neill-wycik owner's manual from 1986-1987.pdf

7/29/2019 Neill-Wycik Owner's Manual from 1986-1987.pdf

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Index_________________HistoryHistory ofNeill-Wycik . ........................ .. ................................ 2History of Co-ops in Canada ............... ................................ 3Principles of Co-operation .......... ..... ........................................... 4Organizational Structure

Organizational Chart .................... ......................................... 5Board of Directors ...................... ... ................ .......................... 6Management CommitteeRental Arrears CommitteeN ewsletter Committee ............................................................ 7Division Co-ordinatorsVolunteersHotel Executive Commi ttee .................................................. 8Personnel CommitteeMember Involvement GroupUving in Wycik ................................................ ........... .................... 9Administrative StaffKeysMailExpansion ......... ........................................................................ 10ParkingCars ..................................... ........................................................ 11Telephone/CableRecreational/Educational FacilitiesPart ies ......................................................................................... 12ToolsMaintenance .................. .............................................. ........... .13Securi ty ...................................................................................... 14The Rules and By-law 9Paying the Rent ....................................................................... 15Tenant Insurance

Housing NotesLease Breaking ........................................................................ 16Room TransfersThe HotelFire Safety .................................................................... 17Jobs with Wycik ............................................................................ 23The Co-operative CommunityCo-operation among Co-operativesNASCa ........................................ .............................................. 25Floor Plans ..................................................................................... 26Emergency Numbers ................................................................... 27


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~ i s t o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~History of Neill-Wycik three years to arrange financing, geta site and organize construction. In1968 the board moved 100 studentsinto the major training ground,Rochdale College, where theybegan to learn about administeringa co-op.

Neill-Wycik College held its official sod-turning party in April1969 behind a board fence at thecorner of Mutual and GerrardStreets. Three years of planningand hard work went into the creation of the only student-run highrise in Toronto. The building isnamed for Alexander SutherlandNeill, the founder of Summerhill(one of the world's most successfulfree schools) and Mr. and Mrs.Wycik, who served Ryersonstudents at Oakham House formore than 25 years.Housing has never been astrength of the Ryerson administration, as you may know from looking for accommodation. In 1966 itoperated two converted houses witha total capacity of less than 100people-all males. Now theyoperate one house with a capacityof 38 people-all males. They'vecome a long way!In 1966 some Ryerson studentsgot together to run a housingregistry to combat the severe shortage. They started looking for apermanent solution and saw co-ophousing as a possible answer.Changes in the National HousingAct and Central Mortgage andHousing paved the way for studentco-ops to be built. Co-operativeCollege Residences Inc, becamemajor developers of high rise student co-ops in Ontario. It was a service pool and also an impetus formany new student co-ops in the late60s and early 70s including NeillWycik.A newly-created Board of Directors worked incredibly hard over

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The student-run organizationsupervised construction of NeillWycik and the first move-in in1970. Next they had to create acommunity and committee structure to run the building. This wasand is not without its problems.Participation is still ou rmainstay. The co-operative modelset up by the founders of NeillWycik is still the most importantaspect of the building; one we hopeyou, as a new member, will carryon.

History of Co-operativesin Canada

Co-operatives are a significanteconomic force in Canada. A cooperative is often described as "abusiness organization owned bythose who use its services, controlof which rests equally with allmembers, and surplus earnings ofwhich are shared by members inproportion to the use they make ofthe service." There are also retailco-ops, food co-ops, agriculturalco-ops, educational co-ops andothers, as well as housing co-opslike Neill-Wycik.The chronology of co-operativehousing in Canada is as follows:1930s - "Building" co-ops areorganized in th eMaritimes, Saskat-chewan, Ontario andQuebec.

- First "continuing" co-opstarts in Toronto: Campus Co-op Residencesrenovate houses forUniversity of Torontostudents.1944 - Science '44 Co-op isorganized in Kingston forstudent housing.1955 - Canadian Labour Congress and the Co-opUnion of Canada formsthe National Labour Cooperative Committee topromote betterunderstanding betweenunions and co-ops. Co-ophousing is one of the

NLCC's programs.3

1965 - First "continuing" co-opfor families, WillowPark, is built in Winnipeg.

1968 - Co-operative HousingFoundation is formed byCUC, CLC and CanadianUnion of Students.

1973 - There are 10 family coops.- The National HousingAct is ammended to provide financing for nonprofit continuing co-ops.

