Board of Directors Meeting - April 27, 2012

Agenda

Revision #1 (revised on April 25, 2012)

Chair’s Poll re: Conflict of Interest

Confirmation of Toronto Community Housing Corporation Minutes – February 23, 2012

Business Arising from the Public Minutes and Board Action Item List

Approval of Agenda and Review of Agenda Order

Review of Agenda (all items not held will be voted together without discussion)

Presentation:

1 – Fiona Crean, Office of the Ombudsman

For Approval:

2 – 2011 Annual Report

3 – Reducing the Number of Stand-alone Units Proposed for Sale, BIC

4 – 2012 Operating Plan (report not yet available)

5 – Director Education and Board Development Budget 2012, GRHRC

6 – 2001064 Ontario Inc., GRHRC

For Information:

7 – Q4 2011 Quarterly Performance and Progress Report

8 – Correspondence to Board from City of Toronto - NONE RECEIVED

9 – Committee Public Minutes and Updates from Committee Chairs

1. Building & Investment Committee Minutes: January 27, 2012, BIC
2. Corporate Affairs & Audit Committee Minutes: January 27, 2012, CAAC
3. Governance, Risk and Human Resources Committee Minutes: January 16, 2012, GRHRC
4. Tenant & Community Services Committee Minutes: November 24, 2011 (Amended) and January 30, 2012, TCSC

For Approval:

10 – Internal Audit: 2012 Budget and 2012 Work Plan, CAAC (New Agenda Item)

Minutes

The Board of Directors of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation met on April 27, 2012 in the Main Floor Conference Room, 931 Yonge Street, Toronto at 9:32 a.m.

Directors in Attendance:

Norman (Bud) Purves (Chair)

Munira Abukar

Zahir Bhaidani

Christian Buhagiar

Jason Gorel

Councillor Norm Kelly

Brian Kwan

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Councillor Cesar Palacio

Councillor John Parker

Catherine Wilkinson

Jennifer Wood

Audrey Wubbenhorst

Also present:

Len Koroneos, Chief Executive Officer (Interim) and Chief Financial Officer

Michelle Haney-Kileeg, General Manager, Office of the CEO

Deborah Simon, Chief Operating Officer

Marta Asturi, Legal Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary

Paul Chisholm, General Manager, Access Housing Connections Inc.

Josie Scioli, Chief Executive Officer, Housing Services Inc.

A quorum being present, Mr. Norman (Bud) Purves, Chair, called the meeting to order, and Mrs. Janice Lewkoski served as recording secretary.

The Chair provided opening remarks, including an update on the Board Town Hall Meetings. The Chair thanked Councillor Palacio for his leadership and energy in managing the town halls and thanked all of the Board members, staff and tenants who have attended and contributed to the meetings. The Chair noted that a public report on the town halls will be brought forward to the Tenant and Community Services Committee.

The Chair reported on the independent review of the condominium purchases by those involved with the Regent Park Development Corporation and emphasized that the review does not affect Toronto Community Housing’s commitments at Regent Park.

Councillor Norm Kelly joined the meeting at 9:35 a.m.

The Chair provided an update on the Affordable Housing Special Working Group led by Councillor Ana Bailão. He gave details on the mandate and work plan of the special working group.

Declaration of Conflict of Interest

The Chair requested members of the Board of Directors to indicate any agenda item in which they have a conflict of interest, together with the nature of the interest. Mr. Christian Buhagiar declared a conflict of interest in item 5 re: Director Education and Board Development Budget 2012 due to his employment with the Institute of Corporate Directors, a company listed in the report.

Deputations

The Chair polled for any deputations to be heard at the meeting and explained the deputation process noting that deputations would be heard when the agenda item arises. A list of people wishing to provide verbal deputations was received for the meeting.

Minutes – Confirmation of Board Minutes of Toronto Community Housing Corporation for February 23, 2012

Motion carried

The Board had before it the draft Board minutes for the February 23, 2012 public meeting.

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Councillor Cesar Palacio, seconded by Ms. Catherine Wilkinson, the Board of Directors confirmed the above-captioned minutes as circulated.

Approval of Agenda and Review of Agenda Order

The Board discussed agenda item 3 re: Reducing the Number of Stand-Alone Units Proposed for Sale.

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Norman Purves, seconded by Councillor Cesar Palacio and carried, the Board of Directors deferred item 3 re: Reducing the Number of Stand-Alone Units Proposed for Sale. The Board requested management bring back a motion to address the City’s requests and include an update on the state of repair.

The following further changes were made to the agenda:

• Item 10 re: Internal Audit: 2012 Budget and 2012 Work Plan was moved up on the agenda to follow item 6.
• A written deputation from Councillor Crisanti was moved to item 8 re: Correspondence to the Board from the City of Toronto.

With respect to item 6 re: 2001064 Ontario Inc., a Board member requested that the address of the property (112 Elizabeth Street) connected with the numbered company be referenced in future reports.

