SAFETY INFO SESSION COURTESY OF 54 DIVISION

Another great evening planned by PVTA! 

Please mark your calendars and save the date! 

Thursday November 5, 2015
7pm to 8pm
7 Park Vista Lobby

Constable Hanna, 54 Division will be conducting an info session to the Park Vista community on crime prevention tips and safety protocols. 

Refreshments will be served.

Our neighbours at 4 Park Vista are also invited to join in and participate as they too are part of this awesome community! 

Thank you,

FMTA TENANT NEWS & UPDATES - NEWS IN BRIEF - SEPTEMBER 16TH TO 30TH, 2015

Monthly we receive an update from John Plumadore, Chair, FMTA and PVTA continues to share this very informative and useful information. Check it out!

Students Living in Unacceptable Conditions in Toronto’s Parkside Residence Could Get a Reduction in Rent, Steven Goetz, Metro News, Sep 23

Metronews Toronto-Parkside-apartments-could-be-case-study-for-Ontario

The article quotes Geordie on students being first-time renters and ACTO’s Ken Hale on legal options that the tenants at Parkside might have. The developer Nightstone, promised luxury apartments for students but the reality consists of crumbling ceilings, clogged toilets and acute disrepair. The city cannot act on the broken promises made to students:  it can only enforce municipal code violations. Students might be able to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for a reduction in rent.

Trends in the Housing Market

CMHC to Look at Trends in Foreign Ownership in Canadian Real estate

Alexandra Posadzki, Toronto Star, Sep 24, 2015

cmhc-to-look-at-foreign-ownership-of-canadian-real-estate

·  Addressing a data gap, CMHC has begun consulting with other data sources, will conduct survey and roundtables to gage the extent of foreign ownership in the Canadian housing market. Foreign demand and ownership has been blamed for rising house prices in Vancouver (and elsewhere)

Affordable Housing: A Crippling Crisis with an Obvious Solution

David Olive, Toronto Star, Sep 24, 2015

affordable-housing-a-crippling-crisis-with-an-obvious-solution

·   The impacts of a lack of affordable housing: insufficiently competitive workforce, poorer health outcomes, increased crime in specific communities, Myth of Labour mobility: over the last few decades, the best and brightest workers have been priced out of cities such as Vancouver and Toronto which poses difficulties for the corner grocers and large corporation alike.  Impacts on tenants: Only 10% of new housing built in the last decade is rental housing though 33% of Canadians live in rental housing. 1 in 5 Canadians who are renters are in crisis, spending over 50% of their after-tax income on housing. As more and more condo construction on the downtown core drives workers into the ex-burbs, there has been a rapid increase in rents in these and rural areas as well. An easy answer: the problem is set to get worse before it gets better. The solution, A National Housing Strategy.

Thank you John!

UNWANTED, UNAUTHORIZED VAGRANCY AT PARK VISTA - PLEASE REPORT!

Recently at one of our Park Vista buildings, tenants on two separate evenings within a relatively short period of time discovered vagrancy in the building. 

Somehow individual(s) were found sleeping in the hallways that clearly did not live at Park Vista. They appeared to have been homeless.

The matter was managed and the police were called to remove the unauthorized individuals as well as the resident Manager(s) was notified and with due diligence, double checked entrance ways to ensure that they were not obstructed and were functioning properly.

It is imperative to keep ourselves safe that you do not allow entry to anyone you do not recognize and if you are not sure and they do not have a key, please do not allow them in. If however, it may become confrontational do not engage and best to notify the Resident Manager and/or call the police once you are safely in your apartment.

Please practice safety and stay safe!

Thank you,

PARK VISTA FIRE DRILL - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Attention to the residents of 2, 6, 7 and 8 Park Vista, CAPREIT will be conducting its proactive quarterly Fire Drill on Monday September 28, 2015. These fire drills are an opportunity for us to practice and educate ourselves on the importance and proper procedures when it comes time to responding to an alarm.

Please treat this drill as a real alarm and follow the same procedure as you would in an actual emergency. The on-site management staff allocated to each building will be on hand to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.

