Much of what we do as housing providers will be influenced in the coming months by three key pieces of legislation: the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the Ontario Building Code (OBC).

What this alphabet soup of rules and regulations have in common is that each will affect the relationships that housing providers have with their applicants, residents and employees. In all likelihood, many housing providers will also see a financial impact resulting from the new laws.

For now let’s focus on the AODA

Ontario has had accessibility legislation in place for some time, not to mention the fact that the Human Rights Code has been in place since 1982. So why the sudden focus on disabilities?

Actually it’s not so unexpected. Quite frankly, Ontario has a pretty poor track record as far as protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), which immediately pre-dated the AODA, lacked the legislative clout required for proper enforcement. Businesses, employers and others who discriminated against the disabled risked a complaint being filed with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, or even a lawsuit. However, given the expense and time required to carry out such actions, many folks who were allegedly targeted by discrimination simply gave up.

With the proclamation of the AODA in 2005, and the more recent focus on the Act’s Customer Care Standard, businesses and individuals are now concentrating on ensuring that the service they provide is compliant with the legislation. Most of the legislative changes have come about as a result of the Act’s sweeping and comprehensive definition of disability; in fact, the definition of disability in the AODA now mirrors that of the Human Rights Code.

And it’s a long list. According to Section 2 of the AODA, “disability” means:

any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,

a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,

a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,

a mental disorder, or

an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997;

So what does all of this mean to housing providers? Well, for one thing we have to make sure that our ducks are in a row, so to speak.

The requirements for the Customer Service standard cover nine areas. Only the first seven apply to private sector or not-for-profit organizations with 1-19 employees. If your organization employs 20 or more individuals, you will also be required to document and report compliance to the Ministry:

• Policies, practices and procedures
• Training
• Feedback process
• Communication
• Service Animals
• Support Persons
• Notice of temporary disruption of service
• Documenting your compliance with the regulation
• Reporting

In addition to the Customer Service Standard, benchmarks are being developed in four key areas of daily living:

• Built Environment
• Employment
• Information and Communications
• Transportation

Not-for-profit organizations will need to be in compliance with the Customer Service standard by January 1, 2012. The goal is to have standards in place for all 5 areas of the AODA by 2025. So for now the focus is on ensuring that EVERYONE receives equal service predicated on recognizing individual independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.

Eventually, as additional standards are entrenched in law, providers will undoubtedly receive requests for accommodation, which will include everything from widening doorways for wheelchairs and scooters, to installing fire alarms equipped with strobe lights for the hearing impaired, to allowing for the smoking of medical marijuana and creating barriers between those who smoke it and those who don’t.

More information:

• Ministry of Community and Social Services website
• The current and forthcoming issue SHSC Insurance newsletter Risky Business have articles on OHRC and medical marijuana
• SHSC Training has developed a full-day workshop, Ontario Human Rights Code Amendments – To be Forewarned is to be Forearmed! It provides an in-depth overview of the specific changes in the Ontario Human Rights Code. For further information, contact SHSC Training Manager Lisa Kotsopoulos at 416.594.9325 ext 242 or email lkotsopoulos@shscorp.ca

Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., on June 12. (Dave Martin/Associated Press)

It is “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur” and if it did “….no significant adverse impacts are expected.” That statement was given in February 2009 before BP received approval to begin drilling the Deepwater Horizon well. Now the whole world watches as the disastrous effects of this oil spill unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.

It appears to me not such an unpredictable outcome and yet we continue to react with disbelief every time the unthinkable happens. Technological innovation has been the hallmark of our modern world bringing with it all kinds of life improving advancements. We remain ever confident in next year’s innovation to solve the problems of last year’s inventions. However, as events continue to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, the cost of disregarding the impact of our behaviours on the planet and placing blind faith in ingenuity to solve all problems is becoming increasingly clear.

An exhausted oil-covered brown pelican sits in a pool of oil along Queen Bess Island Pelican Rookery, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana June 5, 2010. Sean Gardner/REUTERS

To date over 380 million litres of oil have spilled into the Gulf, threatening marine mammals, fish and birds, and coastal wetlands. Over one billion dollars has been spent so far in trying to stop the leak and the costs to commercial and recreational fishing industries have not yet been included in the tally.

Our failure to apply a precautionary approach when making decisions about offshore drilling reveals our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and the extent to which we will sacrifice common sense in its pursuit.

Instead of the risky business of looking for oil in ever more dangerous situations how about we just use less energy? Perhaps not as sexy as a massive oil rig, but surprisingly effective when we all do just a little more to use a little less. Take public transportation or maybe use your bike or why not just walk to the corner store? You don’t even have to commit to do this all the time just substitute these methods once a week for a time when you used to drive. Close off the lights when you leave the room. Use a space bar for electronic equipment and turn it off when not in use. Or consider participating in incentive programs like the Renewable Energy Initiative which make it easy to start reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources.

For more ideas about how you can make energy conservation part of your operations, check out GLOBE’s Sustainability Toolbox launching soon on our website. Conservation can be remarkably effective and best of all there will never be any negative consequences. Ever.

For the past year, I have been part of the planning team for the amazing new Centre for Learning at 540 Dundas Street East. It’s in the heart of the vibrant new community emerging through the Regent Park Revitalization.

