On November 6, 2017 the WPRA hosted a successful AGM with newly-appointed Councillor Lucy Troisi as guest speaker. Councillor Troisi spoke about her role and took questions from the community members. Approximately 100 people attended the event to discuss the work of the WPRA in the community and to meet our board members.

Your current WPRA Board of Directors:

• Sean Campbell

• Krista Lamb (Fieldstone Co-operative Representative)

• Dee Lewis

• Marnie McCallum (Hugh Garner Co-operative Representative)

• Christina Robinson

• Brenda Rogers

• Heather Wilberforce

 

The WPRA presented its financial statement, an update on our social media strategy and the latest news on the rooming houses in the area.

We are grateful to our volunteer baker, Christina Robinson, who provided refreshments, and to our sponsors Kendall and Co. and Chartwell, who allowed us to provide door prizes.

Our next general meeting will be on May 16, 2018 at the Hugh Garner Co-op, located at 550 Ontario Street (where Ontario and Prospect Streets intersect), in the 8th floor Party Room from 7 - 9 p.m. We will be hosting the provincial candidates for Toronto Centre. Candidates from the NDP PC, Liberal and Green parties will be our guests. This should be a very interesting and lively evening, so please join us!
 

What's New

The WPRA board has been very busy over the last few months. We continue our work directly with the city on the Tenants First project and are keeping close tabs on the latest news on the TCHC rooming houses in our area. See below for a more in-depth look at this work.

We are also developing a new website, updating our Terms of Reference, planning the 2018 Strawberry Social and working on our next general meeting, which will be held on May 16.

 

TCHC Rooming House Update

The WPRA has updated you often about about the TCHC 's rooming houses in our community and the story is not finished. We are continuing to meet with the City on this issue. The City has decided the rooming houses will be transitioned to non-profits. Exactly how that will be done is still not clear. The non-profits that are interested in acquiring these houses do not have the funds necessary to renovate and restore the buildings to Heritage standards and the houses need to be brought to some standard of good repair. It is not clear how the houses will be sold to the non-profits given that there are mortgages on the properties, some of which are more substantial than others. Tenants First is looking for a way to make the transition cost equitable. The buildings will remain part of "rooming house" stock but under the ownership and management of non-profits. The City does not expect that transition to occur for two years. In the meantime, Dixon Hall has been engaged to provide on the ground social services to tenants starting in May.

Below, we have updates on some of the other recent developments in the rooming houses.

Gas Stoves:
The WPRA has learned that drug users have been accessing the common kitchen space in some of the rooming houses and using the gas stoves to "cook" their drugs. On at least one occasion, tenants have reported finding the gas valves left open and the house filled with gas fumes. The WPRA has raised the alarm about this situation with TCHC and the City. Although we had asked that the gas stoves be replaced with electric stoves, we have learned that the cost of rewiring the buildings to accommodate electric stoves is prohibitive TCHC is in process of purchasing a type of gas stove which automatically closes the gas valve. This type of stove is costlier but will not require the rewiring of the entire house.
 
Margaret's House:
For the last two years we have been anticipating the transition of the Winchester TCHC rooming houses to Margaret's House. The funding is in place, but the work scheduled to start in November 2017 has been delayed. Small variances in the design required that plans go back to the City planning deptartment for review and approval and then to the Committee of Adjustment. At times, it feels like this project is never going to get off the ground. In the meantime, the 35 women who need supportive and transitional housing can not be "homed. At this time almost all tenants from the rooming houses have been moved to better accommodation where they enjoy private kitchen and bathroom facilities. The Winchester properties are expected to be vacant at the end of April. At that time, forensic engineering inspections will be done to determine structural work needed.

Renovations:
TCHC buildings on Rose Avenue, Wellesley Street and Carlton Street have been undergoing some exterior restoration work, which has been progressing very slowly. Though there have been great improvements to the Parliament Street rooming houses, these continue to be troubled by drug dealing and other anti-social activities that make life for tenants unsafe.
 

Hugh Garner Construction