Board of Directors

Coté Terrace is owned by a corporation - Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation. Governance and operational direction of the corporation like many other Corporation is provided by the Board of Directors.

Directors of Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation are accountable for a multi-million dollar facility. In simple terms, Coté Terrace is legally placed in the hands of its Directors in trust, to be to be administered, operated, and maintained as a non-profit housing complex for the benefit of seniors in need of affordable housing.

The Board of Directors consists of a maximum of 12 members of the community interested in the provision of affordable housing for seniors. Board members provide their time, knowledge, and skills on a voluntary basis with no compensation. However, members who attend conferences or represent the Board in similar manners may, in some cases, be reimbursed for their expenses.

Members of the Board are also appointed to committees that focus on specific issues such as the corporate budget, strategic plan, selecting the management service provider, building maintenance programs and similar issues.

Board meetings typically occur once each month. Depending on the volume and nature of the business to be addressed the meetings are routinely about 1 hour but in rare cases may approach 2 hours in length. Committee meetings are at the ‘call of the chair’ of the committee or chair of the Board. The frequency and length of committee meetings varies from committee to committee and rarely are more frequent or longer than a Board meeting. In many cases committee meetings are held for about 20 to 30 minutes before the Board meeting starts.

For Board meetings were decisions are to be made and /or action taken, a quorum (minimum number) of members is required to be present. Normally members would be present in person but because of the COVID-19 pandemic on-line meetings have become essential with members attending by telephone or ‘ZOOM’ conferencing. Whether present in person or electronically, a quorum of members is required for Board business to be conducted. Committee meetings are normally conducted with most members present but because the committee is not empowered to act on behalf of the Board, there are no requirements for a quorum.

Board members are selected from interested applicants and may serve on the Board indefinitely but must be re-elected each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the corporation members. The Board executive – the president/chair, vice president. treasurer, and secretary are selected by the Board from within their members and hold office for 1 year. Executive members may be re-elected to serve consecutive terms.

Becoming a Board Member

If you have an interest in the wellbeing of senior citizens and wish to help our community treat all our citizens with dignity and respect, you may be interested in becoming a member of our Board - becoming a director. To qualify as a potential director, you must meet 3 basic legal qualifications set by the provincial government, those being:

Be at least 18 years of age (Ontario’s Age of Majority),
Be free from any action, order, or assignment under the Bankruptcy Act, and
Be free of an order declaring mentally incompetency or incapable of managing personal affairs.

Before you consider applying you must ask yourself: Am I prepared to

Commit to follow and promote Coté Terrace’s, vision, mission, and values.
Read a package of background material for each board meeting a few days before the meeting and be well prepared to discuss the information and act on it,
Share ideas for the agenda and advancement of the corporation with the chair and other Board members,
Honestly assess my position and declare a conflict of interest when a Board decision may benefit me, a relative, or my business/employer in a way not common to the rest of the Board,
Share responsibility for the Board decisions and the Board's process - participate in discussions, respect the chair, and respect the decisions of the group even when I don't agree with the majority,
Come ready to discuss issues and make decisions, and not be afraid to ask "dumb" questions,
Exercise my own judgement - rely on appropriate professional advice or expertise of the property manager and staff but do not follow it blindly; “Trust and verify”.
Maintain confidentiality - strict confidentiality must be kept about personal information about tenants, potential tenants and employees, and any legal proceedings that the Board may be involved in,
Be loyal to the board – support and respect the decisions of the group even when I don't agree with the majority, and
Air my views frankly at board meetings and try to resolve differences there.

If you can honestly answer ‘yes’ to each of these, you may be a candidate to be a Board member.

If all Board members think alike, all but one of them is redundant. Diversity in the background, experiences, skills, and knowledge of Directors is important to the effective governance and operation of Coté Terrace. We believe the best decisions are made when all Board members openly and freely discuss different points of view and work to create consensus.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Board of Directors for Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace), please copy and complete the ‘Expression of Interest for Election as a Board Member’ below and return it to;

Attn: Chair, Board of Directors

Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation

c/o Stoney Creek Community Homes

425 Melvin Ave. Hamilton, ON L8H 2L4

Expression of Interest for Election as a Board Member

Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace)

Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace) provides service excellence to seniors in our community. The foundation upon which we operate is provided in the following:

Our Vision

All senior citizens in Halton Region will have access to affordable, good quality housing regardless of income.

