Board of Directors Meeting - July 19, 2019

Agenda

1. Chair’s Remarks

Action: Information

Pre-read: Verbal Report 5 minutes

Presenter: Chair

2. Consent agenda

a. Approval of Public Meeting Agenda

Action: Approval

Pre-read: Agenda

Presenter: Chair

b. Chair’s Poll re: Conflict of Interest

Action: Declaration

Pre-read: Agenda and Conflict of Interest Policy

Presenter: Chair

3. Tenant Engagement System – Refresh Approval

Action: Approval

Pre-read: TCHC:2019-15 (110 minutes)

Presenter: Acting Vice President, Tenant & Community Services

TERMINATION

Minutes

The Board of Directors (“Board”) of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (“TCHC”) held a public meeting on July 19, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in in the Main Floor Conference Room at 931 Yonge Street, Toronto.

Directors in Attendance:

Tim Murphy (Chair)

John Campbell

Amanda Coombs (arrived at 9:05 a.m.)

Debbie Douglas

Ubah Farah (arrived at 9:07 a.m.)

Adele Imrie

Linda Jackson

Nick Macrae

Brian Smith

Directors Absent:

Councillor Ana Bailão

Councillor Paula Fletcher

Councillor Michael Ford

Management present:

William Anderson, Senior Director, Community Safety Unit

Luisa Andrews, Vice President, Information Technology Services

Cathy Barker, Vice President, Human Resources

Rose-Ann Lee, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer

Hugh Lawson, iHMS Business Lead, ITS - iHMS

Graham Leah, Vice President, Asset Management

Kevin Marshman, President & Chief Executive Officer

Darragh Meagher, Interim General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

William Mendes, Acting Vice President, Tenant & Community Services

Allen Murray, Senior Director, Operations

Vincent Tong, Chief Development Officer

Lindsay Veits, Manager, Strategic Planning

A quorum being present, Mr. Murphy, the Chair called the meeting to order and Ms. Zina served as recording secretary.

Item 1 – Chair’s Remarks

The new Chair welcomed everyone to the Board meeting and noted the Acknowledgement of the Land. The Chair provided the Board with the following highlights since the last Board meeting.

Tenant Engagement System Refresh

This special meeting of the Board is as a result of the Board losing quorum at its June 27th Board meeting prior to considering an item of great importance to tenants, the Board and staff of TCHC: the refreshed Tenant Engagement System structure.

TCHC’s Shareholder Direction calls on the corporation to foster tenant engagement through diverse, inclusive and collaborative methods that give all tenants a voice and input into community-related decision-making. The proposed engagement system structure is the result of extensive collaboration and consultations between tenants and staff over the past three years.

Tenants and staff have worked together to refine the system so that it gives more tenants a voice and input on decisions that affect their communities. The system includes three different local engagement models and a process whereby tenants would vote to choose which model best fits their community. Tenants will also have the option to choose not to participate in the system.

The Chair thanked all the tenants who are present to depute as well as the thousands of tenants who participated in this process and provided their input and ideas on how to strengthen the engagement system to meet the needs of our diverse tenant population.

Deputations

The Chair polled for any deputations to be heard at the meeting. The following deputations were presented for Item 3 - Tenant Engagement System- Refresh Approval:

1. Janet McLeod;
2. William Lohman;
3. Jacqueline Yu;
4. Anita Dressler;
5. Susan Gapka;
6. Miguel Avila;
7. Scott Guzman;
8. May;
9. Temesgen Ghebremicael;
10. Taghjay Phillips;
11. Cathy Birch;
12. Cheryl Duggan;
13. Dawn Hope;
14. Frank Russo; and
15. Alana Smith.

Consent Agenda Items

Item 2 – Approval of Consent Agenda Items

The following items were not held for discussion:

• Item 2A – Approval of Public Meeting Agenda; and
• Item 2B – Chair’s Poll re: Conflict of Interest.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Smith, seconded by Mr. Campbell and carried, the Board approved the following consent agenda items: Items 2A and 2B.

