Ontario Region media release
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Public rally to support Thornhill Green Co-op in takeover battle
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July 8, 2008
Residents, neighbours and supporters of the embattled Thornhill Green Housing Co-operative are expected to pack Thornhill Community Centre at a rally in support of the co-op next Tuesday, July 15at 7:00 p.m. The Community Centre is at 7755 Bayview Avenue in Thornhill.
The rally will demonstrate the support of the local community and the co-op movement across Ontario in advance of the next stage in the Co-op’s legal battle against York Region which will take place in Commercial Court on Friday, July 18. Co-op members from as far away as Sudbury are expected to take part.
York Region, through its appointed Receiver, has gone to court to try to force the sale of the co-op to its own housing company, Housing York Inc., for little more than half its market value. Thornhill Green and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) are fighting York Region’s unprecedented action.
The Co-op and CHF Canada are not only opposing the sale but have brought their own motions to discharge the Receiver and get an interim injunction on the sale to allow time for a broader Judicial Review of the case in the Divisional Court. They’ve hired Murray Klippenstein to represent them in court.
“York Region’s claim that the Co-op is in serious financial difficulty and that we can’t govern ourselves, doesn’t stand up,” says Co-op President Jim Common. “Our underlying financial position is strong. We have millions of dollars in equity in the property and we operate with less government subsidy than any co-op in the province.” Common admits that the Co-op needs to make a significant investment to upgrade its 42-year-old buildings but says that this cost is completely manageable.
He adds that the Region’s claim that members don’t care about their co-op is “beyond belief.” “We care passionately and we invite York Region politicians and housing officials to join us at the rally on July 15 to see for themselves. They have underestimated how much the co-op means to us and how determined we are to fight for our homes and our co-op way of life.”
Harvey Cooper, Manager of Government Relations for CHF Canada’s Ontario Region, notes that Thornhill Green has deep roots in the community and is valued as a good neighbour. “York Region prides itself on and promotes citizen engagement. It remains a mystery to us why they would move to shut down a community that exemplifies this virtue when they have many other, far less extreme, ways to deal with any concerns they may have.”
For more information contact:
Harvey Cooper, Manager of Government Relations
Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (Ontario Region)
416-366-1711, ext. 237 or 416-809-5048 (cell)
Jim Common, President
Thornhill Green Co-operative
416- 885-6211 (cell)
