RTC/Minto meeting - April 2024

The meeting of the Collective with Minto scheduled for April was postponed to May 6 because the Minto representatives were not available.

This meeting was an opportunity to review the work of the RTC (Rockhill Tenants Collective) with Minto's administration in an effort to address the most significant issues for tenants.

The RTC presented the results of a service satisfaction survey conducted in April.

The administration showed keen interest in this information and expressed a desire to use it to improve. Several actions are underway or planned to resolve some of these issues. For example, a large order of mosquito screens have been acquired to replace those that are missing or broken. Of note, the entire Minto team across Canada will receive training on interpersonal skills, and real-life cases will be used during the training to equip Minto employees to better respond and achieve outcomes in everyone's interest.

The RTC pointed out that the root of the problems, which largely stems from the administration's way of doing things, needs to be addressed. Reporting and repairing specific issues can continue, but without addressing the root causes, the same problems are likely to recur.

To this end, a member of the RTC spoke about two experiences with the administration: one involving major work that forced her to leave her home for seven weeks, and another concerning lease renewal. The administrators listened to what she had to say but seemed to justify individual actions. It appears that we are still at the beginning of understanding the issues.

The RTC indicated that it is necessary to take note of tenant dissatisfaction during interactions and to learn specific lessons to avoid the same problems in the future. The administration expressed a desire to keep learning but admitted to not having a formalized way of conveying lessons, which might lead to recurring issues.

The administration advocated that employees are individuals who could be hurt by offensive words in some situations. Although the RTC recognizes everyone's right to be treated with respect, and has a policy of respectful communication, it points out that these individuals are speaking on their own behalf and not in the name of the RTC. It's understandable that an individual facing the powerful bureaucratic machine of a corporation is likely to feel much more impacted by what the employee says and might therefore express this stress verbally. Employees should be made aware of this dynamic and how to manage these difficult situations.

In conclusion, the RTC suggested to the administration that it would be beneficial for everyone if the administration created an action plan for the next 100 days that includes the already planned initiatives and identifies what is missing to address the root of the problems and effect real change. To assist with this task, the RTC has documented a number of recommended actions in key areas, including tenant relations, operations management, and project management.

The administration agreed to have a second meeting in May to discuss, among other things, a plan that it will be considering.