FRPO 2016 Annual Report
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Transcript of FRPO 2016 Annual Report
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2015A N N U A L R E P O R T
www.frpo.org
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2 0 1 5 A N N U A L R E P O R T
2 2015 FRPO Annual Report
CHAIRS REPORTGovernment Relations
FRPO continues to expand efforts to create a positive dialogue
between housing providers and Members of Provincial Parliament
(MPPs) at Queens Park. By providing evidence-based policy
positions, we are fulfilling our mission of establishing FRPO as a
credible, professional industry association. Over 2015-2016, FRPO
held numerous meetings with the Ministry of Housing, elected
officials from all three political parties, and important oversight
agencies, such as the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB), Municipal
Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), Ontario Energy Board
(OEB) and Technical Safety Standards Authority (TSSA).
FRPOs 2015 MPP Reception at Queens Park, which featured
the Honourable Ted McMeekin (Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Housing) as keynote speaker, was also a productive and effective
event, facilitating a discussion opportunity between members of
FRPO with MPPs and policy staff from all three major parties.
Policy Advocacy
In July 2015, FRPO released a policy paper titled Removing
Barriers to New Rental Housing in Ontario and submitted it to
the provincial government as the industrys submission on the
provinces consultations to update the Long Term Affordable
Housing Strategy.
This paper addresses the top policy issues FRPO has been
presenting to government for the past few years, and is positioned
to align with the governments key priority to advance solutions to
address the affordable housing issue across the province.
FRPO has consistently offered its best advice to help move the
government from trying to do more with less to being able to do
new with less with the help of the private sector. The policies
of the past (social housing construction and rent control) have
not worked and have not addressed the growing list of 160,000
Ontario families in need of housing. We have compiled a set of
policy alternatives that government can support to create and
sustain a more investment-friendly environment to get Ontario
building again. We will continue to put those forward in the
ongoing consultations of 2016.
Government actions recommended by FRPO include:
1. Introducing Affordable Rental Housing Agreements to create
up to 90,000 new homes;
2. Reducing costly development charges on new construction of
multi-family apartment buildings;
3. Preserving the 1991 rent-control exemption to stimulate
private sector investment in Ontarios aging rental stock;
4. Improving transparency of Section 37 agreements during
the approvals stage for new purpose-built residential
construction;
5. Making changes to municipal property tax policies for multi-
residential properties;
6. Eliminating costly municipal licensing of rental housing units;
7. Making rental housing more affordable for low-income
Ontarians through a portable housing allowance initiative.
We also received support for our recommendations from
the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA), which
encouraged the government to give due consideration to our
ideas and advice on how to generate the development of new
rental housing across the province while at the same time
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creating a more business-friendly environment to manage and
maintain existing housing stock.
We will keep the membership updated on our progress in
our discussions with the municipal and provincial levels of
government and encourage you to provide any advice that can
better inform our policy ideas.
Certified Rental Building Program
Almost 1,000 apartment buildings across Ontario now have
FRPOs Certified Rental Building (CRB) designation, meaning
that over 260,000 Ontarians now live in quality assured, CRB-
approved homes. In 2015, the CRB continued to promote and
implement new Living GREEN Together sustainability standards
as part of the CRB Program, providing even better value to
tenants, housing providers and our province. Over a dozen new
green standards now support prudent business practices while
promoting environmentally friendly policies and procedures in
the management of apartment buildings. These standards also
include employee and tenant education and promotion of daily
things residents can all do to improve our environment and green
their apartment communities.
Refugee Settlement in Rental Housing
FRPO and its members have taken a leading role in providing
safe, secure and affordable housing to refugees arriving to
Canada from war-torn Syria. Renting to refugees in Ontario
is not new to our members. Some 26,000 refugees from all
over the world are admitted to Canada every year. A large
percentage of these newcomers land in Ontario, and for a large
number of them, the quality rental housing and communities
built and provided by our membership play a vital role in their
accommodation and re-settlement. We are proud of that.
