Let us begin with a prayer for discernment:

“…Let the light of knowledge and truth shine down upon us so that we may know the difference between the truth and falsehood; right and wrong; just and unjust; good and bad. May the truth set us free from the chains of deception, ruse, ignorance, bullying, stunts, and ploys that prevent us from complying with the laws of the land and enjoying life to the fullest.” – Anonymous.

Facts:

Primary Purpose of Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17 )

The purposes of the Act are to provide protection for residential tenants from unlawful rent increases and unlawful evictions, to establish a framework for the regulation of residential rents, to balance the rights and responsibilities of residential landlords and tenants and to provide for the adjudication of disputes and for other processes to informally resolve disputes.  2006, c. 17, s. 1.

Following are some of the differences between a Social Group and a Tenants’ Association:

The ABC Foundation that owns the DEF Residence have elaborated on their website the values which they expound which include:

Love – We will help to advance God’s family and demonstrate his love through our words and actions in meeting people’s physical and spiritual needs.

Integrity – We will be trustworthy and honest in all of our relationships and financial dealings.

Excellence – We will pursue excellence in all areas.

Quality – We will provide quality services that meet the needs of our community.

Compassion – We will be compassionate to all those we come in contact with.

Good Stewardship – We will be good stewards of the resources and gifts God has given us.

Relationships – We will encourage positive relationships to foster a caring community.

Fun – We will approach everything we do with an attitude of good humor and fun.

Any organization, group, association, clique, band, party, union of more than three or four, etc. would need to have an agreed set of rules or constitution to make it viable. Can a self-appointed social group look after the needs, wants and living conditions of 300+ tenants? Without having a detailed constitution or rules of the SG, it appears that a Social Group will only address the last value of “fun” promised by the ABC Foundation. The question is, what about the other seven values which the ABC Foundation promises to offer?

Final food (questions) for thought:

1. You are requested to review the above and in case anything has been missed or misunderstood or the facts misrepresented, you are kindly requested to write to the author with the facts. All corrections and contributions are welcome.
2. You are invited to seek legal advice to ascertain your rights, responsibilities and obligations before making any decision.
3. If you know anyone who would like to be included in this information sharing, kindly ask them to send an email to info@Right2Write.ca.

Good luck with making the right decision.

Thank you