Charles Street West
Tenants’ Association
By living in these buildings all adults are automatically members of the Tenant’s Association. Every year, the Tenant’s Association holds an Annual General Meeting, as per its bylaws. The Tenants’ Association is led by an executive board, the Tenants’ Executive, which is elected at an annual general meeting of the tenants. Any adult tenant, whether they are a U of T student, or a partner of a student, is eligible to run for a position in the Tenants’ Executive.
Highlights
In 2008, the TE created the Tenants’ Association Family Housing Facebook Group (Charles Street West Student Family Housing Tenants’ Association | Facebook) to further engage residents, this has been an active community for tenants to highlight issues, buy-and-sell furniture and other items and engage in discussion on topics of concern to the community.
Actively opposed the Blu condo development behind 30 CSW (2007). Although this was unsuccessful, a relationship was established with the construction company which allows the TE to communicate with the crew about residents’ concerns regarding working hours, noise levels, and other disruptions.
Current mandate is to increase the visibility of this association and rebuild it’s organizational capacity, outreach with other student governments, hold the landlord accountable, enable students to assert their right to live in a decent building, ensure student needs are taken into account in any long-term decisions by UFH.
Meetings
Attend one of the Tenants’ Association meetings. These meetings are held at least once annually and are advertised through the Facebook group and postings and an email blast.
Stay In Touch
If you have questions or comments for us, please contact us at tenantsassociation.utsfh@gmail.com and we’ll make every effort to respond promptly or join the Facebook group (Charles Street West Student Family Housing Tenants’ Association | Facebook) and tag a group admin there.
Facebook Group
There are currently over 900 members participating in our Tenants’ Association online forum. Members of the group ask questions about family life and the area, and share tips regarding pest control, child care, and noise complaints, among other things. The Tenants’ Executive (TE) members regularly check in on the group and respond to questions and concerns that are posted.
Rules for the Facebook Group
- Please do not endorse lease violations
Please refer to the lease and documents you received on moving in, and the SFH site to understand activities that violate your lease: https://bit.ly/3aKHt6h - Anyone who is a resident may join.
To join the group, anyone that is a resident of the University of Toronto Students Family Housing can join. They do need to answer three questions OR be invited by a current member. - Anyone in the group may post to the forum.
Anyone can post to the forum, although at discretion of moderators some posters may require post approval, for example if their content is off-topic or doesn’t align with equity principles. - Absolutely no personal attacks.
Absolutely no personal attacks on your fellow residents in our group is allowed. Anyone who uses inappropriate language towards a fellow group member will be removed from the group. - Disrespectful conduct will result in removal from the forum.
Disrespectful conduct is not tolerated. Moderators will assess what is considered as disrespectful but that includes endorsing lease violations or harming the property of others or ad hominem attacks. - Group admin may follow-up.
Group admin may follow up with the residents who were responsible for the adverse language to emphasize the forum rules and their enforcement - Privacy and Items for Sale.
Posts that share a unit number will be removed to protect privacy of tenants homes, and to limit tripping & fire hazards in hallways. Admins may delete posts where all items are marked as CLAIMED/GONE
The above rules are enforced by the Facebook group administrators, generally overlapping with the Tenant Executive’s membership.
UofT SFH is an inclusive community and the online community forum is a space that is to be equally inclusive. Any postings, links, or comments that are deemed inappropriate by our community standards will be deleted by our group admins. Anything that contradicts our efforts to be inclusive of all members of the U of T community – all genders and gender identities, sexes and sexual orientations, cultures, background, countries of origins, nations, tribes, and religions – will be deleted. At the discretion of the admin, those who make such postings may be blocked from the group, muted or forced to have their posts pre-approved.
Role of the Tenants’ Executive (TE)
The TE aims to work cooperatively with management while advocating for resident interests such as affordable rent, building safety, and community and recreation. They hold annual meetings with the rest of the Tenants’ Association to encourage residents to raise their concerns and suggestions and meet with Management at least every other month to raise those resident concerns. Management informs the TE of major developments and upcoming projects in the buildings. The TE advocates on behalf of all tenants, they work for you representing you and not for the management.
Positions of the Tenants’ Association Executive Committee
1. President
Currently: Maryam Owodunni
Position Description:
– Chair meetings
– Lead in a fair and democratic manner
– Set agenda for meetings
– Serve as chief executive officer and official representative
– Liaise with building management
– Coordinate regular executive committee
2. Vice President
Currently: Mel Hibert
Position Description:
– Attend all meetings
– Assume role of President when unavailable
– Assume role of other positions when vacant
3. Secretary
Currently: Alexander Valencia
Position Description:
– Take minutes of the meetings
– Maintain and post a schedule of meetings/events for tenants
– Keeps record of all meetings
– Keep record of letters sent or received and other relevant documents
4. Treasurer
(VACANT)
Position Description:
– Responsible for recording/monitoring all Association funds
– Present a financial report at each annual general meeting (AGM)
5. Communications Officer
Currently: Jennifer Emelife
Position Description:
– Oversees communication with the tenant body including:
– Posting information bulletins and other relevant info on the bulletin board
– Managing the Association’s emails
– Assisting with Association website
6. Social and Membership Representative
Currently: Sharifullah Wahdati
Responsibilities of the Tenants Executive
Your tenant association executives are your advocates, however like you they are also students, or family of students at the building. They are volunteering their time to help out and there aren’t a lot of people involved (although we’d love more help) so there are definite limits to what they can do.
For urgent matters, definitely contact security first whenever it is a time-sensitive issue, such as escalating a noise or smoking complaint; feel free to email the TA or make a Facebook post but definitely first contact Security at (416) 729-1592 or (416) 779-1683.
For concerns regarding your hallway/floor or inter-unit conflict or garbage-room issues or when a neighbour’s noise or smoking persists over multiple days/weeks/months, then definitely escalate to your RA first.
Set up a Zoom appointment and/or email your RA:
For issues with a potential building-wide impact like checking if others are struggling with the same internet problems as yourself, concerns about security, questions about nearest doctor that takes UHIP and other such help, definitely post to the Facebook group and/or ask via email to get help/advice from other tenants. Also for questions and concerns that you have while living here but would like to raise anonymously, we can help with that as well. Those are the issues the TE is designed to help with.
Meeting Minutes
Joint Committee Meeting (JCM)
Monthly meeting minutes between select staff at University Family Housing and the Tenants’ Association of Charles Street. Notes provided here are from the most current JCM.