RESOLUTION 4: Moving Forward with the Fix the Formula 4 Co-ops Campaign

SUBMITTED BY:                CHF Canada Board of Directors

CONTACT:

Simone Swail

Manager, Government Relations

CHF Canada

225 Metcalfe Street, Suite 311

Ottawa, ON   K2P 1P9

Tel: 1-800-268-2537, ext. 223

Email: sswail@chfcanada.coop

WE RESOLVE:

3. THAT housing co-operatives from across Canada call on the 43rd Parliament of Ontario and municipal leaders in Ontario to work with CHF Canada to ensure that Service and Exit Agreements for Housing Services Act (HSA) co-ops support a seamless transition to renewed funding for rental assistance, along with the renewal and growth of housing co-ops in Ontario;
4. THAT we call on the Government of Ontario and municipal Service Managers to work with CHF Canada and regional federations to develop guidance and template Service and Exit Agreements so that individual Service Managers and co-ops are able to develop effective agreements that do not require them to start from scratch; and
5. AND THAT CHF Canada, in partnership with regional federations, provide support to co-ops that are reaching the end of their mortgage, to help ensure they successfully negotiate viable agreements with Service Managers.

OUR REASONS FOR THIS RESOLUTION ARE:

5. Across Ontario, there are 21,000 households, approximately 75,000 people, living in HSA co-ops.
6. These co-ops are vibrant mixed-income communities that provide affordable homes to low- and moderate-income households.
7. Once their mortgage is paid off, these co-ops need reasonable funding so they can continue to provide good-quality housing to low-income households in need of rental assistance, and so they can repair and renew their communities for future generations.
8. Since launching the Fix the Formula 4 Co-ops Campaign last year:
   • Over 135 Fix the Funding Formula resolutions were passed by co-ops and shared with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing;
   • Over 40 meetings were held with Ministers and Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), including a tour of an affected HSA co-op by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and
   • Co-ops, regional federations and CHF Canada responded to the province’s public consultation on the Service Agreement regulation, calling for funding for rental assistance and a property tax subsidy to be included in the regulation as the baseline funding formula.Our work on this campaign led to the Ontario government clarifying in provincial regulation that service managers must cover the cost of rental assistance in any service agreement with a co-op or non-profit.
9. This regulations ensures that HSA co-ops do not have to individually negotiate funding with their Service manager, and this is a very significant step forward.
10. HSA co-ops, however, still need to negotiate their Service Agreement with their Service Manager.
11. Some HSA co-ops’ mortgages will be paid off this year.
12. At this point in time, there is no template for the Service Agreements. The agreements struck by the first co-ops to pay off their mortgages, may end up setting an important precedent for co-ops that come later.
13. By working in partnership with the regional federations to provide support to these early co-ops, we can help create a better environment for all HSA co-ops as they reach the end of their mortgages.
14. Furthermore, with the upcoming Ontario municipal elections in October, co-ops, regional federations and CHF Canada will need to work together to ensure that municipal leaders, particularly in areas with co-ops whose mortgages will be paid off in the near future, understand the importance of this housing and partnering with co-ops to continue to provide good quality, affordable housing for the long-term.

WE THINK THAT THIS WILL COST:

Funding for the Ontario government relations and co-operative services activities have been included in the 2022 and 2023 operating budgets.