What is new, however, is the pace and quantity with which
Syrian refugees are now coming to Canada. We foresaw this
as a concern. Since November 2015, FRPO has been seeking a
process with appropriate provincial government representatives
to assist in meeting the immediate needs of those in crisis. We
have offered our expertise, information and resources. FRPO has
been in regular contact with the Ontario government regarding
Bill ZigomanisBoardwalk Rental
Communities
efforts by our members to open their doors to these newest
arrivals to Canada in almost every case done without any
public subsidies or government-backed rent guarantees.
FRPO also provided members with legal and legislative
information on their rights and responsibilities with respect to
providing rental housing within the existing regulatory regime.
We reached out to community services and associations that are
supporting the Syrian refugees to provide facts and information
on how to find a quality housing provider in Ontario.
More Support for Vulnerable Women and Children
In 2015, FRPO and its members raised over $70,000 for Interval
House, Canadas first shelter for women and children fleeing
domestic violence. Interval House provides those in need with
shelter, counseling and innovative programming to help them
rebuild their lives. When women are ready to leave the shelter,
Interval House helps them on their journey by helping them find
affordable and safe housing. This years support brings FRPOs
total contributions to Interval House since 2007 to $361,000.
FRPO members such as Minto Management Limited, GWL Realty
Advisors, CAPREIT and Oxford Residential came together to form
NAOC, the National Apartment Owners Consortium. This group
represented Canadas first private-sector second-stage housing
program a program that goes beyond the need for emergency
help, and gives women a real stepping stone to rebuilding their
lives. Housing units are offered by private landlords to Interval
House clients at rent-geared-to-income rates for up to one year,
while Interval House supports these women as they transition
into their new homes, careers and lives.
Women in Rental Housing
FRPO held its 3rd Annual Women in Rental Housing Luncheon
in 2015. This years event, sponsored by Absolute Ventilation,
brought together over 150 women in the rental housing industry
to discuss preparing the next generation of women for leadership
success in rental housing. This successful annual event addresses
the challenges women face in the workplace and provides advice
to women on achieving their career goals in our industry.
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4 2015 FRPO Annual Report
FRPO Housing Summit
On September 9, FRPO hosted its first new rental housing
summit in Toronto, featuring housing experts, policy makers and
the housing provider sector to discuss solutions to increase the
supply of new and affordable rental housing.
The summit included an engaging discussion panel with
Vancouver Councillor Geoff Meggs, Vancouvers Chief Housing
Officer, Mukhtar Latif, and Landlord BCs David Hutniak. A think-
tank session in the morning was moderated by former Ontario
Deputy Minister of Housing, Michael Fenn.
The summit was attended by representatives from the Ontario
government, the City of Toronto, municipal governments,
the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, the Canadian
Cooperative Housing Federation, Evergreen City Works, the
Ontario Home Builders Association, as well as other public and
private sector housing providers and experts.
The meetings were a success, with consensus agreement that all
levels of government must work in partnership with the private
and non-profit sectors to build a strong commitment to supplying
new rental housing, using innovative tools such as a streamlined
planning process, and reduced or waived development charges.
Fixing the Rent Dispute Process
FRPO continues to be an effective member of the Landlord
Tenant Boards Stakeholder Advisory Council, continually
advocating for improvements to the landlord-tenant adjudication
process. As a result, many enhancements to resolving rent
disputes were introduced in 2015, including the Landlord Tenant
Boards new e-filing feature, which has received over 5,000
applications from housing providers. Housing providers can also
check the status of their file at the Board using a new online
Check File Status tool.
Beginning July 2015, the Board started serving the notice
of hearing and the application to both the applicant and the
respondent. This new process is more streamlined and in
most cases housing providers will no longer have to serve the
notice of hearing or submit a certificate of service. Starting in
October 2015, the Landlord Tenant Board also started issuing
PRESIDENTS REPORTsome orders on the same day of the hearing, saving rental
housing providers significant time. In November 2015, the Board
released updated versions of forms, notices and accompanying
instructions. These updates made the forms more readable and
easier to complete. A number of the changes were made as a
direct result of suggestions by FRPO.