CAPREIT & PVTA encourages each of you to participate in this very important proactive initiative. Thank you.

KEVIN MILBURN, PARALEGAL

Kevin Milburn, paralegal was retained to represent 6 & 8 Park Vista respectively on Sept 18th & 23rd & was able to mediate reductions for each building. His direct, no nonsense approach assisted us particularly given the many questions we had surrounding the AGI law with respect to the landlord's rights and the options tenants have. He took the time out to meet the PVTA Board, visit and acquaint himself with the Park Vista community, answered our questions, provided guidance and educated us about the law, all in preparation for the hearings. Kevin will be retained again, this time to represent 2 Park Vista as they prepare for their up & coming AGI.

He has been representing tenants since 1999 and has successfully defended hundreds of Above Guideline Increase cases across the GTA. 

Aside from his expertise/specialty in Above Guideline Increase cases before the Landlord and Tenant Board of Ontario  he also represents tenants who wish to file their own applications against landlords for various reasons and also represents clients in Small Claims Court and Highway Traffic Act cases.

Below is some additional information on Kevin, samples of his past achievements in addition to his contributions to the community. If you're in need of a solid paralegal, his contact information is provided below, check it out!

SAMPLE OF AGI CASES

Prince Arthur AGI

Raglan Ave AGI

PREPARED SESSION ON RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD & TENANT LAW IN ONTARIO

Tenant Applications and Allegations

ACTIVE COMMUNITY MEMBER, GETS INVOLVED

Community_Public Debates_School Trustees

Diesel Trains Coalition

Kevin Milburn

2202 Weston Road, Suite 607
Toronto, ON M9N 1Y3
647-999-0211
416-249-1503
kmilburn@gmx.com

CITY OF TORONTO - UPDATE - NEW PROGRAM - MANAGING WASTE

In keeping with its commitment of achieving a goal of 70 per cent diversion from landfill, the City of Toronto is launching a new communication campaign directed towards residents living in condominiums & apartments.

With half of Toronto's residents living in multi-residential buildings, they believe it is important to provide information to us about properly sorting our recycling and organic materials from garbage. The new campaign will specifically ask residents to participate in their building's Green Bin organics program. Every building unit will receive a copy of direct mail piece with the message "Use your Green Bin".

 

CAPREIT and PVTA encourage  each resident of Park Vista to   participate  in the Green Bin organic program.Not only will this help divert materials from landfill, it can also ultimately help decrease the solid waste fees for  each of our respective  buildings.

Free kitchen catchers or in-unit organics containers are an important tool to encourage participation in the program. All buildings on City collection service are provided with one in-unit container per unit at the start of the program and can request free replacements (up to 10% of the building's total number of units) each calendar year.

As a City collection customer, don't forget to take advantage of all the waste diversion programs the City has to offer, such as: electronics recycling, household hazardous waste collection, the 3Rs

Ambassador Volunteer program and free education materials. Additional information is available on the website, there is no additional charge for any of these programs.

Toronto Recycling Program


Thank you,

If you require more information about the Green Bin program or about any of the services the City provides, or if you need an additional supply of kitchen catchers, please contact 416-392-5200.

- 'RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES' AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE

THE TENTH EDITION OF THIS LEADING TEXT FULLY UPDATES THE READER WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS SURROUNDING THE RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT, 2006

This comprehensive and easy-to-use text is authoritative and filled with practical information. Highlights of the tenth edition include:

• Reference to hundreds of new court and Landlord and Tenant Board decisions.
• New – Chapter 22 on suite meters and apportionment of utility costs.
• New – Chapter 23 on non-profit co-operative housing and New Part V.1 to the R.T.A.
• Significant updates to Chapter 19 on penal sanctions to address recent convictions.
• Full text of all relevant statutes, regulations, Landlord and Tenant Board Rules and Interpretation Guidelines
• New Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario Common Rules of Practice and Practice Directions.
• Updated CD-ROM containing all Landlord and Tenant Board forms
• Improved index for ease of searching.

