Prorogation stops co-op housing eviction law reform bill in its tracks – for now

October 17th, 2012 by Celia Chandler

At the beginning of October, in an unusual moment of unanimity, all parties at Queen’s Park showed enthusiasm for Bill 65, a bill to put in place a new eviction process for housing co-ops. In our earlier blog on this bill, we summarised comments from the second reading debates, and predicted that, with some minor tweaking, the legislature would quickly pass this bill.

When we wrote that blog, like the rest of the world, we did NOT anticipate McGuinty’s bombshell on Monday evening – resignation and proroguing parliament until a new Liberal leader is in place. Prorogation cleans the legislative slate. When MPPs return to Queen’s Park, all bills caught in the prorogation will need to be reintroduced. Will the co-op housing sector be able to get this back on the government’s radar? Stay tuned…

The “Unco-operative Co-oper”

October 17th, 2012 by Celia Chandler

Ever had a housing co-op member who dominated the board agenda with demands for action? How about someone who bullied the co-op’s staff either in person or on-line? And then there are those who bombard other members of the co-op with endless paper or who post endless notices in the co-op’s hallways?

If these circumstances sound familiar, you are not alone. More and more of our housing co-op clients are reporting having members who take up valuable board energy and time at the expense of other matters being dealt with. If you’re interested in sharing ideas about the “uncop-operative co-oper” please join us Saturday at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto’s Fall Member Education Event. For more information, check out the CHFT website at: www.coophousing.com

Construction and employment updates

October 16th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

Many of our clients blend the roles of developer, owner and employer in construction projects.  For those of you who wear these hats, there are some updates in the law that might interest you.

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Report from international summit in Quebec City: ‘The Amazing Power of Co-operatives’

October 15th, 2012 by Brian Iler

Last week’s International Summit of Co-operatives(subtitled “The Amazing Power of Co-operatives”) was clearly designed to put the co-operative model front and centre on the world’s economic policy agenda. The Summit, held in Quebec City, did just that.

2012 is the UN-declared International Year of Co-operatives, and this conference was in many ways the Year’s marquee event — for the world.

For me, active for many years in Ontario co-ops, it was an opportunity to rub shoulders with an amazing and diverse group of committed co-operators. And to deeply savour the scope and potential the co-op model has.

As the catch-phrase for the Year says: “Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World.”

We heard many examples of just that.

Read more on rabble.ca

Small and Rural Charities Initiative Update

October 15th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) completed its Joint Action Plan as part of the Small and Rural Charities Initiative.  The recommendations include more community-based, in-person service for small and rural charities through the development of community partnerships with umbrella groups, universities, or colleges, where feasible and providing a list of services available to charities in their communities (such as municipal benefits, pro-bono university legal services, etc.).  The CRA may also consider developing and distributing educational products, including a Roadshow (Charity Information Session) DVD to small and rural charities, as well as to newly registered charities, non-compliant charities, and other charities upon request.  The CRA will also consider promoting the development of community networks, to enable small and rural charities to communicate, share best practices, and learn from each other.  There is a full chart setting out the recommendations. For more information see the report The Small and Rural Charities: Making a Difference for Canadians.

Rural charities may have limited access to expertise and may need legal advice to get their organization into compliant condition.  Please contact us today to get assistance with CRA issues facing small and rural charities.

Jarvis Bike Lane Removal Exposes Serious Weaknesses in Municipal Class Approvals

October 12th, 2012 by Laura Bowman

The “Class EA” was introduced to the Ontario environmental assessment process shortly after the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act was passed, in 1976. The purpose of Class EAs was said to be to streamline approvals for undertakings that were similar in nature (i.e. belonging to the same ‘class’ of project) and that generally had predictable and easy to mitigate effects and therefore did not need full environmental assessments. Class assessments were immediately used for municipal infrastructure projects. Class EAs are an attempt to balance many competing policy factors including reducing the cost of municipal infrastructure, avoiding duplication with other municipal processes and the difficulty of predicting environmental effects on a class‑wide basis. However, strong pressures to exempt an ever growing array of projects from full environmental assessments have led to the growth of Class EAs, and Class EAs have come to dominate EA practices in Ontario by a wide margin.

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