Licensing is Not the Answer
The decision by some municipalities to charge rental housing
licensing fees continues have a negative impact on housing
costs and supply. Now that the Ontario government is working
on new solutions to improve housing affordability, it is vital
that changes to Ontarios Municipal Act be made (the repeal
of Regulation 243/02) to protect rental housing from municipal
licensing taxes.
Licensing taxes on rental homes result in costly fees for
tenants and red-tape barriers on housing providers. In some
municipalities, license fees result in tenants seeing rent increases
of $400 more per year. Small housing providers who cant afford
onerous licensing requirements will discontinue the rental use
of their properties. In 2013, the City of Hamilton predicted up to
a 30% loss of rental units if licensing took effect. Rental housing
quality is already enforced by the Residential Tenancies Act, the
Landlord Tenant Board and municipal property standard bylaws.
Licensing duplicates these efforts while imposing hundreds of
dollars in annual fees on tenants and discouraging the supply of
new rental housing.
FRPO continues to advocate for restoration by the Ontario
government of the pre-2007 regulatory prohibition on licensing
to send a positive signal to housing providers and prevent
unnecessary rent increases on tenants.
2015 Federal Election
As part of its election platform, the federal Liberal government
has committed to renew federal leadership in housing and to
help build more housing units and refurbish existing ones. It
is our hope that federal money for capital is used for the repair
and renovation of existing social housing stock, but that an
appropriate amount is earmarked to support income support
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programs for Ontario families requiring some assistance
to secure appropriate housing. This potential new funding
commitment from the federal government for housing could be
part of the promise for a better Ontario that the Premier was
counting on.
If another level of government is going to be taking part in
discussing the future of rental housing in Ontario, it is mission
critical that FPRO has a seat at this table to help ensure we have
the right plan for our industry and our customers.
Scott AndisonPresident & CEO
Improvements to Property Tax Assessment
Over the last 18 months, FRPO has been working with the
Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and the
Ministry of Finance on real solutions to make the property
assessment system for apartment buildings fairer and to
advocate for fairness in municipal property tax rates.
In 2014, through FPROs efforts, MPAC introduced a new Tenant
Information Package (TIP) process that reduced the amount of
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2 0 1 5 A N N U A L R E P O R T
6 2015 FRPO Annual Report
information collected by MPAC by 93%, making it much easier for
property owners and managers to file the necessary information
each year.
At the beginning of November 2015, MPAC began public
consultations on improving the method used to determine the
current value of apartment buildings. FRPO began advocating
for a change in methodology in 2014 based on the evidence
provided in the expert report commissioned by FRPO. In this
report, the recommendation was to abandon the Gross Income
Multiplier method currently used by MPAC and adopt the much
more accurate Capitalized Income approach.
Building on the recent improvements to the TIP forms, a new
online system will be released in the near future that will allow
property managers to enter information online and view the
draft valuation results as well as the details used to calculate
the value. This will allow a property owner/manager to test the
validity of the proposed assessment value under the assessment
methodology. This would be the first time that apartment
property owners will have immediate access to how their
property assessment was calculated.
Resolving assessment issues earlier will result in fewer appeals
and lower costs. FRPO will continue to work with MPAC in
our members interests to bring about these long overdue
improvements to the property assessment system.
Ontario Energy Policy
As a regular participant in Ontario Energy Board (OEB) hearings,
FRPO represented the views of housing providers to advocate for
better demand side management policies and fair energy rates
for property owners and tenants. FRPO worked with the OEB and
Enbridge to implement effective low-income initiatives and expand
the offering of low-income rate programs across the province.
FRPO also successfully advocated for substantial natural gas rate
decreases over the next five years. As a result, medium to large
apartment buildings will save 7% to 9% on the delivery component of
their bills this year, with total savings of $28 million over 2014 to 2018.
