Membership Policy

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Purpose and Application of this Policy

The Corporation’s Membership is vital to its success in creating, maintaining, and promoting housing for low- and moderate- income households. Members make a difference in many ways: from asking questions, sharing diverse perspectives and exercising their vote at Members’ meetings, to volunteering with Advisory Committees.

The purpose of this policy is to establish the terms and conditions of membership. In particular, this policy is intended to:

• clarify processes for obtaining and maintaining membership;
• support Members to understand their rights;
• establish clear and consistent expectations with respect to Member conduct; and
• ensure any alleged misconduct is handled through fair, open and transparent processes.

Eligibility and Application for Membership

Individuals who satisfy the eligibility criteria in Section 11 of these By-laws and wish to become a Member of the Corporation shall submit an Application by the annual deadline established by the Board.

All Applications received by this date will be reviewed per process as set out in Section 12 of these By- laws. Valid assessment criteria include:

• the completeness of the Application;
• if applicable, any prior misconduct on the part of the Applicant as a Member, Director, Officer, employee or volunteer of the Corporation that has been reported, documented and investigated in accordance with the Policies;
• any information in the public domain, including information about the Applicant’s occupation or employment, that raises significant concerns about:
  • conflicts of interest and/or conflicting loyalties on the part of the Applicant;
  • the sincerity of the Applicant’s commitment to act in the best interests of the Corporation and in furtherance of the stated vision, mission and values, as amended from time to time by the Corporation;
  • the sincerity of the Applicant’s commitment to abide by this Membership Policy, the Code of Conduct and all applicable Policies.

With respect to Applications by current or former tenants or residents in accommodations owned or managed by the Corporation:

• Subject to the following exception, under no circumstances shall any personal information about the Applicant’s tenancy or residency in such accommodations be considered to determine the Applicant’s eligibility for a membership.
• On an exceptional basis, the Board may consider any historical or ongoing acts of bullying, harassment or violence on the part of the Applicant that have been or are being reported, documented and investigated in accordance with the Policies.

Terms and Annual Confirmation of Membership

Memberships do not have an expiration date. Members are required to annually confirm they wish to remain a Member of the Corporation and that they continue to meet the eligibility criteria. The Corporation will initiate the annual confirmation process by email. Members will be required to respond by a specific deadline to maintain their membership. With the exception of Lifetime Members:

• The Corporation shall terminate any Member who does not respond by this deadline.
• Any such individual who subsequently wishes to reinstate their membership shall be required to submit a new Application.

Lifetime Members who do not provide confirmation by the annual deadline shall continue to receive all Member communications and to receive notice of all Member meetings. If a Lifetime Member subsequently wishes to participate in any meeting of the Members, the Lifetime Member shall be permitted to confirm their continued eligibility for membership per Section 11 of these By-laws before or at any meeting of the Members.

Rights of Members

Members have the right to:

• Obtain free copies of the Articles and By-laws, the minutes of Members’ meetings, meeting minutes of any committee of Members, Member resolutions, a list of Directors and Officers;
• View and obtain the list of Members for a reasonable fee, including Member names and contact information, so long as they agree in writing that they will only use this information:
  • To influence how Members vote;
  • To requisition a Members’ meeting; or
  • For any other matter relating to the affairs of the Corporation;
• receive notice of, attend, ask questions and vote at Members’ meetings;
• bring forth proposals for consideration at Members’ meetings;
• nominate, elect and remove Directors;
• appoint the Corporation’s auditor; and
• requisition a Members’ meeting with the support of at least 10% of the Membership.

Protecting Member Safety and Privacy

To respect and, to the maximum extent possible, protect each Member’s right to privacy, the Corporation shall:

• obtain every Member’s informed express consent to collect, use, and store their personal information for specific purposes;
• notify every Member of the circumstances in which the Corporation is required by law to disclose their personal information to third-parties, including other Members, and obtain their express consent to such disclosure; and
• advise Members they may use their residential address, a business address or the Corporation’s registered address as their address for service for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Act and the regulations there under.