Our Mission

Provide and maintain affordable not-for-profit apartment housing for Halton Region seniors in an atmosphere that is welcoming, safe, healthy, respectful, and supportive.

Our Values

We believe that the following core values are a fundamental of our service, must be part of all our interactions and must be a measure of all behavior within our organization, and our community at large

Dignity / Respect / Compassion / Quality / Trust / Teamwork / Leadership

Qualifications as per Board Bylaws:

Each Director shall:

become a member of the Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation and remain in good standing throughout their term as a Board member,
be at least eighteen (18) years of age, and
not be an undischarged bankrupt nor a mentally incompetent person.

As a member of the Board, you would be responsible for:

Establishing and monitoring the achieving the purpose and strategic direction of the Corporation.
Monitoring the Corporation’s financial health, quality of service, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
Appointing the Management Services Provider (MSP) and setting standards for the MSP to follow with respect to effectiveness and efficiency of administration and operations.
Ensuring continuing and effective governance of the Corporation.
Establishing corporate policies and processes to achieve all of the above.
Investing your time, experience, skill and knowledge to advance the Vision, Mission and Values of the Corporation

As a Board member you will need to allot time to:

Serve for a three (3) year term on the Board (potentially renewable for a total of six (6) years)
Preparing for and attending monthly Board meetings.
Serve on at least one Board committee.
Attending occasional education sessions and participating in special events as a representative of the board.

Although you may have been elected because you bring special expertise, you do not represent a constituency. At the board table, you are expected to exercise due diligence, asking prudent and appropriate questions and to apply a standard of care that reflects your experience, skills, and knowledge. An accountant, for example, is expected to speak up on financial issues more often than a social worker, who will make a valued contribution in other discussions. All Board members are expected to keep current on issues related to our operation and bring an informed view to their decisions. You should be familiar with corporate bylaws, applicable Acts, regulations, and other governance documents.

Accountability

The Board, not the management company and their staff, is accountable to the provincial government for the expenditure of public funds, and for adherence to provincial laws, regulations, and policies. The Board is accountable to the Corporation’s membership and hence the community for the quality of service it provides.

While some committees may have community members who are not Board members that contribute to the committee’s discussion and recommendations respecting a specific issue, the Board alone is responsible for its corporate decisions.

Clarifying Roles

The Board puts in place goals, structures, and policies governing the operations. It does not participate in the day-to-day administration and operation of Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace). It is the management company’s role to ensure the day-to-day administration and operation is conducted in accordance with Board goals, structures, and policies. It is also the management company’s duty to ensure the Board is well informed on relevant aspects of the operation, of interest to or related to the Board’s governing role.

Once decisions are made, all Board members must honour and support the decision. In the community, the Board Chair speaks for the Board, unless they delegate that responsibility to another member.

Application:

Full Name: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________

City: _____________________________________

Postal Code: _____________________________________

Home Phone: _____________________________________

Cell Phone: _____________________________________

Personal email: _____________________________________

Why do you want to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace)?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever served on a Board of Directors? If so, please indicate the organization(s), the years of service, and any specific role(s) or executive positions on the Board(s).

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you or do you currently belong to any community groups or organizations? If so, please list with year of membership.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

What professional credentials, work and/or volunteer experience and other skills do you have that would help you in performing the duties on the Board of Directors and any of its committees.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Board meets at least ten times a year and committees meet as required to perform their duties. Board meetings are normally in the evening on the last Tuesday of the month. Would you be able to attend most of these meetings, if elected to the Board?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please provide any additional information you wish to provide below or if you wish to do so, you may include a resume.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Acknowledgement:

My signature below attests that I have read the Expectations for Board Members of Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace) in its entirety and that if elected as a Director, I commit to respect, uphold and advance the Vision, Mission and Values of the Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace).

Signature: _________________________ Date: ___________________

Please send your completed Expression of Interest, and any questions or queries to:

Chair, Board of Directors,

Holcro Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Coté Terrace)

c/o Stoney Creek Community Homes

425 Melvin Ave
Hamilton, ON
L8H 2L4