New FRPO Website
Member information and resources, networking events, outreach
activities and industry awards have always been available on our
site, but over time, content had clearly overtaken organization and
new technology was not available to members. Today, I am pleased
to inform you that at our Annual General Meeting, we shared
the work we have recently completed on upgrading our website
(www.frpo.org) into a channel that better presents and organizes
our outreach activities, better houses your tools and information
resources, and continues to celebrate our successes together.
The site is now up to date, including in branding, navigation and
technology requirements. Functionally, e-commerce capabilities
have been added to enable members to have seamless login,
registration and purchasing of our marquee events. You will also
find a new section called Advocacy, which highlights a critical
element of what we do in engaging government to support a
positive operating environment for our industry. In summary, you
can find what you need smarter and faster. From access to legal
advice, leases and forms, to sharing our work on fair property
taxes, affordable housing or Syrian refugees, or to registering for
an industry event you can easily do it all online.
Finally, as we look ahead to the next 12 months, they promise
interesting and challenging times for our industry, particularly
on the provinces affordable housing strategy. We will continue
to serve our members as the primary advocacy organization
in the province. Most importantly, we want to thank all our
Members, our Board of Directors, and our sponsors. This years
achievements and our ability to shape the industry were made
possible by their tremendous contributions.
PRESIDENTS REPORT
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In 2015, FRPO leaders met with Ontario government officials,
relevant regulatory bodies and stakeholders on priority
industry issues, bringing awareness and evidence-based
recommendations to the table with a collaborative approach. On
the leading topic of generating quality rental housing that families
can afford in Ontario, FRPO met with the Premiers Office and
the governments official critics. Additional meetings were held
with the Ministers of Housing, Attorney General and Treasury
Board. Other government relations outreach included meetings
on various topics of industry concern with MPAC, Ontario Energy
Board, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, the Human
Rights Commission and the Landlord Tenant Board as we focused
on the priority areas of rent control, rent disputes, property tax
and assessment, and municipal licensing.
Housing That Families Can Afford - Removing Barriers to New Rental Housing
Every household in Ontario should have access to safe and
stable housing that is affordable at every income level. Yet
supply has not kept up with demand. As the cost of housing
continues to rise in this province, rental housing has become the
most affordable option for many Ontario households.
Ontario has everything it needs to build quality homes at all
levels. Our information shows that Ontario can create desirable,
affordable, healthy communities, but current government policies
work against the construction of new rental housing. Government
needs to work with the private sector to find new solutions
that will stimulate the development of new purpose-built rental
housing that will provide more affordable options for individuals
and families. FRPO took advantage of all opportunities to deliver
that message.
In June, the Ontario government initiated a public consultation
for a renewed Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy. FRPO
responded with a comprehensive list of no-cost low-cost
policy proposals that are achievable and can be implemented
immediately. These recommendations have little to no cost to
the government and would reduce the cost of delivering long-
term affordable housing solutions while giving the private sector
increased confidence to invest in new rental housing.
Advocating Quality Housing Through Partnership, Innovation and Collaboration
Government actions recommended by FRPO include:
Affordable rental housing agreements
Reducing development charges
Preserving the 1991 rent-control exemption
Improving transparency of Section 37 agreements
Changes to property tax assessments of multi-residential
properties
Eliminating municipal licensing of rental housing units
A portable housing allowance initiative.
FRPO presented the industrys position at Committee on
November 2, 2015. We will place the industry front and centre on
this issue as the Ontario government moves ahead with a further
stakeholder consultation process in 2016.
Housing Summit
FRPOs first ever Housing Summit successfully gathered together
more than 150 of Ontarios leading housing policy experts,
government officials and stakeholders to discuss the best way to
support private sector rental housing investment. Officials from
the Ministry of Housing, Premiers Office, Treasury Board, Ministry
POLICY & ADVOCACY
Act
ual
Ren
tal U
nit
s C
om
ple
ted
An
nu
ally
Year
Source: CMHC Rental Housing Starts and Completions Survey
Annual New Apartment Unit Completions Has Declined Over Time
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8 2015 FRPO Annual Report
of Community Social Services, and City of Toronto attended. The
full-day event, held at the Economic Club in Toronto, featured
keynote speakers from Vancouver to examine real solutions to
breaking down barriers to the supply of new rental housing.