The following public agenda items were held for discussion:

• Item 1 – Presentation from Fiona Crean, Office of the Ombudsman
• Item 2 – 2011 Annual Report
• Item 4 – 2012 Operating Plan
• Item 10 – Internal Audit: 2012 Budget and 2012 Work Plan
• Item 7 – Q4 2011 Quarterly Performance and Progress Report
• Item 8 – Correspondence to Board from City of Toronto
• Item 9 – Committee Public Minutes

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Catherine Wilkinson, seconded by Mr. Jason Gorel and carried, the Board of Directors approved the items not held for discussion.

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Audrey Wubbenhorst, seconded by Mr. Jason Gorel and carried, the Board of Directors approved the agenda as amended.

Item 1 – Fiona Crean, Office of the Ombudsman, Presentation

The Chair introduced Ms. Fiona Crean, Ombudsman, to speak to the Board.

Ms. Crean gave a presentation to the Board providing an overview of the work of her office and the complaint process. Ms. Crean provided copies of the following information booklets from her office to the Board:

• October 2010 publication – Defining Fairness – The Office of the Ombudsman and the City of Toronto Public Service
• Toronto Ombudsman Annual Report 2011
• 7 Things to know about your Ombudsman

The Chair thanked Ms. Crean on behalf of the Board for her presentation.

Ms. Crean responded to questions from the Board regarding:

• the types of complaints her office receives regarding Toronto Community Housing and its subsidiary Access Housing Connections Inc.,
• how her office works with Toronto Community Housing staff and management,
• how her role compares with the LeSage Review recommendation for the creation of a housing commissioner,
• how reports from her office regarding Toronto Community Housing are delivered and reported to the Board, and
• remedies for tenants when issues cannot be resolved by Toronto Community Housing.

Councillor John Parker joined the meeting at 10:04 a.m.

The Board requested that the Tenant and Community Services Committee receive information on Ombudsman inquiries.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Councillor Frances Nunziata, seconded by Councillor Cesar Palacio, the Board of Directors received the presentation for information.

Item 2 – 2011 Annual Report, TCHC:2012-19

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2012-19) from the Chief Executive Officer (Interim).

Mr. Len Koroneos introduced the report and noted that the audited financial statements will be ready in June.

The Board discussed the report and noted that it is not a complete report to the shareholder without the financial statements. The Board considered whether the annual report should be held back until the financial statements are available and both can be reviewed by the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee before approval by the Board.

The Board and management discussed the 120-day deadline required by the shareholder direction. The Board discussed the timeline for the financial statements.

The Board discussed amending the annual report to include more information and a message from the Chair. The following are some of the comments from the Board members on the report:

• report should include more information about assets sold,
• report should comment on factors that have had an impact on tenants, including the Auditor General’s reports, bed bugs, the sale of single family houses, discontinued participatory budgeting process, staff overturning democratic decision-making process, significant funding reduction to Councils for Tenant Engagement, restricted tenant access to community space and the Ethics Hotline,
• report should include information on how TCHC is correcting issues such as MLS deficiencies, and
• report should include a breakdown for the City on MLS deficiencies (e.g. type of deficiency, costs to rectify, etc.).

The GRHRC Chair advised that his committee will look at the committees’ terms of reference in order to articulate which committee is responsible for reviewing the annual report.

The Board suggested that the 120-day deadline for the annual report in the shareholder direction be considered during the review of the draft shareholder direction and that management suggest amendments to this section if this deadline is not possible.

The Board requested that the recommendation #3 from the report (authorize the CEO to make changes, as required) be removed from the report when it comes back to the Committee/Board.

The Board discussed the attachment to the report relating to the 2011 Quarterly Performance and the Chair of the Tenant and Community Services Committee noted his committee’s recommendations on improving the measure related to Eviction Prevention/Successful Tenancies:

1. Engaging litigation clerks with appropriate skill set for rent collection.
2. Engaging outside rent collection expertise to ensure an aggressive timeliness for notification and eviction proceedings.
3. Senior management be instructed to attend Landlord and Tenant Board hearings to ensure that chronic cases be dealt with fairness and in a timely manner.
4. The Interim Chief Executive Officer be requested to report on the effectiveness of these recommendations in 4th quarter of 2013.

The Board and management discussed MLS deficiencies.

The Board and management discussed deferring the report to the May CAAC meeting and then the Board in June.

Deferred

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Norman Purves, seconded by Mr. Christian Buhagiar, the Board of Directors deferred the report to the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee.

Item 4 – 2012 Operating Plan, Verbal

Mr. Len Koroneos provided the Board with a verbal update on the 2012 Operating Plan, noting that a balanced (no deficit) budget will be presented to CAAC in May.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Christian Buhagiar, seconded by Ms. Catherine Wilkinson, the Board of Directors received the verbal report for information.

Item 5 – Director Education and Board Development Budget 2012, TCHC:2012-21

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2012-21) from the Governance, Risk and Human Resources Committee.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Catherine Wilkinson, seconded by Mr. Jason Gorel, the Board of Directors approved the proposed 2012 education program and supporting budget of $21,900.

