Landlord Tenant Board Hearing Adjourned and Public Meeting

1. AGI Application for 7 Park Vista

As many of you know, an application for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI) for 7 Park Vista has been submitted by Capreit to the Landlord Tenant Board. The PVTA has retained a Paralegal who has asked the counsel for Capreit for an adjournment (delay in proceedings). This is to allow the paralegal to have ample opportunity to review the documents, investigate the matter, and prepare the case. Capreit’s counsel has agreed to the adjournment so there is no longer a hearing scheduled for November 27^th. A new date will be scheduled by the Landlord Tenant Board.

The AGI application seeks an increase in rent for capital expenditures (large projects). Capital expenditures that are allowed to be processed through an AGI do include items of maintenance that have place a large financial burden on Capreit. The items that are included in the AGI application for 7 Park Vista are:

• Repairs to the covered parking and other parking infrastructure repairs
• Concrete slabs in the garbage area
• A new boiler that is used to heat the building

 2. Public Meeting

The PVTA will hold a public meeting on:
Tuesday, December 2 at 7 PM

Lobby – 8 Park Vista

It is recommended that you bring something to sit on and something to write with. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign in. We will also been accepting membership payments before and after the meeting. We will have copies of the minutes from Board Meetings available. If there is something that you wish to have added to the agenda for the meeting on December 2, please submit your request by email no later than 12 noon on December 2 to parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com. 

Tuesday, October 14 7 Park Vista Campaign

Attention

7 Park Vista Residents

Capreit has applied for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI) for our building. The Park Vista Tenants’ Association has decided to retain counsel in order to fight the rent increase before the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB). The City of Toronto has a grant that is available to groups who are fighting AGI’s so they may pay legal fees and other eligible expenses. The Board has decided that we shall apply for this grant. The City needs to ensure that enough tenants are onside with the decision to pursue matters before for the LTB, so they require a petition be signed. This is where we need your help!

Tuesday, October 14

Between 7 pm – 9 pm

Board Members of the Park Vista Tenants’ Association will be coming door-to-door to do several things:

1.       Ask eligible residents to sign the petition.

If you are wondering if this is you: you would have recently received a notice (addressed to a member of your household) from the Landlord Tenant Board that your rent is going to be increasing, and that a hearing is to be scheduled. If you are unsure, worry not, as we do have a full list of effected tenants.

2.       Ask all residents to join the Tenants’ Association.

There is a $20 annual membership fee. At this time we are unable to take cheques, so cash only please! You will receive a receipt. Please remember: having a strong membership is very important in ensuring the survival of the PVTA. We wish to continue for many years, and would love for you to join us on the journey!

3.       Answer any questions you may have, and take note of ones that we may need to do some research on!

parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com

parkvista-ta.blogspot.ca

If you do not wish us to knock, please leave a note attached to your door.

If you have another time that you would like us to stop by please indicate this.

To tenants in other buildings: 

we will be doing similar campaigns in your buildings very soon! 

Please stay tuned.

Tenants' Insurance

Recently, notices were posted in the lobbies that Capreit requires us to carry Tenants' Insurance. Questions were posed whether or not one could be evicted for failing to carry the insurance. The short answer is no. But it's not that simple. 

Say, for example, your toaster catches on fire. It is your responsibility to pay for the damage that ensues. You may have the funds to pay for all the damage, and by all, I mean ALL. If there is smoke, water, or fire damage anywhere in the building as a result of your fire, you are on the hook for the costs. The likelihood of causing significant damage through an accident is small, but it is still there, and this is where insurance will help. If you fail to produce the requisite funds, Capreit is entirely within its rights to begin eviction proceedings, and they will most likely be successful. 

While it is ultimately your choice whether or not to carry insurance, PVTA highly recommends that you do. It's a small investment with a big return should the unthinkable ever happen!

Welcome Autumn!

We hope you all had an enjoyable summer and are looking forward to Autumn. September signals back to work, back to school, and back to routine. Pedestrians, especially school children may have forgotten during the carefree days of summer how to be safe on the streets. As a driver please be aware of the increased number of pedestrians during this busy time. In addition, as a parent you may wish to remind your child what to do in an emergency. We are pleased to make available a handy "In Case of Emergency" information sheet directly from Emergency Medical Services of the City of Toronto. If you would like to receive a copy of this form via email please fill in the Contact Form on this page and in the comment field ask for "Emergency Sheet".