1977 - There are approximately60 co-ops with over 5,000units.

1979 - Federal Financing Program undergoes majorchanges after extensivenegotiations between thegovernment and the co-ophousing sector.1982 - Over 500 housing co-opsare in operation with over20,000 units.1984 - Co-ops are threatened bycutting of co-op housingfunds by CMHC. Lobbying occurred to try tosalvage part of the program.1986 - N ew federal and provincial programs are putinto effect guaranteeingnew Co-op units.


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Principles of Co-operation____1. Open and Voluntary Membership: Membership of a cooperative should be voluntaryand available without artificialrestriction or any social, politicalor religious discrimination, to allpersons who can make use of its

services and are willing to acceptthe responsibilities of membership.2. Democratic Control: Cooperatives ar e democraticorganizations. Their affairsshould be administered by persons elected or appointed in amanner agreed upon by themembers and accountable tothem. Members should enjoy

equal rights of voting (onemember, one vote) and participation in decisions affecting theirco-operative.3. Limited Interest on Shares:Share capital should only receivea strictly limited rate of interest,if any.4. Return of Surplus to Members:

Surplus or savings, if any, arisingout of the operations of a cooperative belong to the membersof that co-operative and wouldbe distributed in such a manneras would avoid one membergaining at the expense of others.(Non-profit housing cooperatives often use savings inone year to offset cost increasesin the next year. Through thispractice, the principle of returnof surplus to members is realized.)

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5. Co-operative Education: All cooperatives should make provision for the education of theirmembers, officers and employeesand of the general public in theprinciples and techniques of cooperation, both economic anddemocratic.

6. Co-operation Among Cooperatives: All co-operativeoganizations, in order to bestserve the interests of theirmembers and their communities,should actively co-operate inevery practical way with otherco-operatives at local, nationaland international levels.Co-operatives grew out of twobasic types of situations: economichardship and social-political ideals.The above principles reflect thoseeconomic and social objectiveswhich must be the basis of every cooperative. The primary reason forinitially joining a co-operative maybe economic (e.g. lower rent) bu t inthe long run, community considera

tions are just as important.

Organizational Chart_____

MemberInvolvement

OrientationCommittee

PersonnelCommittee

GeneralMembers(You)

RentalArrearsCommitteeStaff

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NewsletterCommittee

ManagementCommittee

DivisionCo-ordinators


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Organizational Structure_________The Board of Directors

Elected by the membership at theAnnual Meeting each autumn, the12 members of the Board of Directors make policy decisions, recommend budgets, hire staff, appointcommittee members and generallyadminister the business of the cooperative. The Board of Directarsgives direct ion to the staff and committees.Management Committee

Appointed by the Board ofDirectors, the Management Committee assists the Board by preparing and revising the annual budget,monitoring financial practices ofthe Co-op (e.g. investments, insurance) and providing regularfinancial reports to the Board. TheManagement Committee alsomakes policy and generally administers the business of our summer hotel operation.

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The Rental Arrears CommitteeRental arrears is the non-payment or repeated late paymentof monies due and has been aserious and long-standing problemat Wycik. The Board established

the Rental Arrears Committee inthe fall of 1980 to combat this problem. Its first task was to developan arrears policy that was approvedby the membership the next spring.Its subsequent role is to periodicallyreview and recommend revisions tothe policy and consider individualcases of arrears.A major objective of an arrearscommittee and policy is to ensurethat all members are treated thesame. There should be no bias infavour of particular members orgroups. Policy and procedures needto be applied consistently and fairlyto ensure Neill-Wycik's financialstability.There are five RAC members: theVice-President (a member of theBoard), one member appointed bythe Management Committee, oneMember-at-Large appointed by theBoard, the Bookkeeper and theHousing Co-ordinator. They meetmonthly, prior to the 15th, todiscuss and make recommendationsconcerning members then in arrears. Strategies to deal withmembers who repeatedly pay lateare developed for implementation.Policy and procedures are reviewedto adequately deal with arrearsissues as they change.The meetings are held "i ncamera" to protect the confidentiality of specific members and theirproblems. I t is difficult forneighbours to stand in judgement

of their peers and then partytogether so members usually contact the RAC through the staff.Members are asked to put their requests in writing to clearly presenttheir situation to all committeemembers directly.Collecting rent is neither fun noreasy. It does not make you manyfriends. The committee's success ismeasured by the shortness of the arrears list. This means a minimum of

bad debts and a positive contribution to Neill-Wycik' s investment income and cash flow.

