Tenant Appointments to the Board of Directors

of the Toronto Housing Company Inc.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (January 28, 1999) from the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Housing Company Inc.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports, for the information of Council, having requested the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Housing Company Inc., to ascertain from the three tenant nominees that they have no financial conflict of interest if appointed to the Board of Directors of the Toronto Housing Company, and to report thereon directly to Council for its meeting on March 2, 1999.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee submits the following report (January 28, 1999) from the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Housing Company Inc.:

Purpose:

To appoint three tenants to the Toronto Housing Company Board of Directors.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the following tenants of the Toronto Housing Company be appointed to the Board of Directors for a term of ten months, expiring after the December 1999 meeting of the Board:

Mary Crowe

Elaric Kissoon

Vic Waring

Background:

At the City of Toronto Council meeting of December 16 and 17, 1998, approval was given to the articles of amalgamation and by-laws of the Toronto Housing Company (THC). In adopting the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommendations, Council directed that:

"The Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Housing Company Inc. and the tenant organizations within the Housing Company, be requested to develop and implement a plan that would provide for the democratic selection of the tenant representatives to sit on the Board of Directors from amongst the tenants of the Company."

The tenants proposed to the Committee for appointment to the Board of the THC have been selected through a process agreed to by the tenant organizations of the THC, and with the support and co-operation of the Chief Executive Officer. As noted below, this process is an interim one, pending the development of a resident involvement plan for the new company.

Comments:

The Toronto Housing Company is working with tenants on the development of a resident involvement plan for the new company. This plan will identify opportunities and processes for tenant participation in the decision-making of the company, at the building, community and corporate level. The plan, to be completed by the end of the summer, will also identify how tenants are to be selected for appointment to the Board of Directors. As the resident involvement plan is not yet finalized, tenants to be appointed to the Board of Directors were selected through an interim process.

The Board of Directors of the THC has recognized the Housing Company Tenant Council (MTHCL) and the Tenant Association Council of Toronto (TACT) as representatives of the tenants of the two former companies which were amalgamated to form the THC. It was agreed that these organizations would nominate tenants for appointment to the Board of Directors, pending the development of a resident involvement plan for the THC. The HCTC has named two tenants to be appointed to the Board and TACT has named a single tenant. The number of tenants to be appointed by each organization was agreed to by the two groups, and reflects the proportion of tenants in the new company who were formerly housed by MTHCL and Cityhome.

The three tenants appointed at this time will sit on the Board until the end of 1999. At that time tenants appointed will be named to the Board for a period of three years. This is consistent with the by-laws of the THC approved by Council at the December 1998 meeting. The Board is composed of 11 Directors: 3 tenants (nominated by tenants through a democratic process), 3 Councillors nominated by the Striking Committee, and 5 citizens selected by the Nominating Committee.

Contact:

Derek Ballantyne

Chief Executive Officer

Toronto Housing Company

Tel: 392-0051

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Mr. Harold Snow, tenant, Toronto Housing Company, appeared before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee in connection with the foregoing matter.