Housing Tour
FRPOs 4th annual housing tour provided 35 members with an
opportunity to learn best practices and innovations in property
management in San Diego, California. Attendees also received
a first-hand update on the regulatory and market environment
from the San Diego County Apartment Association. Those in
attendance had an opportunity to hear about effective ways to
engage with residents on energy conservation and effective use
of amenities within the complex.
Rent Control
On the surface, rent control may sound appealing to tenants,
but the evidence shows overwhelmingly it has dire economic
consequences on rental housing supply. The current new
development policy set out in the Residential Tenancies Act
(the post-1991 rent exemption) is the primary reason why new
rental housing is being built. In addition, inflation statistics show
pressure is being put on the hard rent cap imposed by the
government and rental providers operating and capital costs
have edged above the annual rent increase guidelines. FRPO
continued to promote fact-based awareness of the impact of rent
controls as we advocated for housing providers on this issue.
Rent Dispute Process
The rent dispute process in Ontario is overly burdensome,
although some improvements were made in 2015 by the
Landlord and Tenant Board by introducing some procedural
efficiencies due to the advocacy efforts of FRPO. A provincial
comparison of average days to resolve housing provider-tenant
disputes shows that resolution in Ontario takes almost three
times longer than it takes in other provinces. At an average of 90
days to resolve, the process must continue to be improved. FRPO
presented several options to government to support further
balance to the dispute process.
Property Tax and Assessment
The evidence shows that apartments in Ontario have
been assessed and taxed inconsistently for decades. One
consequence of this unfairness is to inhibit the creation of new
rental housing. FRPO worked in partnership with the Municipal
Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to examine the
move to a more transparent assessment methodology. In
November, 2015, FRPO and MPAC members moved forward in
formal consultations with the ultimate goal of introducing a new
assessment methodology for the 2017 reassessment year in an
effort to reduce the need for assessment appeals. Over the last
several years, the rate of appeal and request for reconsiderations
have approached the 40% mark for Ontarios 15,000 multi-
residential properties. This is unnecessarily burdensome and
costly for apartment building owners and managers.
POLICY & ADVOCACY
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The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario is
committed to continually looking for ways to enhance the quality
of apartment living for residents across the province. In 2008,
we developed and implemented the Certified Rental Building
Program (CRB Program) to provide a quality assurance benefit
that rental housing consumers can count on when shopping
for their rental apartment home. The program promotes
professionalism in the rental housing industry while providing
tenants with well-run, well-managed apartment communities
where the property manager and their staff care about providing
high quality of service to their residents.
Apartment buildings and complexes accepted into the program
must comply with more than 50 Standards of Practice and are
audited regularly by J.D. Power to track compliance. To date,
more than 260,000 rental residents reside in more than 950
certified apartment buildings across the province.
In 2015, the CRB Program achieved another major milestone
interprovincial expansion of the CRB Program to the province of
British Columbia. Members with building portfolios in both B.C.
and Ontario can utilize the CRB Program as a gold standard for
operational and marketing consistency. For FRPO, this expansion
brings enhanced respect and government relations value to
Canadas only resident-focused industry accreditation program.
In addition, a major marketing focus was directed at increasing
consumer awareness regarding the CRB Programs Living
GREEN Together (LGT) standards the first industry-developed
environmental operating standards for multi-residential
apartment buildings. Our LGT sustainability social media program
resulted in over 10,000 YouTube views demonstrating that there
is a growing demand amongst rental housing consumers for
rental homes within greener apartment communities. Thanks
to the support of Enbridge Gas Distribution, FRPO was able to
conduct more than 30 Resident Green Day events, exposing
thousands of Ontario consumers to the LGT brand and to the
many benefits of creating greener apartment communities.
