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The many sides of housing housing industry The delegates who come from local housing authorities LHAs in Ontario and across the country also included municipal provincial and federal sentatives and provincial and national The theme of the conference Hous Today suggested a slock taking of the present housing scene Hoi could the need for more social housing in the province be best accomplished and how could the LHAs are becoming more and more involved in the programs of the Housing Corporation be able handle their responsibilities more efficiently Appealing for operation between private industry and all levels of the Canad an government J A Houston regional director told the delegates that good housing is mental a sound and healthy society He challenged the local house build industry to concentrate on providing on for low and moderate income families rather than on priced housing Public housing is here to stay he said and although he has noticed the barriers to it softening it should be integrated into the community rather than confined to Isolated developments To meet the challenge of relieving the present housing problems Houston said new Ideas ore being tested in housing projects In various ports of the country Warehouses are being converted into residential housing in Winnipeg he told the delegates multiple housing over parking lots is an experimental project es average 10 6 per exactly that the the first 1975 were in 910 11 and 13 tenant objects are very concerned that tenants have the fullest possible opportunity to assess rent increases and contest them ifneecssar To this end landlords will be required to give tenants three months notice of intended rent in creases whether the tenancy is for a week a month a or longer Further legislative changes will be made to provide new to the owners of mobile homes who rent sites for them The courts have declared that the Landlord and Tenant Act docs not tenants who rent the site but not the mobile home In some cases this has led to serious hardship to be introduced will ensure that the provision of the act do apply including of tenure In add the tenant will be given the right to sell his mobile home while it the rented site payment of a fee The have a right to refuse consent if he can demonstrate Land rds of mobile home parks will be from making charges over and above reasonable expenses for such things as entn or exit from ihc park installs cm ir removal of a mobile home the granting tcnincy In on Ijndlords will not be all wed to restrict the tenant right to purchase or services from the us n of his choice Landlords will be required to wide garbage disposal an I maintain common facilities and internal roads plumbing sewerage and decimal systems in the park Tlcse initiatives will extend to Ont in moh It I me a measure of legal n unequalled in any other finally important procedural es will he made the Landlord and Tenant Act to help a tenant present his in I obtain redress Tenants and landlords will be allowed representation in court by other than a lawyer Tenants will gun the right apply to a for termination of tenancy a return of security deposits interest or abatement of rent I resenlly only landlords can make to a judge under the act Hearsay evidence will be permitted in court fir the first time an important Gtntrat Roy for tenants who must rely upon their own spoken evidence The new legislation will allow a group w common interest to bring or defend an act n re I judge if the judge ves Count district judges will con t adjudicate landl and tenant millers In ensure that justice is served in mplex and tenuous area The excellent record of the on these matters deserves our continued support I intend to review the need for addition judfes lo provide for any in caseloads due to the amendments and to ensure prompt The Ontario Law Reform Commission mill soon report to us on its analysis of Ihc landlord and tenant relationship tlicr things it will deal with the possibility of a standard tenancy agree for Ontario With this report in hand we will consider the need for a new LandUrd and Tenant Act Drift outline of just causes far term Inn ling tenancy under proposed amend Ihc Landlord and Tenant Act The list of for at end of the term will include the following A tenant causes or permits damages excess of reasonable wear and tear to the rented premises or its environs and whether by his own wilful or negligent acts or by those of any person whom the permits on ihc residential prcm A tenant at any time during the term of the tenancy uses exercises or carries on or permits to be used exercised or carried on In or upon the residential premises or any part thereof any noxious offensive or illegal trade business occupation or calling permitting in or upon the residential premises an undue nuisance or to other persons in the same building or mobile home park in which the residential premises arc situate The conduct of the tenant or a person permuted in the residential premises by him is such that inter feres with the reasonable enjoyment of the premises for all usual purposes by the landlord or the other tenants The safely or other bona fide and lawful right privilege or interest of the landlord or any other lenant in the residential premises is or has been seriously impaired by an act or of the tenant or a person permitted in the residential premises by him where such act residential The number of persons occupying the residential premises on a continuing basis is unreasonable The tenant has breached the reason able rules shed in writing for the The tenant breaches a material covenant contained in a written tenancy agreement The bona fide landlord requires possession of the residential premises f r the purpose of occupation by him self his spouse or a child or parent of his or his spouse The s of failed to pay rent on time The tenant was an employee of an employer who provided the tenant with residential premises during Ins employ and his has termina led The landlord will be allowed lo obtain possession during the term of a tenancy if he can prove to a judge hat one or more of ihc causes exist However during term the landlord will only be allowed to proceed for termination during the lerm if he has given the tenant notice of the tenant s default in his obligation and the tenant takes no action lo remedy the default in Toronto and mobile home sub divisions arc being built in Halifax Presenting the developers point of view Herbert president of Heothcllffc Development Ltd com plained in a previous address that our political leaders ate