Submitted by Lisa Rouleau on behalf of Member Selection Committee
Hi all,
First of all, I am so sorry, and take full responsibility for the lateness of this announcement. Member Selection is delighted to welcome Heidi and Anna to 26 Sunnyhill Lane! They and their cat moved in at the beginning of April and they have already been active at meetings and socializing outside while beautifying their yard. We are happy to have you here, neighbours!
In other news, Member Selection has been discussing the situation with the one bedroom units in light of the open units and the P&D work with Urban Matters. First, thank you to Eric and the rest of the P&D team for such good communication -- we had a bit of a glitch in terms of everyone being in the know about the full discussion that has taken place this year, but it's 2020, so that kind of figures :-P
I'm writing to clarify what we understand to be the situation as it stands, and what the likely next steps are as they relate to the work of the Member Selection Committee.
FYI, Susan and Buzz, after years of excellent leadership with the committee (THANK YOU!! <3), have stepped down (for now, anyway), and Jaime Muneoka and I have taken on committee co-chair responsibilities. We will endeavour to work as best we can with Sarah Stephens, Laura Doram and Marzena Czarnecka, as well as the Board and other SHC committees for the well-being of our members and the co-op as a whole.
As of the general meeting in January, we were informed that the likely spot for any new build as we go forward -- looking to increase our occupancy along accessibility, affordability and aging in place ideals -- is where the four one-bedrooms from 762 to 768 are. That is not a fait accompli, but we must move forward with that possibility in mind and try to make this the least stressful time in the not-knowing that we can for everyone.
SO. Here is what we know, and what we hope will work as we continue to navigate this together as a community...
1. We do not yet know if other one bedrooms will be affected by the plans. P&D have communicated to us that the hope is we will have a more detailed plan from Urban Matters by some time in August. We have received confirmation from the Board that the vacant one bedroom (as of Aug 1) can be filled either Aug 1 or Sept 1. It will be offered to long-term SHC members of those units first, as motioned and carried in the Jan 2020 general meeting.
2. We have recommended to the Board that those members on the internal waiting list (members currently living in non-housing fit units) be left where they are on that list if that is their choice and not penalized for turning down a one bedroom unit that they then might have to move out of for the construction. We understand that those members may feel frustrated by the change in plans. But the co-op's intention as we move forward trying to expand our capacity is to preserve our community and our members' housing as best we can. The least stressful option is to leave people in their homes as long as we can, and not penalize them for not being in a housing fit while these changes are happening.
We are looking at a long term process here with, as we are all aware, a lot of unknowns. This is the current plan and it will need to shift as our knowledge of the plan shifts. Our hope is to keep everyone in the loop.
If you have any questions, concerns, comments, please do share them with the committee via the office or directly to me or Jaime.
Thank you, friends!
Lisa, for Member Selection