will disclose annually the full amount of donations made in the financial year, together with the names of the recipient charities and the amount awarded to each charity in a report prepared at the same time as the annual audited statement.

  2. A member, or Board member, who makes a request for a donation to a cause to the Board, must disclose any affiliation to the cause, whether of membership or employment or other affiliation. Any such Board disclosure will be reported in the Meeting Minutes of the Board of Directors.

  3. Allocation Guidelines:  In any financial year, the Board, at its discretion, may allocate an amount up to the indicated percentage of the total donations allocation to an organization or a combination of organizations in each of the following categories of causes:Co-op Housing Sector        75%
    Other Co-op Sector             50%
    Neighbourhood                    50%
    Other Community Causes    25%
    (This category includes environmental, food and hunger, community health and welfare, and peace causes.)
  4. In no circumstances will the Co-operative donate funds to a political party or candidate for elected office.

Consolidated up to April 2010 and adopted September 30, 2010.

 

Members’ Stories

Woodsworth has had some memorable members over the years. These two members were long-time editors of the Weekly newsletter.

John Boyd

Long-time member John Boyd, now living in a seniors’ facility, won the 2007 Distinguished Co-operator Award from the Ontario Co-operative Association.
A memoir of his life as a socialist.

Obituary for John

David Ibbetson, Our Wine Benefactor

At the enjoyable wine tasting  funded by David through his will, a newer member asked who David was. While I knew David as a stalwart behind the Weekly, a convivial member and an eccentric individual, I didn’t know much about his background. Here’s what I found out on the Web.

David Noel Isserlis Ibbetson, who born in Wallington, England on September 24, 1933 and died on March 23, 2005. He received his education at the City of London School and the Imperial College, University of London, where he graduated at the top of his class. He was also an Associate of the Royal College of Science. During his college days he joined the Special Air Service Regiment and the Artists Rifle Association and he continued his participation after he moved to Canada in February 1969.

David was a statistician and worked in that profession until his retirement. He was also an active member of Mensa. He was an avid reader and was actively interested in a broad range of topics and disciplines.

He was an early adopter of the Internet and many people around the world  knew him because of his participation in a number of e-mail discussion lists, “lists populated by word lovers and editors and technical writers and fans of Dorothy L. Sayers. The Internet was very good for him. It would let him use his sharp mind and great knowledge to interact with others. Through his contributions to various e-mail discussion lists, he developed friendships that expanded beyond the business of the lists.”

One writer sums him up like this:  “David was a man of grace and wit. He had a base of knowledge that was broad and deep. He was very generous, warm, and caring.”

I also found this anecdote about David from when he was in the British SAS Reserves, contributed by Major Roy Fielder TD, Vice President, Artists Rifles Association.

David  was in 21 SAS Regiment (Artists) TA from 1952 to 1970. David returned to the UK to attend regimental reunions on two occasions in recent years.

On one occasion, “Ibbo”, as we called him, was one of a group being taught how to use the Sun Compass. When at one stage David blurted out “that’s not quite right sir“, the exasperated WW2 SAS Navigator invited David to complete the lecture. David did that, very competently, to roars of delight from his colleagues.

On another occasion, there was an unfortunate accident on the gun range. David was taking part in a Sten Gun shoot and he had inadvertently moved the switch from single shot to automatic. Bullets were sprayed everywhere. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

David excelled in his statistical work and always managed the “stats” tent at our Annual Rifle Meeting. David never let us down and everyone trusted his findings.

He was in a Signals Squadron and was peerless in deciphering messages. He remained a valued member of both the SAS Regimental Association and the Artists Rifles Association for many years.

David coped with his health difficulties with great dignity and courage and will be greatly missed by his former SAS comrades.

David had a muscle wasting disease that greatly limited his mobility and caused him great pain. He also had diabetes and several other health problems.

And last, I found this in a discussion about technical writing on the Pros or Cons of Section Numbering (1996), written by David where he described himself as David (the numerate idiot) Ibbetson!

I don’t mind humour provided it doesn’t get in the way. I read text books and manuals for information. Properly used humour can make the information more digestible. e.g. memorable examples. A recent thread concluded that the Brits prefer less humour than the North  Americans. In this respect I’m British.

RIP, David.