Newsletter CommitteeThis is the very ad hoc committee

that puts out Wycile s newspaper;Neill's News. The newsletter is important to co-op communications,so we urge anyone who is at all interested to join the newsletter committee and keep Neill's News going.

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Division Co-ordinatorsTwo years ago, in order to tryand enhance the community ofNeill-Wycik, a pilot project was

launched of hiring Division Coordinators. The building was divided into five divisions of fourfloors each for the purpose ofbuilding community spirit. Twopeople from each division were assigned the roles of Division Coordinators; with the tasks of welcoming new members, callingfloor meetings, organizing Division events (parties, coffee housesetc.), organizing cleaning schedules etc. At a general membersmeeting it was voted to carry onwith this system. So this year, wewill be running our third year ofthis plan. There is a stipend ($200)paid at the end of each term for ajob well done as Division Coordinators. If you are a social animal an d this is the kind of workthat would interest you, pleaseidentify yourself to the office staf f,and in any case, keep your eyespeeled for your Division Coordinator.

VolunteersLike most co-operatives, NeillWycik has a volunteer component.The occupancy by-law states that

members are required to dovolunteer tasks in their chosen areaof involvement. Your options including joining a committee, run-ning for the Board, being on afacility core group, running coffeehouses, helping out with Neill'sNews, organizing parties, helping


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with orientation, photocopyingminutes etc. Keep your eyes openfor signs in the building advertisingvarious volunteer activites.Hotel Executive Committee

An advisory body to the HotelManager which meets weekly during the operation of the hotel.Composed of hotel departmentmanagers and elected staff representatives from each department.Presently in limbo:Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee is currently being re-struck to deal with

(surprise) personnel matters. Thisgroup is comprised of someonefrom the Board, someone from theManagement Committee and t\ \ 0other members. This Committtedeals with personnel policies andprocedures.Member Involvement Group

The Member Involvement Groupis an open-membership group thatwas formed to create a sense ofcommunity at Neill-Wycik throughsocial events and improved communication with the members. Thisgroup is a lot of fun and is seen asthe vehicle that will allow mostaverage members to get involved atWycik.

Living in Wycik_______The Administrative Staff

The co-op's administrative offices are on the 22nd floor. CathieStanish (Administrative Assistant), Marianne Macleod (HousingCo-ordinator), Ralph Zielke(Community Development Co-ordinator) , Kit Chapman(Bookkeeper) , Helen MacMillan(Accountant), Colleen Durland(Accounts Payable), Scott Barry(General Manager), Ted Hanmer(Hotel Manager) have offices here.

The office is definitely the placeto go if you have any concerns orproblems. Here you pay your rent,record your maintenance requests,book a room for a meeting or a party, make housing inquiries, get anew key, arrange for par king orjust talk to someone aboutwhatever's bugging you. Thefacilities' sign-out books are hereduring office hours. The staff isreally quite friendly and willing tohelp you with whatever you need.Don't hesitate to come up and say"hi" and make yourself known.The office is open from 9:30 a.m.to 12:45 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:30p.m. during the week. The office isclosed on Wednesdays between2:00 and 4:00 p.m. for staffmeetings. You can reach us byphone at 977-2320.Keys

You are given two keys when youmove into Neill-Wycik (if you livein an apartment you have four).One is for your mailbox, located onthe 22nd floor. The other key is foryour room, your unit and the frontdoor of the building.

Both your room key and your9

mailbox key must be returned whenyou leave Neill-Wycik. Five dollarswill be deducted if you don't turn inyour room key. Twenty dollars isdeducted for not leaving your mailkey.Room Key "Deposits" and"Purchases'

When you misplace your key andare locked out, come to the officewith a $5 deposit (correct change,please) and we will give you a key.You get the deposit back if youreturn the key within one week. The"key deposit" becomes a "key purchase" if you keep the key and wekeep the five bucks.