Supporting our environmental focus in 2015, the CRB Program
launched the Environmental Champions Educational Project,
completing the base design for five key modules of the
curriculum with input from a number of participating Corporate
and Associate members. We are grateful for their support as we
activate this new program.
The CRBs website (www.crbprogram.org) was also re-designed
this year to make it easier for prospective renters to seek and
find information about the program and its many benefits. As a
result, we saw a 16% increase in the number of enquiries and over
140,000 member outlinks generated for participating members.
CERTIFIED RENTAL BUILDING PROGRAM
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10 2015 FRPO Annual Report
On December 3, 2015, FRPO held its 15th annual awards gala in Toronto. FRPOs MAC (Marketing, Achievement and Construction) Awards recognize success and quality in Ontarios rental housing sector.
FRPOs awards gala continues to grow, with a record attendence of 1,000 guests and 140 award submissions.
2015 MAC AWARDSRecognizing Rental Housing Excellence
Lifetime Achievement AwardRoger & Alan GreenbergThe Minto Group
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Lifetime Achievement Award Roger and Alan Greenberg (Minto)
Property Management Advertising Excellence - Single Campaign Hollyburn Properties My Hollyburn Dream Vacation Campaign
Best Property Management Website Vertica Resident Services www.vertica.ca
Best Curb AppealGreenwin Inc./Hanard Investments Limited15 & 25 Canyon Ave, Toronto
Lobby Renovation of the Year CAPREIT 44 Stubbs Drive, Toronto
Best Suite Renovation Under $10,000Preston Apartments 90 Eastdale Avenue, Toronto
Best Suite Renovation Over $10,000Realstar 57 Widdicombe Hill Blvd, Toronto
Rental Development of the YearMorguard Corporation 310 & 320 Tweedsmuir Ave, Toronto
Residential Amenities Award of ExcellenceOxford Properties 1101 Bay Street, Toronto
Environmental Award of ExcellenceSkyline Group of Companies
Certified Rental Building Member of the Year (Under 15 Buildings)Oxford Residential
Outstanding Community Service Skyline Group of Companies
Leasing Professional of the Year Lillian Abulatifeh (CAPREIT)
Property Manager of the Year Andrea Rocheleau (Skyline Group of Companies)
Resident Manager of the Year Helen Howard (Skyline Group of Companies)
Customer Service Award of ExcellenceM&R Property Management
2015 MAC Award WinnersSkyline Group of Companies Realstar 57 Widdicombe Hill Blvd, Toronto Lillian Abulatifeh (CAPREIT)
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FRPO events create valuable opportunities for members to learn,
engage in issues and network amongst their peers. FRPO is
active in hosting in-person events and online webinars that are
designed to inform and connect members to current information
and best practices across the industry.
(RTA) Residential Tenancies Act Seminars
Over 400 members attended FRPOs 2015 series of RTA half-day
seminars held in five cities across the province. These events
are presented by experts in Landlord-Tenant law and focus on
various legal and legislative topics to help guide attendees in
navigating the Residential Tenancies Act. These seminars are
held annually with an updated curriculum each year.
FRPO Webinar Sessions
This year FRPO held several webinars for our members, including
Crisis Management, Electricity Pricing Structures, Government
Relations Updates and Landlord Tenant Board Information
Sessions. Webinars are an effective tool in serving our members
throughout the province.
CMHC Rental Market Survey Breakfast
This annual event is attended by over 200 members and is a
valuable tool for evaluating market conditions and factors driving
MEMBER EVENTSInvolved, Engaged and Inspired
the multi-residential sector. CMHC economists presented the
results of the 2014 Rental Market Survey, including the Greater
Toronto Area market, as well as other primary markets in Ontario.
This well-attended event is one of FRPOs most popular and
continues to provide relevant information helping to shape the
rental industry.