Where the third-party request is from a Member seeking the names and contact information of other Members, the Corporation shall:

• limit the personal information that is disclosed only to what is essential to facilitate the requesting Member’s ability to contact other Members, and only for purposes that are permitted by the Act;
• ensure the requesting Member completes the statutory declaration required by the Act, which must include:
  • the requesting member’s name and address;
  • a statement by the requesting Member that the list of Members or any information that is obtained from the register of Members will not be used except:
    • To influence how Members vote;
    • To requisition a Members’ meeting; or
    • For any other matter relating to the affairs of the Corporation.

Member Proposals

To support orderly, efficient and productive deliberations of the Membership, all Members are strongly encouraged to provide advance notice to the Corporation of any matter they propose to raise at an upcoming Members’ meeting. the Corporation shall facilitate this process as follows:

1. the Corporation shall issue an annual call for proposals at least ninety (90) days before the annual meeting.
2. The Management Committee, consisting of the Executive Director and Departmental Directors, shall review any proposals that are received at least sixty (60) days before the annual meeting to develop recommendations for the Board. Members are strongly encouraged to review Section 27 of these By-laws as they formulate their proposals.
3. With respect to each proposal under consideration, the Management Committee shall either recommend:
   1. the proposal be included in the notice of the annual meeting; or
   2. the proposal be addressed through another mechanism if any of the exceptions in Subsection 27(d) of these By-laws apply.
4. The Management Committee shall present its recommendations to the Board for the Board’s review and final decision.

Standards of Conduct and Applicable Policies

Members shall abide by the Code of Conduct while participating in Member’s meetings, committee meetings and other the Corporation events. Members shall also abide by the Code of Conduct in all interactions with others who are part of the Corporation’s community, including (but not limited to) other Members, Directors, the Executive Director, Departmental Directors, staff and volunteers. In addition to the Code of Conduct, Members shall review and adhere to all applicable Policies.

Discipline and Termination of Membership

Per Section 19 of these By-laws, the Board may initiate proceedings to discipline and/or terminate a Member who violates the Code of Conduct and applicable Policies.

The Board shall provide a minimum of thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Member whose membership is under review, and allow the Member to provide a written or verbal response not less than five (5) days before the end of the notice period. The Board may otherwise modify the procedure as required to ensure procedural fairness, equity, and/or make reasonable accommodations to facilitate the Member’s participation in the process.

In deciding the matter, the Board shall demonstrate a commitment to progressive discipline and consider the feasibility of options other than termination, including but not limited to:

• restricting the Member’s participation in committee work;
• restricting the Member’s participation in community events;
• restricting the Member’s access to the Corporation’s premises; and/or
• temporary suspension of Membership.

If such other options would not be adequate to prevent serious harm to other individuals at the Corporation (e.g., Member(s), Director(s), employees, committee volunteers, etc.) or to the Corporation as an organization, the Board may terminate the Member. The Board shall communicate its decision and reasons in writing to the Member within ten (10) Business Days. For greater certainty, it is always within the Corporation’s discretion to take interim, immediate and reasonable measures to:

• safeguard the Corporation’s Director(s), Member(s), tenant(s), resident(s), employee(s) and volunteer(s) from violence, threats of violence, and harassment in the workplace;
• prevent and/or mitigate the risk of theft, fraud, and/or the commission of other illegal acts in the workplace and/or on premises that are owned or managed by the Corporation; and
• prevent and/or mitigate the risk of any serious harm to the Corporation, and/or to its Director(s), Member(s), tenant(s), resident(s), employee(s) and volunteer(s).

Independent Review of Board Decisions

Sections 13 and 20 of these By-laws enable the review of any Board decision to deny an Application, or to discipline or terminate a Member. Upon receiving a request from an Applicant or a Member for a review of any such Board decision, the Corporation shall appoint a qualified mediator or conflict resolution specialist to conduct an independent review (the “Reviewer”). In selecting and appointing an appropriate individual to this role, the Corporation shall consider:

• formal education, training and credentials;
• experience providing such services in not-for-profit and community settings;
• the Reviewer’s demonstrated commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive values, and demonstrated experience applying such values to mediation and/or dispute resolution
• processes; and any history and prior involvement in the Corporation’s governance,
  management and/or operations that could undermine the prospective Reviewer’s actual or perceived impartiality in reviewing the Board’s decision.