As a former Member of the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (now the Landlord and Tenant Board), author Richard Feldman brings his experience to bear in delivering a practical and accessible guide that landlords, tenants, property managers, legal representatives, students and educators alike are sure to find useful.

About the Author

Richard A. Feldman possesses undergraduate degrees in Geography and Education from York University and the University of Toronto, respectively. He is the recipient of numerous academic honours, including the James A. Priestley Admission Scholarship, York University In-course Scholarship, the Hans Carol Prize, the Robert Laidlaw Cup for Academic Excellence and the Arnolds Balins Award. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1988 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1990. In June 2013, Mr. Feldman received a Master of Laws degree, specializing in Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution.

As a lawyer in a Toronto firm for approximately seven years, Mr. Feldman's practice focused primarily on civil litigation, administrative law, family law and real estate transactions.

In 1998, Mr. Feldman joined the newly-formed Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (as the Landlord and Tenant Board was then known) as one of its founding members. He served as a full-time Member of that Tribunal until the end of his second term in 2004. During that time, Mr. Feldman issued over 9,000 written decisions.

Since 2004, Mr. Feldman has been serving as an arbitrator at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO), where he adjudicates disputes under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule of the Insurance Act.

Mr. Feldman has lectured at a number of post-secondary institutions and has spoken and/or written for a number of continuing legal education programs and professional organizations. He continues to teach, write and lecture about administrative law and about best practices for those appearing before administrative tribunals.

- See more at:
carswell_residential-tenancies-10th-edition

RESULTS OF ABOVE GUIDELINE INCREASE (AGI) HEARING FOR 8 PARK VISTA

The hearing took place on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. at 79 St. Clair Avenue East, Toronto, ON. On behalf of 8 Park Vista's Tenancy, Anna Guercio, President/Chair of the Park Vista Tenants' Association and resident of 8 Park Vista alongside Kevin Milburn, Paralegal were present to mediate a settlement.

Summary and Results:

A mediated settlement was accepted as opposed to escalating and pursuing a hearing. If the case had gone to a hearing, Mr. Andrade (CAPREIT's representative)  had instructions to pursue the correct value of the application at 7.82% because the LTB used the wrong rent roll number.

LTB did not include the 2 vacant units in their calculation and the law states that an average rent should be assigned to the vacant units. Capreit would have won that argument. When the calculations were completed prior to the mediation, both sides used the correct numbers to come to the mediated settlement.

Bottom line, how does this translate to the 8 Park Vista Tenant? - original requested increase by CAPREIT of 7.82% minus what we got - 6.73%, a 1.09% reduction, translates to $13.08 per month savings or $156.96 per each year

Once again thank you to each Tenant that signed the petition for the $1,000 Tenant Defence Fund Grant, it allowed PVTA to hire an experienced paralegal to review our AGI case, crunched out the numbers, assessed any anomalies (and there were several) to get the 1.09% decrease.

A huge heartfelt gratitude of thanks to our paralegal Kevin Milburn who will once again represent the tenancy of Park Vista, this time assisting 2 Park Vista as they are about to embark on their AGI case.

This was a positive victory and although a bigger reduction was hoped for, given the laws and policies that govern the landlord's rights to capital expenditures and above guideline increases, it was the best we were able to do. 

To update these existing laws, it is strongly recommended that you take action and write to your MP and let them know that capital expenditures are making rents more and more expensive and that a contingency should be established by the landlord for such claims rather than dipping into the tenant coffer. 

Lastly, on behalf of PVTA, it was a sincere pleasure in representing the Tenants of 8 Park Vista during this process and working with Kevin Milburn.

Thank you,
Anna Guercio
President/Chair
Park Vista Tenants' Association

EASY TIPS FOR WARMING UP YOUR "FREEZING" APARTMENT

The residences of Park Vista live in buildings that are at least 50+ years old if not older and the technology in heating our buildings just isn't in the 21st century. Some units experience comfort while others say they are much too cold and others its too hot, the uneven heat flow can be due in most part to how your apartment is furnished, window coverings in place and how big or many windows you have in your unit. Overwhelmingly we all recognize the need to install new up to date thermal windows, certainly this would alleviate the issue and in speaking to CAPREIT, this is certainly in the plan, but there is much planning and assessment that must be completed prior to such an announcement and the likelihood of an AGI. CAPREIT recently completed  the massive balcony reconstruct project in all 4 buildings and the construction and the interruptions are finally behind us. However, rest assured, the landlord is fully cognizant of the need and this project is in the plan.