Due to a conflict of interest, Mr. Christian Buhagiar abstained from voting.

Item 6 – 2001064 Ontario Inc., TCHC:2012-22

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2012-22) from the Governance, Risk and Human Resources Committee.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Catherine Wilkinson, seconded by Mr. Jason Gorel, the Board of Directors resolved to:

1. remove Derek Ballantyne as a director and officer of 2001064 Ontario Inc.;
2. elect the CEO of Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Building and Investment Committee Chair as ex officio directors of 2001064 Ontario Inc. in accordance with the 2010 Board Subsidiary Task Force report; and
3. approve the CEO (Interim) (or his designate) to take all necessary actions and execute all documents as required to implement the above resolution.

Item 10 – Internal Audit: 2012 Budget and 2012 Work Plan, TCHC:2012-27

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2012-27) from the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee.

The Chair of the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee, Mr. Jason Gorel, introduced the report.

The Board discussed the work plan, timelines and capacity of the department to complete the work plan. The Board noted that timelines were missing from the workplan.

The Board discussed maintaining confidentiality within the unit and reviews being conducted by other departments.

In response to a question from the Board regarding an increase in the budget for Internal Audit, Mr. Koroneos reported that this was raised at the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee meeting and that the amount will be included in the 2012 operating plan.

The Board discussed the staff complement in the unit and sharing services with the City. Mr. Gorel noted that discussions with the City on this are ongoing.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Norman Purves, seconded by Mr. Brian Kwan, the Board of Directors approved the 2012 Internal Audit Budget and 2012 Internal Audit Work Plan.

Councillor Frances Nunziata opposed the motion.

Item 7 – Q4 2011 Quarterly Performance And Progress Report, TCHC:2012-23

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2012-23) from the Chief Executive Officer (Interim).

The Board requested that repayment agreements of contract management properties be reported in the future.

A Board member asked that the Pest Control Strategy be brought forward and a presentation be made to the Board/Committee on this and that the following be considered:

1. measures in place to reduce infestation levels and costs to Toronto Community Housing,
2. measures staff have taken to ensure staff compliance in provision of mattress encasements and plastic bags as per Pest Control Strategy,
3. staff considerations to reduce financial burden of laundry requirement, provision of pre-loaded laundry cards, funding allotment to tenants where coin operated,
4. efforts to seek out community partners for provision of laundry supplies, gently used furnishings or financial contributions to assist tenants with bed bug infestations, and
5. staff consideration on provision of air tight reusable plastic storage bins to assist tenants prior to and during treatment process, further reduce Toronto Community Housing’s cost of provision of plastic bags.

The Board requested that the appropriate committee review the metrics used in the quarterly report (e.g. for eviction prevention).

In response to a question from the TCSC Chair as to why the recommendations from TCSC to address eviction prevention were not included in the report, management confirmed that the Committee’s recommendations would be included in the committee minutes and action items.

With respect to the statistics on evictions for non-arrears matters, the Board requested that the report include information on how many households are being pursued for non-arrears matters.

The Chair asked that these issues be addressed at the Tenant and Community Services Committee.

In response to inquiries from the Board, the CEO advised that a report on designated buildings will be submitted to TCSC. The Board requested that the report speak to the need for on-site supports in mixed buildings and requested that the report address any human rights issues with designated buildings.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Jason Gorel, seconded by Mr. Brian Kwan, the Board of Directors received the report for information.

Item 8 – Correspondence to the Board from the City Of Toronto

The Board of Directors had before it a written deputation dated April 25, 2012 received from Councillor Vincent Crisanti regarding community safety and CCTV cameras.

The Board and management discussed Toronto Community Housing’s relationship with Toronto Police Services and how Toronto Police requests for access to cameras are processed.

The Board inquired about a petition received at a town hall meeting. Management advised that they will report back on this.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Councillor Cesar Palacio, seconded by Councillor John Parker, the Board of Directors referred the correspondence to staff to report back to the Tenant and Community Services Committee.

Item 9 – Receipt Of Board Committees Public Minutes, TCHC:2012-24

The Board of Directors had before it the above-captioned minutes (TCHC:2012-24) from the following Committees:

• Building and Investment Committee – January 27, 2012
• Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee – January 27, 2012
• Governance, Risk and Human Resources Committee – January 16, 2012
• Tenant and Community Services Committee – November 24, 2011 (Amended) and January 30, 2012

The Chairs of the Building and Investment Committee, the Corporate Affairs and Audit Committee and the Tenant and Community Services Committee provided an update to the Board on their recent public committee meetings.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Mr. Jason Gorel, seconded by Councillor John Parker, the Board of Directors received the Committee minutes for information.

Closed Meeting Proceedings

The public meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m. to allow the Board of Directors to hold a closed meeting to consider items A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Termination

The meeting terminated at 1:49 p.m.