As always, your comments and suggestions are encouraged and gratefully received.

Repairs and Maintenance Stream

Repairs and Maintenance:

Property Owners Must…

• … clean and maintain all common areas.
• … keep the building (and your apartment) in a good state of repair.
• … fix anything that breaks or does not work properly.
• You may be asked to pay for repairs to things that you break, which is legal and reasonable under the RTA
• ... help you get rid of pests.
• … make sure that the temperature in your apartment is at least 21˚C between September 15 and May 31^st (City of Toronto by-laws).

Repair Request Stream:

1. Fill in a Work Order form from the office. Take a photocopy or photograph of the Work Order.
1. The RTA states that repairs must be made in a “reasonable” time. Unfortunately, it does not clarify what is or is not “reasonable”, therefore, use your best judgment, or contact the PVTA for guidance.
2. If contact has not been made, or repairs have not been completed in a “reasonable” time, repeat your request for repairs IN WRITING. Make sure it is dated, and keep a duplicate for yourself. DO NOT make this request by phone as there is no way to keep a verifiable record of the communication and what was stated. Ask that all further communications regarding the issue (ie, dates that contractors are to come) is done in writing.
1. Take pictures of the damage if you can. It is important that the photographs are well lit, that the scale of the damage is clear, and that it is obvious what it is that the photograph is trying to show. If it something mechanical (ie, doors not closing properly), take a short video showing how the issue is manifesting itself. If you do not have a camera, or are
2. unable to photograph the damage or record the issue, contact the PVTA for assistance.
3. If the letter does not produce the desired results, contact the Municipal Licensing and Standards Office and arrange for an inspector to make an inspection of the damage or contact the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Investigation and Enforcement. The inspector may make a "Notice of Violation" or "Order to Comply" to the property owner.
4. Should the property owner still fail to make repairs, then it is time to escalate to the Landlord Tenant Board.

Federation of Metro Tenants’ Association (FMTA) Tenant Hotline

FMTA Hotline number: 416-921-9494 Available Mon-Fri 8:30 am – 6:00 pm

General Inquiries: 416-646-1772 FMTA website: www.torontotenants.org

Landlord Tenant Board

South District Office 79 St. Clair Ave. East, Suite 212

Fax: 416-326-9838 General Number: 416-645-8080

Municipal Licensing and Standards

Call: 311 or Toronto and East York office: 416-397-9200

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Investigation and Enforcement

For harassment, failing to complete maintenance, entering unit without notice, interfering with vital services, illegal deposits

Call: 416-515-7214

http://parkvista-ta.blogspot.ca/

parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com

Residents of Park Vista: The PVTA is proud to announce that we have a Board of Directors!

The Board of Directors is as follows:

President/Chair: Chelsea Berry (7 Park Vista)

Vice-President/Co-Chair: Anna Guercio (8 Park Vista)

Treasurer: Lynn Nikolaidis (2 Park Vista)

Secretary: Charlie Lee (8 Park Vista)

2 PV Building Director: Grace St. John (2 Park Vista)

6 PV Building Director: Maryanna Lewyckyj (6 Park Vista)

7 PV Building Director: Audrey Matthews (7 Park Vista)

8 PV Building Director: Ken Huggins (8 Park Vista)

General Director: Paul St. John (2 Park Vista)

General Director: James McArthur (7 Park Vista)

General Director: Dawn Reeve (7 Park Vista)

General Director: Carol Brown (7 Park Vista)

Remember: To get in contact with the PVTA please email parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com. 

At this time, email is the only way to get in contact with the Board. The best way for us to communicate is with flyers under the doors, but we need Floor Captains to volunteer to do the drops. If this is something that you are interested in, please email us at parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com. It is essential that residents who desire an effective Association volunteer to assist the Board in our efforts.

Thank-you,

Chelsea Berry

President

PVTA

August Yard Sale CANCELLED

There is no one available to set up and advertise the yard sale. As such it is cancelled. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yard Sale Wrap-up

PARK VISTA YARD SALE

Thank-you to all the individuals who brought out items to the yard sale on Saturday. We hope you saw some success. We had some issues with signage, which most definitely slowed traffic to the sale. Because of the sign removal, clearly things were not as successful as we had hoped; therefore, we shall have another yard sale on August 30^th.

50/50 Tickets

We raised a total of $96 on Saturday; the winning pot was $48. The individual who won declined to accept the winnings stating that they wished to donate it back. This is a wonderful gift that will go a long way, so thank-you!