I f you are sure your key is gonefor good, the office staff willreplace it at a cost of $5. There is apenalty for members who lose morethan one key. A second replacement key costs $10 and a third is$15. We strongly recommend thatyou keep your keys with you at alltimes.Lost Mailbox Keys and MailboxKey Purchase

You cannot put a deposit on amail key because we can't keepthem in the office. You can onlypurchase a mailbox key. I f you loseyour key and are very sure you willnever find it, come to the officewith $20 (correct change only) andwe will get you a new key. The mailkey price is this high to act as adeterrent against losing it.Mail

The mailboxes for all of NeillWycik are on the 22nd floor just


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outside of the administrative offices. Each unit has a mailbox.The mail is usually delivered inthe morning and sorted by noon. Ithelps the sorters if all mail is correctly addressed with your currentroom number. The mail is sortedaccording to room numbers, somail with incorrect or previousroom numbers may end up in thewrong box.I f you find mail in your box thatdoesn't belong to anyone in yourunit, please put it in the returnedmail box. It's at the bottomrighthand corner of the mailboxes.The mail is then resorted anddirected to the correct box.Mail that doesn't belong in thebuilding will be returned to senderif we don't have a forwarding address. Please give us your forwarding address when you move out sowe can redirect your mail for sixweeks. The post office will not forward mail for this building becausethey classify us as a "hostel".Parcels are delivered late in themorning and may not be sorted until the next day You will get a notein your box if you receive a parcel,registered letter or large envelope.You can pick up and sign for it during office hours.Occasionally the post office triesto deliver parcels and registered letters when our office isn't open. I fthis happens, you will receive a cardfrom them in the mail telling you topick up your mail at the post office.You need identification and thepost office card to pick it up. NeillWycik's post office is on FrontStreet between the O'Keefe Centreand Union Station. It's about ahalf-hour walk and you can't miss

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it. It's open until 11:00 p.m. onweekdays and is open Saturday.Please feel free to come up to theoffice and see the AdministrativeAssistant if you have any problemswith your mailExpansion

Due to the overwhelming demand for student housing downtown, Neill-Wycik is undertakingan expansion project which we arehoping will open September 1 t,1987. It will be attached to the existing building and will house 156more students. Construction isslated to start in September 1986.This should make for a very interesting year for all Wycikers.

ParkingParking in downtown Toronto isvery limited and extremely expensive. We recommend that you notbring your car to the city when youmove. Rapid transit is within 10minutes of Wycik and is fairly inexpensive. Anything you couldpossibly need is within walkingdistance of Neill-Wycik, includinggrocery stores, beer and liquorstores, the Eaton Centre, the St.Lawrence Market and banks.Unless it is necessary that you bring your car or motorcycle, take

our advice and leave it at home.

CarsDue to the expansion, no parking for cars or motorcycles will beprovided at Neill-Wycik until atleast July of 1987.As stated in the previous section

"Parking", we highly recommendthat you leave your car or motorcycle at home. Parking charges inthis area at private parking lotsrange in price from $60.00 permonth to well over $100.00 permonth.

Telephone/CableThe co-op is not responsible fortelephone or cable connections. Toget a telephone you should go to thePhonecentre at the Eaton Centre(Yonge and Dundas). Each unitmust come to some agreementabout sharing the phone becauseBell will usually allow only onephone per unit. (The possibility ofwhat happens if someone does notpay their bills should be included inthe agreement.)Phone Rogers Cable to get television cable. I f you can't be homeduring the installation, leave permission at the office and we win let

t] tern into your place.11

Recreational/EducationalFacilitiesNeill-Wycik has many facilitiesfor its members. You can sign outthe key in the office during office

hours. The keys are available at thesecurity desk in the front lobbyafter the office closes.The following are all the facilitiesavailable:Games Room-pool table (bringyour own cue)Pottery RoomLibrarySewing RoomHanke LoungeCafeteria-for meetings, movies,etc.SaunaWeight and Exercise RoomPhoto Lab 'Steamer-party roomWoodshopTyping RoomFilm Editing RoomPiano-in CafeteriaVideo Machine-in SteamerAll you need is your Neill-WycikJ.D. card to use a facility. All sign-


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ing out is on the honour system.Each facility has its own sign-outsheets. You write your name, roomnumber, the time you signed it outand leave your LD. card in the keybox. When you bring the key backwrite the time in the book and takeyour LD. card. Give the book tothe Administrative Assistant andshe will sign you back in. It's assimple as that.Some facilities have restrictions.The sewing room, darkroom,weight room, pottery room, filmediting room and woods hop requirethat you be in a "core group" foraccess to the room. Notices areposted throughout the year aboutmeetings to get onto these variouslists.Other rules include room booking. The Steamer requires bookingahead of time for activities to beheld there, including using thevideo machine. Once you are on thevideo clearance list, book the videomachine on any night except Fridayand Saturday. Video viewings canNOT turn into parties or they willbe shut down. The darkroom mustbe booked and can only be reservedfor four hours at a time. Those fourhours must be used up beforeanother four can be booked. Thefilm editing room also requiresbooking. I f you are using the pianoin the cafeteria, we ask that youcheck with the office or securityafter two hours to be sure that noone else would like to use it.