The heating equipment for each Park Vista building supplies all suites. The controls automatically adjust the heating supply based on outside temperature readings. Individual suites do not have thermostats to control the heat. Tenants cannot increase their suite’s heat higher than the heat generated by the equipment. There has been found a varying range of temperatures in the buildings based on location of suites, however, CAPREIT ensures the minimum is 21 Celsius no matter what the location.

The Toronto by-law does state that starting September 15th to June 1st, the minimum temperature our respective apartments must be is at 21 Celsius. Although we have been experiencing hotter than usual temperatures this month, with cooler over-nights, the heating system may not kick in due to this variance.During this period of time, it is suggested to use:

1. heavy blankets
2. space heater

However, when temperatures remain at steady cooler temperatures in addition to the above 2 recommendations you may want to try the following:

1. Try using a fan to circulate the air, given baseboard heating or vents are located right below the windows, a couple of oscillating fans set on low can keep the warm air directed towards the inside of the apartment instead of out the window

2. Weather specific (i.e. energy efficient) (thermal lined) Drapes/Blinds can help with heat loss, there are some great deals for example at WalMart and Blinds to Go, that when installed can actually prevent heat loss from the windows in the winter and keep your apartment cooler in the summer, speak to your local retailer of your choice about these products, they do work!

3. Keep the heating baseboards, vents free & clear, if you have furniture blocking the heat flow, think about relocating the furniture allowing the heat throughout the room, as well remove any window coverings over the vents, make sure they have nothing over them.

4. Investing in a portable convection heater or parabolic heater

5. Put plastic sealer around the windows and/or weather stripping and the balcony door threshold. Kits of plastic film to install over windows also works well, available at Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Rona, Lowe's etc.

6. If applicable, one thing that you can do with radiators is place aluminium foil shiny side toward the radiator right under your windows and on the wall behind the radiator, this allows the heat to bounce back into the room instead of escaping out

7. Plexi glass panels over windows also works great, some Tenants have used this option and report cozy warm apartments.

8. Vaccum your vents, radiators, the built up dirt may hinder the air flow, if these are tightly sealed and/or painted over, issue a work order and the CAPREIT Maintenance Team can provide assistance to gain access to clean these out thoroughly.

9. Lastly, PVTA will inquire to CAPREIT about 'bleeding the radiators' to make sure they are working at their best.

Hope these tips will help you to stay warm!

RESULTS OF ABOVE GUIDELINE INCREASE (AGI) HEARING FOR 6 PARK VISTA

Rent Increase Reduced for 6 Park Vista Tenants

CAPREIT was seeking a 7.4% above-guideline rent increase at the Landlord and Tenant Board hearing held on Sept. 18.

A mediated settlement was reached for a 6.4% above-guideline increase over a three-year period (this amount is in addition to automatic annual guideline increases).

While it is recognized that many tenants were hoping for a much larger decrease, please bear in mind that reducing the amount from 7.4% to 6.4% represents a 13.5% decrease.

To provide some historical context,  the landlord for 6 Park Vista applied for a 13.01% rent increase in 2004 and was granted an 11.64% increase.

Given the rules that the Landlord and Tenant Board operates under, it is challenging to dispute capital expenditures that meet the criteria of eligible costs. It's not about fairness to tenants and affordability, it's about strict rules and regulations.

Given the settlement, tenants at 6 Park Vista affected by the increase whose leases renew on or after April 1, 2015 will get the following increases:

• 4.6% increase in 2015 (3% + 1.6% guideline for 2015)
• 5% increase in 2016 (3% + 2% guideline for 2016)
• 0.4% increase + 2017 guideline (TBD) for 2017

The bottom line is that the difference between the 7.4% CAPREIT was seeking and the 6.4% settlement translates into a savings of $10.00 a month or $120 a year (in the third year) for a tenant paying $1,000 a month rent.