using developers as their scapegoats for the present housing shortage We arc the bad guys who arc supposedly holding our lands off the market to force prices up he said Although the politicians have promis the public ihey will get the develop back to building more houses Strieker told Ihc delegates that they are actually discouraging housing produc by a growing maze of rules and regulations set up lo control develop- The climate Is gelling progessively more restrictive and more punitive and less and less attractive he warned Turning to rent review boards Slnck felt they would put a damper on apartment construction because would no longer be able to realize a reasonable rale of return on their investments even over a long term He listed the following steps to cut costs of new construction resulting in a foir reduction in the cost of renting one per cent redaction In Interest rates could monthly In rent holding wages down could save mother another redaction by ting underground parking facilities a further monthly of SIS by nesting apartment on Ibe tamo bails as haute a further saving by establishing a on further e In conitrncltoa and fire safety aids which are presently the highest In th world Strieker did not agree with the gov solution the inflationary cost of housing whereby ihey ladled massive subsidies He feared this could eventually result in bankruptcy He appealed to the home buyer to consider less expensive housing and he asked the government to reverse he present trend of increased interference in the housing industry by moving out as fast as possible We have the tools just get off our backs and we 11 finish the job he said adapting Winston Churchill s words to suit Ihc occasion Barry Rose OHC general manager lold the delegates the province has now adopted a system of constraints for the efficient use of ihc dollar The principal theme is a drive lo save money and spend it well he said adding Ihe cost of housing subsidy is greater than the capital budget pul in for family and senior citizen housing We arc big business now and the biggest landlord with a capital invest menl over SI million he said Rose lold the municipal lives that they have a per cent share in the million subsidies spent each year adding that the three levels of government have a joint interest in the subsidies because is a federal pro vineial municipal sharing process He outlined several new steps that were being token to improve the efficiency in managing such an business Delegates were told thai housing management be further decen trailed with transfer of management portfolios to local and regional housing authorities The port folios would average about 1 units a number small enough to ensure per with and local municipal officials The creation of an institute of housing managers and a professional training course geared la the community col leges would further improve the of property management said Rose and it could be extended to the resident population who arc becoming more involved in the management of their own projects Tenant participation could extend as far as budget preparation he recom mended and stressed ihc Importance of establishing good dialogue between the residents and ihe people managing the projects Agreeing thai communication must flow between tenants and management Donna Gamble president of the Fed of Ontario Tenants Association FOTA advised the delegates thai the tenant movement was here to stay She described the stigma attached to poblic housing tenants who arc often single parent families living on welfare whose children are vulnerable To counteract this she felt the tenants must be mode to feel proud of their This could be plishcd by giving them a voice in improvements lo be mode lo their buildings and grounds and by making them responsible for minor repairs Mrs Gamble recommended a strong tenants association which was actively concerned about the community The residents should be permitted to sit on property committees and participate in decision making in all aspects concern their projects Agreeing with Mrs Gamble that the residents should be inspired to take in iheir community Roy Fitz gerald vice president and general manager of the Community Guardian Co Lid told a workshop on security and vandalism that a good maintenance program was of utmost importance to a project He recommended that positive action must be taken against offenders cither through the courts their wallets or as a last resort through eviction He encouraged the property man to explain to the residents the process of laying charges because he has found the police department has no time to educate the public in these pro Bill Hart director of OHC maintc nance engineering encouraged the local housing authorities to ask for his branch technical expertise He them his 75 consultants would be able to give operational maintenance advice to the projects throughout Onlario on almost every subject except elevator maintenance where outside experts are called in Mike Zoic chairman of the AOHA northwestern zone appealed lo proper managers to encourage tenants to form recreation committees lenant advisory committees and give them a unit on ihe projects He said the tenants would make the whole job of property management easier On the subject of take over boards Doug Wells assistant general manager of housing management asked for more feedback from the regions He appealed to the regional architects to pick up the faults and deficiencies of a building as soon as possible and report them to engineering branch who could put pressure on the local tor to correct them Wells said there is a certificate of substantial completion issued on which deficiencies are listed The contractor must rectify them during the year after take over of the project He agreed that operational manuals should be provided to Ihc properly manager by each At the AOHA annual meeting Thompson Tom W Dickson mem the Stratford Housing Authority was elected president of the which became an incorporated body May He served as the association vice president last year and replaces Ray who had jusl completed his third term as president Mike former chairman of the northwestern zone was elected vice chairman Chosen zone chairmen were central Mrs Betty Kayc of Cam bridge eastern John French of Kings ion souihern Ken Neal of Hamil ton north Mrs Helen Stanton of North Bay northwestern Jimmy Grit of Thunder Bay southwestern Andy of Windsor The association also submitted a budget increase of from a 1975 level of As of Dec some housing authorities hod units of family and senior citizen housing under administration a