PartiesNeill-Wycik loves to party. Par

ties are a great way to get to know12

each other. They are happening allthe time. The best place to party isin the Steamer. There's a soundsystem, a dance floor, a fridge anda bar. There is a refundable depositrequired to book the Steamer andother regulations to ensure a hasslefree party. Check the office fordetails.Tools

The security staff has a large sekction of hand tools that may besigned out for your use. Please beconsiderate to other members andbring them back PD Q after you'refinished with them. Also, try toconfine drilling, hammering andsimilar noisy activities from 9 amto 9 pm.The Maintenance Depart-ment does not lend out tools because when we used to do so, wewould lend out a tool that weneeded five minutes later. Wehave been known to pass out theodd nail or screw if you ask usnicely and of course, advice is free(sometimes even correct).Maintenance

Ou r maintenance department islocated in the basement. Da n

""

Maxfield (Maintenance Mana-ger), Bruce Agar and JohnDickson comprise our mainte-nance staff. It is important thatyou report problems as you noticethem. Repairs can be reported tothe office on the 22nd floor. Report problems like dripping taps,ripped screens, plugged sinks, lowwater pressure, stove/fridge mal-functions, missing or broken furniture, plugged toilets and bugs.The Maintenance hours are 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. They are closed for lunchfrom 12 to 1 p.m.The maintenance deposit that wecollect when you first move in isrefunded when you move out.Money can be deducted fordamages (non-routine wear andtear), missing furnishings, room ormail keys not turned in or aroom/unit left in a dirty condition.

Cleaning supplies are kept inthe E unit closet at the end of thebuilding. Floor corridors will becleaned on a regular basis by part-time staff. Garbage chutes are located just outside the F unit.Please do not throw glass, newspapers, pieces of wood, carpets, kittylitter or boxes down the chute.Aside from the damage to thecompactors anyone in the garbageroom could be injured! The samedanger applies if any objects arethrown off the roof so pleasedon't!!

Our policy requires that in themultiples you use only paint supplied by the co-op. This paint willbe supplied free if your room/unitrequires it. Otherwise you can buyit for half price. Part-time paintersare available to give advice but youmust supply your own brushes and

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trays. Please do not wallpaper overexisting wallpaper. I t is virtually impossible to get off. When considering wallpaper please bear in mindthat people move frequently in ourbuilding and that usually the personafter you hates the wallpaper you sodearly love. Wallpaper must be drystrippable.Co-op approval is needed if youare thinking of doing any structuralalterations to your room or unit.We may ask you to pay for whatyou have done if you do not haveapproval. Air conditioners can onlybe installed with co-op approvaland we will insist that you abide byour installation requirements.After living here for a while youmay wonder what is going on withour heating system or lack thereof.It takes 12 hours for ourwaterheating system to come on orshut down. Extreme outdoor fluctuations in temperature duringfall/winter/spring will result in thebuilding being too hot or too cold.We ask for your patience as oursystem will not keep up to rapidweather changes.

Extra appliances (fridges,freezers, etc.) are not allowed in themultiple units because of thebuilding's wiring. Their extra drawof electricity may create an electrical overload, presenting a firehazard. So leave your appliances athome.


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SecurityNeill-Wycik is considered a verysafe place to be in downtownToronto. This is due to two mainfeatures in the building. The firstand most important is that people

watch out for each other. We encourage people to question someone they don't recognize or toreport if they have doubts thatsomeone belongs in the building.Your unitmates and floormates areyour best security.The other very important aspectis the security team. This year wehave added security coverage during the day, and this person willwork with the nine part-time coopers who work evenings and

weekends to keep the buildingrunning smoothly. They do everything from maintenance checks tosigning in visitors to handlingnoisy complaints and signing outfacility keys. They are responsiblefor all aspects of the buildingwhen the office is closed. The security staff is available overnightby calling 977-2322 for emergencies only (fire, theft, etc.). If youhave an emergency any time, callthem. They can get the police, anambulance or whatever is required. Or maybe they can dealwith it themselves (all securitystaff are trained in first aid). Sowhen you need them, phone ordrop by the front desk; they'll beglad to help you out.The Rules and By-law Nine

