60 VTU members and guests attended our October general meeting which took place on October15th in-person and over zoom. Here is a summarized version of the minutes.

Item 1 - Land Acknowledgement and Community Agreements 

Item 2- Presentation by Ricardo Tranjan, author of The Tenant Class Followed by Q&A

• Ricardo gave a quick overview of his book and took questions from attendees.

Item 3 - Chapter Updates

• Mount Pleasant:
  • Royal View Manor - Tenants meeting once a month and have been organizing for the past 6 months. Trans Pacific locked rooftop communal space after a fire. Tenants have written a letter with 34/40 units signing. Roof now open! Had neighbours potluck to celebrate with more planned. Trans Pacific continues to bully tenants - going into units for maintenance and taking photos to use against tenants saying they’re in violation of cleanliness/hoarding.
  • Newport Tenants Association - New owner using security cameras to surveil tenants and harass them. Taking stock of all the outstanding repairs and sending a letter. Tenants having potlucks and socials.
  • Prince Edward Renters Collective - Action on November 1st
  • Two other tenants working on organizing their buildings.
    
    
• West End:
  • Having in-person organizer training soon
• Fairview:
  • Chapter is growing - had big unity bbq at end of September. Despite the rain, 100 people showed up. Getting more traction in the neighbourhood. Doing onboarding for new members soon. Moving to having organizing meetings as well as regular chapter meetings.
    
  • Kits and Marpole chapters could be forthcoming. Fairview has been taking tenants from those areas in for now.
  • Building at 16th & Oak - 9 units. Four tenants got buyout offers under guise of moving in family member. One took the offer before speaking to others. Another has gotten an eviction notice for not taking the offer. TRAC is helping represent.
    
• Eastside:
  • Multi-building organizing is coming to a head. Tenants delivered their letter and did not receive their response in the requested timeframe. Tenants are escalating - phone zap, media rally, and solidarity rally will be announced soon with ask for support from the wider union.

Item 5 - Update on Toronto Rent Strikes

• Three tenant associations York-South Weston (Dream Unlimited REIT), Thorncliffe, and others are on rent strike. We are sending them solidarity notes and keeping an eye on the situation and how it could effect us.

Item 6 - Internal Relations Motion on Stipends & Reimbursements 

• TABLED UNTIL NEXT MEETING.

Item 7 - Announcement of New Working Group "Multi Media Arm"

Item 8 - Motion from Solidarity and Direct Action Working Group on solidarity with Palestine. Read the motion here.

• VOTE: Motion carries unanimously

Adjournment

Live minutes are recorded at each GM and condensed for the website. For more detailed minutes any member may contact us: [email protected]