What Is Missing In This By-law?

THE FINANCIAL SOLVENCY BY-LAW NO. 31

Be it Enacted as a By-law of _______ as follows:

PART I - BASIS OF THIS BY-LAW

1. Purpose of this By-law: The purpose of this By-law is

• to put the Co-op on a sound financial basis and to bring the Co-op's business and operations into good order.

• to provide for a temporary three-year Board of Directors that will include non-resident members and will be able to accomplish the purposes stated above.

• to provide for a process of returning to exclusively resident directors within three years.

2. Priority: This By-law takes priority over all other By-laws of the Co-op, including the Organizational By-law (By-law #4). If there is any conflict or inconsistency, this By-law governs.

What is missing in this By-law is the fact that our By-laws were NOT suspended. The only action that this By-law incurs is to bring in an outside Board of Directors. Note the words: 'If there is any conflict or inconsistency, this By-law governs'. If our By-laws were suspended, there could not possibly be any 'conflict or inconsistency'.

The rest of By-law No. 31 deals with the effective date of the By-law, authorization to borrow and sign agreements, replacement of non-resident Directors, qualifications to be a Director, etc.

Board Report

Staff and Board Members are back to work
Over-housed subsidized residents have been relocated.

That's us! Yup, the Board is now back to work after dealing with US. Now isn't the Board very busy. Nothing like broadcasting the news that the trouble makers have been relocated, and, of course, we're the only overhoused members in the co-op!

Let me respond to their attempt at humiliating us.

While we may have been 'relocated',

We have not, as yet, been 'Re-purposed'.

To reiterate. The Occupancy Standards in this co-op apply to full fee and subsidized members alike. There is no differentiation between the two. If we were to have 13 other people living in our unit, it would not be permitted, same applies to full fee members. The units are all subsidized - below market rent. Overhoused full fee members should also downsize to allow for larger families to move in - affordable housing is a tight commodity.

This announcement by the Office Co-ordinator goes against our Privacy Policy and has branded us as less deserving than full-fee members. Now when I rake the lawn I feel exposed to the world as if I'm wearing an coloured arm band denoting my ranking in this co-op. And to top it all off, it was done on purpose.

The World's Longest Move

Well, I'm back - sort of. I feel discombobulated, alienated from my familiar surroundings and partitioned off from Phase I of our co-op. How disconcerting that is. How to reintegrate myself - that's the question. I think it's happening little by little. Our pictures are now hung, the bathroom ceramic floor still needs scrubbing, but I've been able to knit a few dishcloths in my micro-creative moments. Raking leaves and picking up garbage around my unit has been therapeutic and fun as two other members were as equally enthusiastic in cleaning up this place.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a wonderful neighbour and friend who cooked scrumptious meals and tasty desserts for my family for two weeks during our move. Not only was the food delicious, but we also savoured the complete generosity of our friend. Food is not only a tummy-filling commodity, but eating food made with love also warms the soul and our table discussions conveyed that.

I'll soon be commenting on the co-op's management style - a must as one must stay attuned and speak up when necessary.