RING RING

Me:
Hello ...

Co-op's President:
Hi B., it's __. Did you know that you are in arrears for $l,060.00?

Me:
We're in arrears? For what?

Co-op President:
Arrears of Housing Charges . . . but don't worry the Board will waive your arrears.

That conversation happened in May, 2007. Now here's the background to our fictitious arrears. In July, 2005 we had requested a breakdown of the Shelter Component variables from ODSP. ODSP informed us in writing that ... "There are no specific components (breakdowns) like you were requesting on your letter". ODSP gave us a maximum of $729.00 for rent and utilities. They didn't give a whit about how it was broken down.

I, therefore, wrote the co-op informing them of this fact and submitted a cheque to them for our housing charge. Instead of submitting three or six post-dated cheques to the co-op, I dropped off a cheque for each month fully believing that the co-op would provide us with a subsidy confirmation. At one point I asked the Office Co-ordinator if our subsidy had been verified, she stated that it had been handed over to CMHC. Again we waited. Unbeknownst to us, the Office Co-ordinator had been putting us in arrears, but never informed us in writing, or otherwise.

And then came the phone call - two years later!

Well, the same thing seems to be happening again. I've been calculating our housing charge for Three (3) months now in light of the fact that our source of income has changed and the co-op has not yet recalculated our subsidy. Not to worry though. The Office Co-ordinator has just advised me that subsidies will be recalculated effective April 1st and if there's a credit, we will be credited, if there is a shortfall, the Office Co-ordinator's stance is that it should be waived.

I just hope the phone doesn't ring.