Signage:

The following yard sale signs were removed either before the sale, or on Saturday morning: two at Dawes and Victoria Park, two at Dawes and Park Vista, and one at Crescent Town and Dawes.

We first became suspicious when someone asked me why we hadn't put up signs. We had indeed put up 9 signs in total on Friday evening.

Chelsea drove around Saturday night to remove those that remained, and that’s when she discovered the extent of the deceit. The signs were nowhere to be found, meaning that they had not simply fallen off, someone had to have removed them. We will not claim to know who did this, but will say that we find this intentional act to be shameful. 

For future sales, we will refrain from posting signage until the morning of the sale to reduce the opportunity for removal, and will check on them throughout the day.

We were extremely pleased to see that individuals had taken it upon themselves to put up signs, and for that we are very grateful. Please, whoever did this kindness please let us know so we may personally thank you.

City of Toronto Welcome Home: A Guide to Services for Tenants

This link is a PDF of the Welcome Home book. It will immediately download when you click on the link. It is a very well laid out guide to all of the City of Toronto services that are available to tenants.

Welcome Home: A Guide to Services for Tenants

First Meeting Announcement to Elect a Board of Members for Park Vista Tenants' Association

What is a Tenants’ Association?

A group of tenants who have come together to improve their situation as tenants and create community bonds through meetings and events.

Can Our Landlords Stop Us From Forming a Tenants’ Association?

NO! We have the legal right to organize. The Residential Tenancies Act says that a landlord cannot interfere with any tenant who is organizing or joining a tenant association (RTA, s. 83, s.233)

How Can We Help Ourselves?

The PVTA can take on legal issues such as maintenance, security, unfair evictions, rent increases, etc.

Will There Be Membership Dues?

Yes. Unfortunately, there are things that do cost money, such as photocopying legal fees, etc. Dues will range between $5 - $10 per year per household. If a perspective member is in financial straits, but wishes to join, alternative arrangements may be made.

Meetings:

They will be held on Wednesdays at 7 pm. Notices will be sent at least 10 days prior to the meeting. If you have an issue that you would like to have on the Agenda at the meeting it must be made in writing no later than the Monday before the meeting. This can be done via email or by dropping a notice off at the apartment of your Floor or Building Captain.

http://parkvista-ta.blogspot.ca/

parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 23^rd, at 7pm

7 Park Vista Lobby

At this time we will elect our board members. If you are intent on running it is vital that you attend this meeting. We will also be striking committees, appointing Floor and Building Captains, and discussing issues such as fees. This meeting will help to set the agenda of the PVTA. Attendance is strongly suggested.

Yard Sale Announcement

Yard sale on Saturday, July 5, 2014.

Bring your oldies but goodies out to the lawns and sell away!

You are responsible for your merchandise and set-up.

All community advertising will be taken care of by Chelsea Berry, 7 Park Vista as coordinated with CAPREIT, special thanks to Pat Miller and Aurora Voicu

Organizers for the tenants' association will have a table set up next to the playground in front of 6 Park Vista.

Here, you will have a chance to meet with and speak to those who are organizing a tenants' association for Park Vista representing buildings 2, 6, 7 and 8

Some noted concerns/areas of focus:

Above Guideline Increase (AGI)

Safety and security

Heating and ventilation

Adult only swimming hours

Building and grounds maintenance

There will be a 50/50 draw!

Organizational Meeting for a "Park Vista Tenants' Association"

A meeting to discuss a formation for a Park Vista Tenants' Association will be held on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 @ 7 PM. The meeting is to be held at 7 Park Vista, Lobby.

We will have special guest Euridice Baumgarten from the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations (FMTA) to explain the processes of starting a tenants' association, as well as how to develop a structure, and by-laws.

This meeting is for people who are interested in taking a leadership position or those who wish to help organize. This is not a general information session for all tenants. I wish to reiterate, is to allow people who wish to be leaders in the PVTA an opportunity to hear from an expert. If you do not fit in this category, then please wait for a larger general meeting when the format of the association will be outlined, and more information will be available as to the path that the PVTA is taking.

Please RSVP so we can ensure that we are in a large enough space, and to ensure we have enough materials.

You may RSVP by the following means:

Posting a comment to this posting

Posting a comment to the blog

Emailing: parkvista.tenantsassociation@gmail.com