Item 2B – Chair’s Poll Re: Conflict of Interest

The Chair requested members of the Board to indicate any agenda item in which they have a conflict of interest, together with the nature of the interest. No conflicts were declared.

Item 3 – Tenant Engagement System - Refresh Approval, TCHC:2019-15

The following verbal deputations were received with respect to this report:

1. Janet McLeod;
2. William Lohman;
3. Jacqueline Yu;
4. Anita Dressler;
5. Susan Gapka;
6. Miguel Avila;
7. Scott Guzman;
8. May;
9. Temesgen Ghebremicael;
10. Taghjay Phillips;
11. Cathy Birch;
12. Cheryl Duggan;
13. Dawn Hope;
14. Frank Russo; and
15. Alana Smith.

The Board had before it the above-captioned report (TCHC:2019-15) from the Acting Vice President, Tenant & Community Services. Mr. Mendes presented the report and topics discussed included the following:

Building or Townhouse Level

The focus of this engagement structure is to monitor the implementation of local community action plans which are created in collaboration with tenants. It outlines key activities and solutions in response to tenant identified priorities.

1. Community Representatives – for every 250 households, 2 representatives are elected by tenants.
2. Building or Townhouse Committees – open to all tenants.
3. Tenants Associations – independent groups.

Community or OU Level

Tenants from every building or townhouse level structure are elected/selected to represent their community at the Tenant Community Action Table (previously referred to as Tenant Council). Tenant Community Action Tables will be formed based on operating unit boundaries and will have representatives elected/selected by tenants based on the model of their preference at the local level.

The focus of this engagement structure is to work with tenants and other stakeholders to address the tenant identified priorities of the communities that form each Tenant and Community Action Table.

City Wide Level

Tenants are selected through an application process as recommended by tenants through the 2018 consultations to make up the City-Wide Tenant – Staff Governance Oversight Committee (the “Committee”). The focus of this engagement structure is to solve building and community issues related to the Tenant Engagement System as well as act as a resource and accountability structure for tenants and staff.

Mr. Mendes answered questions/concerns raised by the Board. Topics discussed included the following:

• Importance of filling the 272 vacant Tenant Representatives (“Tenant Rep”) positions increasing opportunities in the participation in Tenant Engagement System;
• Substantial engagement through Dot-mocracy process;
• brief summary on what the Dot-mocracy process entailed;
• How the structure for tenant engagement integrates with TCHC’s operating structure;
• Integration of tenant engagement and organization’s operating structure will ensure tenant concerns are being addressed prior to coming to the Board level.
• Ensure that the engagement structure and organization structure are working in harmony with each other;
• Significance of seeking advice of seniors to further engage other senior tenants in process;
• Tenant Community Action Table will be meeting on a monthly basis;
• Tenant Rep conflicts as a result of power struggles and the importance of conflict resolution services be in place to deal with these arising issues;
• process thorough and a plan that creates lots of flexibility and options for different communities;
• Role that TCHC has in ensuring good process is in place and that integrity of committee selections and election results are done properly; and
• Oversight Committee deals with tenants/staff complaints through engagement system.

Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Macrae and carried, the Board of Directors approved the following proposed recommendation:

1. Approve the Tenant Engagement System structure incorporating the elements set out in the Staff Report to reflect that:
   1. A community can choose to have a tenant association in addition to engaging in the Tenant Engagement structure refresh in accordance with the options outlined in option A and B.
2. Authorize staff to take the necessary action to implement the model as outlined therein.

Second Motion carried

ON MOTION DULY MADE by Ms. Douglas, seconded by Ms. Coombs and carried, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the recommendations in this report with the following amendments:

3. Approve the Tenant Engagement System structure incorporating the elements set out in the attached document, as amended, to be implemented in keeping with TCHC’s Tenant Engagement Meetings Standards; and
4. Authorize staff to take the necessary action to implement the model as outlined therein.

Termination

The public meeting terminated at 10:57 a.m.