From June 10 to 12, the Centre held its Open House. On June 11, both Marwa Eldardiry and I from SHSC helped out along with reps from Ryerson, George Brown, U of T, and graduates of the Immigrant Women Integration Program (IWIP) who are there to screen their Digital Stories.

Ryerson University representatives await local community members.

As I walk north from Queen past the mosque and approach Dundas, I see the construction underway and new town homes are almost complete. In the midst of brand new mixed-rental buildings, commercial spaces, condos and townhomes –change is happening. You can feel it. On the corner of Dundas and Parliament (altered considerably since Google Streetview photographed it) there is a new Tim Horton’s filled with families, an RBC, a Rogers store and a Sobeys. People are talking to neighbours, walking dogs and waiting for the streetcar to take them to work.

Approaching the doorway to the Centre of Learning, there is a bright yellow sign tied with balloons to let people know about the Open House. Inside, information tables are filled with displays and brochures and a computer lab set up with online surveys to find out which courses, workshops and training people are interested in. Marwa is helping someone complete a survey. A table is filled with scrumptous treats and samosas made by local residents. There’s an arts and crafts room set up for children staffed by volunteers from Art Heart and an assortment of markers and paper eggs to colour. Beautiful photos line the walls. Community members are starting to arrive.

The main event follows. The Centre for Digital Story Telling has been working with the women in the IWIP program to create their digital stories and one story– by Sureya – relays the reality of moving with her family to her new home in the revitalization process.

As a housing professional, having worked at Toronto Community Housing for over five years and now at SHSC, Sureya’s story is particularly poignant because it is a testament to all the years of planning and tenant engagement, working with the community and staying true to the vision of a mixed income, mixed housing community with roads, parks, retail and community space. Sureya’s digital story is one of social inclusion. And it’s Sureya’s story , in Sureya’s words, voice and imagery.

The new Regent Park is becoming a creative, exciting place – filled with socially innovative system enablers like the Centre of Learning, the Small Business Portal and the Employment and Enterprise Hub. Coming soon – the Arts and Culture Centre and the Aquatic Centre. Stay tuned!!

For more information about the Regent Park Centre of Learning, visit: http://www.tccld.org/

Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about the different considerations when renting out your common and/or party rooms.  What have we learned?

The first thing to consider is what type of event will be hosted in these rooms and whether alcohol will be served.  If you’ve determined that alcohol will be served, you should ensure that the event organisers obtain the requisite Special Occasion Permit (SOP) from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

The next thing to consider is whether to rely on your housing corporation’s own insurance and whether to enter into a rental contract that clearly outlines each party’s rights and obligations regarding the rental of your common and/or party room.  While the existence of a contract will not likely absolve you of all liability, it will certainly aid in any defence your insurance company lays out for you.

Risky Business - Spring 2010 Edition

Another option is to require event organisers to purchase their own insurance coverage for their events, commonly known as Special Event Insurance or Social Host Liability Insurance.  For additional information on this type of insurance, visit Elliot Special Risks.

Lastly, it is important to remember that your housing corporation’s insurance policy does not provide coverage to any property or contents belonging to your tenants, guests, event organisers or event attendees.  Event organisers should be made aware of this and it should be spelled out in your rental contract or agreement.  Property belonging to your housing corporation will be covered as long as the property was lost or damaged due to a covered risk.

In our ever-increasingly litigious society, it is important to do everything possible to reduce our exposure to common hazards associated with the shared spaces in our residential buildings.  For more risk management tips, check out our newest edition of Risky Business.

As a fourth year Urban and Regional Planning student at Ryerson University, a housing activist in my community and a part-time employee at SHSC for the past three years, I was already familiar with a lot of the history covered by the City of Toronto Archives rental housing exhibit.

A Public Health Concern

That said, the way the information was presented was unique.  It provided an overview and history of housing in Toronto (using pictures, texts and official documents), making it easy to see the innovations in affordable rental housing in chronological order since the early twentieth century.  At that time, the housing situation had become so bad that the city’s medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Hastings, issued a report declaring it a public health concern.  This report was written in response to Toronto’s booming growth and industrial development, which brought with it the problems of slums, pollution, epidemics, poverty, and ill health in the late nineteenth century.

A Study in Slum Clearance - City of Toronto Archives

Since then, the city developed the Regent Park, St. James Town and St. Lawrence neighbourhoods. These developments still exist today and house a large number of Torontonians.  They all started off with good intentions: their goal was to provide rental housing at affordable rates.

The exhibit prompts visitors to take a step back and look at these developments – and decide if the urban planning ideas embedded in them have stood the test of time. As Jessica mentioned in her article, Regent Park, built exclusively to provide affordable housing was a success when it was first built. But the neighbourhood and the design principles used to create it faced criticism as time passed.

The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood

One of the more successful community developments highlighted in the Archives’ exhibit is the revitalization of the St. Lawrence community through the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The community was designed using a unique collaborative approach where the planners were not the ones driving the show – instead all community stakeholders had a say in how this development unfolded. The area features a mix of housing including rental units, condos, co-ops and community housing.

The St. Lawrence neighbourhood is said to be Canada’s most dynamic inner city neighbourhood and it continues to be a success. The exhibit confirmed my belief that the planning principles and the unique approach used to create this neighbourhood should be recognized and used to help plan and design future neighbourhoods.