These are the rules. Read them.It is your responsibility to knowthem, and live by them. In becom-

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ing a member of the co-operative,you are agreeing to go by them.1. Don't be a nuisance; in otherwords, don't do anything youwouldn't appreciate. For example, if someone ask you to turndown your stereo, be polite and

do it.2. Keep your unit clean and ingood repair.3. It is important that you understand that you are responsiblefor your unit and room. Youare also responsible for guestsyou invite into the building.4. Guests may stay only with yourunitmates' permission and nolonger than 10 days-that is not

10 consecutive days, bu t any 10days.5. Absolutely no pets are allowedin multiple units-except forfish. I f a pet is discovered, youmay be evicted and will not beallowed to return.6. I f you want to hold a party,contact the office for guidelinesand how-to tips. There arewrong ways to hold a party (toonumerous to mention here) thatcan cause a lot of grief. Ask forsome help.

The following will not betolerated under any circumstances:Violent or threateningbehaviour or language.Deliberate damage to co-opproperty.Abuse of drugs, includingalcohol.Possession of firearms or otherweapons, or use of any objectas a weapon.Removal of screens from windows.Pets in multiple units.

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Unless the breach falls into thesecond category, you will be warned. I f the warning is not heeded,you will be asked to appear beforethe Board and they will decide ifyou have the right to stay at Wycik.These rules were decided on bythe members of Wycik. If youfollow these basic guidelines, youwill help ensure a safe environmentfor everyone.

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Paying the RentPart of our collective responsibility is the payment of rent ont ime-at the first of every month .Rental arrears has been a problem at Neill-Wycik since it open

ed. I t causes additional administrative expense, cashflow problems, and has placed an unfairburden on the shoulders of the coopers .who pay on time. Whenmembers move out still owingmoney it is often a direct financialloss to the co-op (See The RentalArrears Committee).It is the members' responsibility

to speak to the Bookkeeper whenthey anticipate that there may be aproblem making the payment ontime. The member must then writea simple explanation and paymentproposal for consideration by the

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RAC. The RAC considers writtenexplanations only. The committeethen establishes the payment conditions or it serves the member with a"Notice to Appear" at the nextBoard meeting to discuss continuedresidence at Neill-Wycik. Nonpayment or chronic late payment isgrounds for eviction under the bylaws of the co-op.Tenant InsuranceMultiple Units:

When you move into Wycik youmay wish to purchase insurance tocover your possessions againsttheft, fire, etc. You may be able toadd your single room in a multiunit onto your parents' fire policyas a "rider" or addition to theirpolicy. This would insure only thecontents of your room, not thecommon areas. I f you decideagainst this, the only company really willing to cover the multiple unitsfor an eight-month period is theCo-operators (967-6633). They alsogive a 10 per cent discount to co-opmembers.Two-Person and Apartment Units:

In these units insurance is moreimportant because you probablyhave accumulated more "stuff".It is also important that you haveinsurance for liability. I f you doanything that harms other people inthe buildng, i.e. start a fire, everyperson that is adversely affected bythe fire could sue you and if youdon't have insurance you are out ofluck. Wycik is not responsible for

any liability incurred by you.


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Housing Notes_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___Lease Breaking

If you find it necessary to moveout of Neill-Wycik before yourlease expires, you are required togive two months' notice in writingfrom the first of the month. Departing members must sign a "Noticeto Vacate" form and pay a $50lease breaking fee. See the HousingCo-ordinator for more details.Room Transfers

The Housing Co-ordinator keepsan internal waiting list of anymembers wishing to transfer to adifferent type of unit, i.e. from adouble to a single room; single to alarge single; single room to a twoperson unit; two-person to apart-

lounge

Al

A2lounge

ment, or whatever. Members on thelist are contacted as appropriaterooms come open, and the roomtransfer is arranged. Private "roomswaps" between members andprivately arranged sublets are notallowed.The Hotel

A number of Neill-Wycik's multiple units operate as a budget hotel from May until August. Ourguests in 1985 came from 60countries. The hotel is staffed bytwo permanent and 42 summerstaffers. Most of these people arealso co-op members and many return year after year because of theunique experience it offers.

ki tchen

Typical Floor Plan16

Fire Safety_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Fire SafetyOne of the most importantaspects to living in a 22-storeybuilding is fire safety. Everyone liv-ing and working at Neill-Wycikmust take the responsibility to ensure as safe a building as possible.The first step in fire safety is

preventing fire. You can preventfires by not being careless with burning materials such as cigarettes,not disposing of flammable liquidsimproperly and avoiding unsafecooking practices.The second step is detection offire and safe evacuation of ourbuilding. Once again you can helpby knowing where the pull stationsand exits are and what to do oncethe alarms ring.Following you will find "Instructions to Occupants on Fire Procedures". Please look at this andread it carefully.