Women in Rental Housing
Our annual Women in Rental Housing luncheon brought together
over 150 female professionals from across Ontario working in the
multi-residential sector. This years panel included Gloria Preston
of the Preston Group, Charlsey Brunne of Minto, Paula Gasparro
of CMHC, and Laura Holland of Timbercreek Communities. Kris
Boyce of Greenwin served as moderator. This annual event
addresses the challenges women face in the workplace and
provides advice to women on achieving their professional goals.
Supporting our Community
FRPO and our members are leaders in building strong, caring
communities across Ontario, including for charity.
For the past nine years, FRPO and our members have proudly
supported Interval House, the first shelter for abused women
and children in Canada, with financial and advocacy support for
their programs, education and housing needs. Interval House is
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a leader in the campaign for womens empowerment, providing
specialized services that help abused women and their children
leave domestic violence and rebuild their lives. FRPO support
has helped Interval House to increase program space and
expand education and counselling services as well as pilot an
Opening Doors subsidy program to allow program graduates to
rent in the private market. By working together, FRPO and our
partners, like Interval House, can better represent the interests
of everyone involved in rental housing.
Since 2007, FRPO has raised $361,000 for Interval House
through golf tournaments and other donations, enabling a real
impact on the lives of women and children fleeing abuse.
2015 FRPO Charity Golf Classic in support of Interval House, Canadas first shelter for women fleeing domestic violence
Once again in 2015, FRPOs sold-out charity golf classic at
Rattlesnake Point was a well-attended day of networking and
fun for more than 300 FRPO members, sponsors and suppliers.
FRPO made a cash donation of $50,000 and the events raffle,
silent auction and generous member contributions raised an
additional $20,000, for a total $70,000 donation to Interval
House at this one-day event.
17th Annual Spring HOPE Food Drive
FRPO is proud to coordinate in conjunction with the Regional
Associations one of the largest one-day food drives in Canada,
collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations for
needy families across Ontario. This important initiative brings
rental housing providers and tenants together to provide
to those less fortunate. The 2015 event collected a total of
400,000 pounds of food for food banks in 40 communities
across the province. Over 2,500 property management staff,
volunteers and tenants helped collect food from over 2,500
apartment buildings over the course of one evening and deliver
them to local food banks.
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14 2015 FRPO Annual Report
Executive CommitteeChair: Bill Zigomanis
The Executive Committee is responsible for managing activity
and providing strategic direction at FRPO between Board of
Directors meetings. Members have continued to make key policy
decisions regarding financial statements and to monitor the
activities of FRPO Committees.
Credentialing CommitteeChair: David Horwood
The Credentialing Committee oversees the policies and program
development of association-based certification programs,
including the industrys Certified Rental Building (CRB) Program
along with FRPOs wide variety of investments in continuing
education initiatives. The Credentialing Committee is supported
by the direct efforts of the Certification and Governance sub-
committees focused on the CRB Program.
CRB Certification Sub-CommitteeChair: Randy Daiter
The focus of this Sub-Committees efforts is to strengthen the
Programs risk management practices, continuously improve
on the Programs Standards of Practice, and to continue to
build awareness with Ontario rental housing providers and
the consumers they serve. The Sub-Committee oversees the
membership applications and ultimately awards certification to
the buildings that qualify in meeting the stringent standards that
make up the CRB Program. The Sub-Committee also administers
the regular and random audit programs that ensure both initial
and ongoing compliance with the Program standards.
CRB Governance Sub-CommitteeChair: Marvin Sadowski
The Governance Sub-Committee oversees the management
processes and structures that support the Certified Rental
Building Program. In addition, this Sub-Committee is charged
with reviewing any and all tenant enquiries related to the
standards or ongoing certification process. Members also
provide valued input and advice on the audit reporting process
and the continuous review process of the random audit program.
Finance & Audit CommitteeChair: Paul Chisholm
The Finance & Audit Committee oversees and directs FRPOs
financial management, reporting, and controllership functions.
The Committee is also responsible for the development of the
corporations annual operating budget for approval by the Board
of Directors. The Committee also ensures the organizations
compliance with generally accepted accounting standards and
acts at arms length from management and the Board of Directors
in dealing with the organizations external auditor.
