[homeles_ot-l] FW: Tenant battle update

[Lynne Browne]

FYI...Lynne Browne
Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7 
lbrowne at ysb.on.ca,  613-241-7913 ext 205
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca  

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob MacDonald [mailto:robm at housinghelp.on.ca] 
Sent: October 10, 2008 2:12 PM
Subject: Tenant battle update

Hi, everyone,

As you may have heard, the recommendation to implement a full city
wide tenants association goes to the Community and Protective Services
Committee on October 16th.  The meeting is at 110 Laurier St in the
Champlain Room.  It is item 9 on the agenda.  This has been a tough
battle and it just got tougher (read on).

If you were at the meeting on October 2nd, you know that there was a
motion brought forward by Councillor Cullen to provide $150,000 as
seed money to implement  a city wide tenants association.  This came
from one of the recommendations from the first tenants' conference.
Since several councillors felt there may be a duplication of services
provided by Action Logement, Housing Help, and the Housing Loss
Prevention Network, the committee voted instead to enhance the
services of these agencies.  An alternative motion was brought forward
by Councillor Bedard to add $150,000 to the collective budget of those
agencies to enhance services. This motion was unanimously carried and
is earmarked for the 2009 city budget.

Councillor Cullen advised the committee members that he would be
bringing a motion forward on October 16th to ask for $200,000 to
implement the association, recognizing the difference between tenant
organizing and direct services to individuals.  The committee agreed
to this request: which brings us to Item 9 on the agenda.

The City's legal department has now advised the Community and
Protective Services Committee that the motion to establish a city wide
tenants association was debated and decided at the last meeting and
therefore it cannot be brought back again during this council term.
Several councillors agree with this interpretation while others do
not.  It could be argued that the initial motion was replaced by the
second one on the understanding that the recommendation to support a
city wide tenants' association would go to the next committee to
debate it separately on it's own merits  The full committee did agree
to this.request.  This would seem to indicate the proper process has
been followed and that it is business carried forward rather than a
new item.

All of this is to let you know there will be a battle on our hands to
have this motion kept on the agenda next week, and I felt people
should be aware of this prior to attending the meeting.  However,  we
hope to see as many tenants and advocates  as possible on the 16th to
show support for a new tenant model in Ottawa.  I think it is also
important to support the City Councillors who advocate for tenants and
have been strong allies in supporting tenant rights.  See you on the
16th..

Remember to vote for affordable housing and all determinants of health
on October 14th
-
Rob MacDonald,

"Warriors, warriors we call ourselves.  We fight for
splendid virtue, for high endeavour, for sublime wisdom,
therefore we call ourselves warriors."
Aunguttara Nikaya


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