The ability of tenants at 6 Park Vista  to collectively challenge this rent increase was possible thanks to those tenants who signed the petition for the $1,000 Tenant Defence Fund Grant. That allowed us to hire an experienced paralegal to review the landlord's application, crunch the numbers and negotiate on behalf of tenants during mediation. 

A special thanks goes to those tenants -- including some excluded from the increase -- who have further supported our efforts by becoming members of the Park Vista Tenants Association.

In addition, Maryanna Lewyckyj, Building Director and tenant of 6 Park Vista who lead the AGI case, would like to personally thank those tenants who took time out of their busy schedule to attend the hearing and see the events unfold.

AGI HEARINGS FOR BOTH 6 PARK VISTA & 8 PARK VISTA - RE-POST/REMINDER NOTICE -

Reminder notice/post:

1. Above Guideline Increase for #6

Hearing Information

Hearing Date:	September 18, 2015	Start Time:	1:30 PM
Location:	Toronto South RM E
	79 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 212
	Toronto

2. Above Guideline Increase for #8

Hearing Information

Hearing Date:	September 23, 2015	Start Time:	1:30 PM
Location:	Toronto South RM C
	79 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 212
	Toronto

Important Note: 

If you will attend one or both of the AGI hearings you must sign in no later than 1:00 p.m.

PVTA has received approval for $1,000 grant for each #6 and #8 Park Vista, this will cover our legal fees for our up & coming hearings, we were lucky enough to retain Kevin Milburn, paralegal who has extensive experience in dealing with AGIs. 

Once again thank you to those of you that took the time out to listen and sign your support has made this possible.

PVTA will do its absolute best to represent each of us at #6 and #8 AGI Hearings and of course you are more than welcome to join us if you can!

Click here:  More information about this process

CAPREIT LP/CST PORTFOLIO STAFF CHANGES - P. MILLER ANNOUNCEMENT

In a  posted notice dated September 10, 2015, from Pat Miller, staff changes were announced effective September 15, 2015.









NEW - Resident Manager for 2 & 8 Park Vista - Zeljka Kajic.  (Zeljka is being transferred from another Capreit site and will be joining the Park Vista Team. Zeljka will reside at 8 Park Vista and work out of both 2 and 8 Park Vista offices. The phone number remain unchanged.)

Contact Information for Zeljka
Email:       z.kajic@capreit.net
Phone:      416-751-6493
________________________________________

UPDATE -  Resident Manager for 6 & 7 Park Vista - Alex Falcon (who has been part of the Park Vista Team for almost a year.)

Contact Information for Alex:
Email:       a.falcon@capreit.net
Phone:      416-757-6372
_______________________________________

UPDATE - Administration Support for 6 & 7 Park Vista; 8 Park Vista Regional Office Support - Jessica Falcon (also part of the Park Vista Team for almost a year)

Contact Information for Jessica:
Email:        j.falcon@capreit.net
Phone:       416-750-4228
________________________________________

UPDATE - Leasing Specialist, Administrative Support 8 Park Vista Regional Office - Ashley Traynor

Contact Information for Ashley:
Email:         a.traynor@capreit.net
Phone:       416-750-4228
_____________________________________________

UPDATE - Relief Resident Manager - John Kerr (long time Team Member of Park Vista)

Contact Information for John:
Email:           j.kerr@capreit.net  

_____________________________________________

UPDATE / NEW - Maintenance Department 

• Crisitan Voicu, Manager
• Boris Rososhansky, Maintenance Crew Member - full-time (extensive experience, employed with Capreit as of July 2015)
• Marvin Alegno, Maintenance Crew Member - part-time (returning, alongside his wife Amy currently manage another Capreit property in Etobicoke)

Contact Information for the department:
Email:       c.voicu@capreit.net
_________________________________________________

Thank you,