Government Relations CommitteeChair: Ken Kirsh
The Government Relations Committee develops overall
advocacy strategies to respond to key industry issues. This
Committee develops appropriate approaches in dealing with
government ministries, Cabinet Ministers and other officials on
matters affecting the rental housing industry. The Committee
works to ensure our industrys message is being properly and
effectively conveyed to government, the media and the public.
Legislation & Adjudication CommitteeChair: Allan Weinbaum
The Legislation & Adjudication Committee proactively monitors
and responds to legislative issues that impact our industry,
including regulations and legislation beyond the Residential
Tenancy Act. The efforts of this Committee are aligned with the
activities of the Government Relations Committee as regulatory
frameworks get introduced following the policy development or
consultation process.
Membership & Member Services CommitteeChair: Patti-Jo McLellan Shaw
The Membership & Member Services Committee pursues
and develops additional member programs and services to
help property owners and managers improve their buildings
and businesses. Overall, these benefits included an ongoing
program of education seminars, social events, and membership
information sessions.
Nominating & Governance CommitteeChair: Ugo Bizzarri
The Nominating & Governance Committee is responsible for
qualifying and recommending new individuals to serve on
Committees and/or the Board of Directors. It is also charged
with the review and evaluation of changes to the organizations
bylaws, administrative and management policies, and general
governance oversight as a Committee of the Board.
FRPO COMMITTEES
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15www.frpo.org
Chair Bill Zigomanis Boardwalk Rental Communities
Immediate Past Chair Ugo Bizzarri Timbercreek Asset Management Inc.
Vice Chairs Margaret Herd Park Property Management Inc.
Mark Kenney CAPREIT
Secretary-Treasurer Paul Chisholm Berkley Property Management Inc.
Directors Jason Ashdown Skyline Group of Companies
Kris Boyce Greenwin Inc.
John W. Dickie Eastern ontario landlord Organization (EOLO)
Allan Drewlo Drewco Development Corp
David Horwood The Effort Trust Company
Patti-Jo McLellan Shaw Hapfield Developments
Ken Kirsh Sterling Karamar Property Management
Anne Morash GWL Realty Advisors Inc
Brent Merrill MetCap Living
Rob Pike Minto Properties
Gloria Salomon Preston Group
Tyler Seaman Oxford Properties Group
Larry Smith Waterloo Region Apartment
Management Association
Allan Weinbaum WJ Properties
Geoff Younghusband Osgoode Properties Ltd.
FRPO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Matthew BlowExecutive Assistant & Administrative Coordinator
Laurie CooperManager of Corporate Services
Chloe HillMembership Development Coordinator
Ted WhiteheadDirector of Certification
Scott AndisonPresident & CEO
Kristina LauesenVice President, Government & Industry Relations
Lynzi MichalDirector of Membership & Marketing
FRPO Staff
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Who We AreThe Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) is the largest association in Ontario representing
those who own, manage, build and finance residential rental properties and their industry partners. FRPO works
on behalf of members to promote a balanced and healthy housing market with a vital rental-housing industry,
choice for consumers, adequate government assistance for low-income households, and private sector solutions
to rental-housing needs.
Over 2,200 professionals who own or manage more than 350,000 rental homes in every part of Ontario are
members of FRPO, as are our industry partners, including service providers, suppliers and industry consultants.
Whether you manage one small building or a single rental unit, or are part of the provinces largest property
management firms, FRPO will help you.
Our MissionOur mission is to provide the highest quality services to our members through education, policy development and
advocacy. We do this through:
upholding public policies that support the availability of quality housing for all
protecting the rights of private sector landlords and property managers while helping them profit from their
investment in multi-residential real estate
informative and educational training sessions on regulatory issues and best practices
promoting industry best practices, fair conduct and professional standards of our members
fostering better communication and information sharing amongst members
educating government, the media and general public on the critical role of the private sector in the supply of
well-managed and maintained rental accommodation
Become a member.Visit www.frpo.org or email [email protected] for more information.