OWN co-op faces human rights complaint over tile flooring

OWN Housing Co-op beside the St. Lawrence Market will face a human rights complaint over new flooring plans, says the mother of a woman who often falls during epileptic seizures. (OWN Co-op is not to be confused with a tenant, the non-profit Older Womens Network, which advocates for women over 50.)

Co-op member Sharon Danley says hard tile flooring is planned to replace carpeting outside elevators in the building as part of renovations and could result in serious injuries to her 35-year-old daughter, unnamed for reasons of confidentiality. “This is her home,” Danley said in an interview. “Since we came into this building, there was carpet. Now to change it, it’s a problem. And when they said she should be wearing a helmet and stuff, I can’t tell you the anger that came up in me.”

More than head injuries occur in sudden falls and the daughter can’t wear a helmet at all times, Danley said. “She also has migraines and vertigo. And if she has had a head injury, she can’t always wear one (a helmet). It’s too sore.” A complaint to the Human Rights Commission is “in process” for filing after July 1 so it might go directly to a tribunal, Danley said. The mother, acting with power of attorney, said she’s undeterred by setbacks suffered at a specially petitioned co-op meeting Thursday. The membership strongly rejected her attempt to cancel the tile flooring plan, dissolve the co-op’s refurbishment committee and extract an apology from the board of directors. The majority opposing her motion included one man in a wheelchair who, through an intermediary, said he has always felt safe in the 11-year-old building.

Danley conceded that she has felt like the skunk at a garden party on several co-op issues over the years. That pattern continued at the May 29 meeting as other members and staff criticized her aggressive approach. One member labeled Danley as “disgruntled” and called her motion on flooring “worse than frivolous.” She was also castigated for inviting several outsiders to the special meeting, including this reporter, who was asked to leave.

Also attending were representatives of MPP George Smitherman, city councilor Pam McConnell and the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation. “When anybody brings anything forward, they kind of get beaten up,” Danley said after the meeting. “But I don’t beat up easily and I bounce back … You can see the agitation that I create.” She said she tries to remain respectful and express her points clearly, despite an often hostile reception. “These people haven’t got a clue what dealing with this disability is all about, but I can see that they’re looking for ways to get around it by saying she (her daughter) has to be more responsible – bringing the onus back on her, rather than taking responsibility themselves.”

”Flickering lights in the co-op laundry room can also trigger seizures, Danley said. With the help of other family members, she sees herself as a safety net for her daughter, who has grown to enjoy the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood and the proximity of medical services downtown. But Danley is dismayed by perceived changes in many housing co-operatives, as members transfer more responsibilities and power to staff.” What’s happening in the co-op sector is that “the corporation” has become the board and the staff. It’s no longer a co-operative, but a corporation that the members bow to, and it no longer serves the membership.”