I f you detect smoke or fire activate the pull station at the nearestexit and evacuate using thestairwells. Close all doors you gothrough. Do not use the elevatorswhen the alarms are ringing.It's a good idea to check thesmoke detector in your unit whenyou move in. I f it is not working,report it immediately to the co-op17

office for repair by maintenance.Never, never, block an exit in yourunit, or have stuff in front of thedoors. I f one exit is blocked andthere's smoke, objects in your waycould cost you your life.A 22-storey building can be safe.It just takes all of us to ensure thatit is.There is a whole committee ofstaff constantly working on firesafety. If you have concerns or suggestions please let us know.

Instructions to Occupants onFire Procedures(from the Fire Marshall's Office)In the event of fire, occupantsshall:1. Leave the fire area, take key.Close all doors behind you.Telephone the Fire Department,dial 911 (never assume this has beendone). Know and give correct address-96 Gerrard st. E.-highrise.Activate the fire alarm (use pullstation at exit).Use exit stairwells to leave thebuilding immediately.DO NOT use elevators.Do not return until it is declaredsafe to do so by Fire Official.


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2. If you are in a suite and a firealarm is heard:Before opening door, feel doorand door knob for heat. If not hot,brace yourself against door andopen slightly. If you feel airpressure or hot draft, close doorquickly.If you find no fire or smoke incorridor, take room key, close doorbehind you and leave by nearest exitstairwell.If you encounter smoke in corridor or stairwell, consider takingcorridor to other side of buildingwhere another stairwell may beclear, or return to your suite.3. I f you cannot leave your suite orhave returned to it because of fireor heavy smoke, remain in yoursuite and:Close the door.Unlock door for possible entry offirefighter.Dial 911 and tell Fire Departmentwhere you are then signal tofirefighters by waving a white sheet.Seal all cracks where smoke canget in by using wet towels or sheetsto seal mail slots, transoms and central air conditioning outlets ifnecessary. (Roll of wide strongmasking tape is useful.)Move to balcony or most protected room and partially open win-dow for air (close the window ifsmoke comes in.)Crouch low to the floor if smokeenters the room.Wait to be rescued. Remaincalm. Do not panic or jump.Listen for instructions or information which may be given byauthorized personnel or overloudspeakers.

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Fire Extinguishment, Control orConfinementIn the event a small fire cannot beextinguished with the use of a portable fire extinguisher or the smokepresents a hazard to the operator,then the door to the area should beclosed to confine and contain thefire. Leave the fire area and waitfor the Fire Department.

Fire HazardsIn order to avoid fire hazards inthe building, occupants are advisedto:- Not put burning materials suchas cigarettes and ashes into garbage chutes.- Not dispose of flammable liquidsor aerosol cans in these chutes.-Never force cartons, coathangers, bundles or paper intochute because it may becomeblocked.- Avoid unsafe cooking practices(deep fat frying, too much heat,unattended stoves, loosely hanging sleeves).- Not use unsafe electrical appliances, frayed extension cords,overloaded outlets or lampwirefor permanent wiring.

-Avoid careless smoking. Neversmoke in bed. Use ashtrays.In general, occupants are advisedto:- Know where the alarm pull stations and exits are located.- Call your local Fire Departmentimmediately whenever you needassistance.- Know the correct building address.Most of you have probably neverlived in a building with as much firesafety equipment as Neill-Wycikhas. If you grew up in a house, asmost of us did, you probably hadone or two fire extinguishers, a couple of smoke detectors and maybean escape ladder from the secondfloor. Here we have: a central fire

alarm system, smoke detectors ineach unit; two fire hoses and twodry chemical fire extinguishers perfloor; and two fire escapestairwells. It is highly advisable thatyou know about this stuf f since youprobably don't want to die if thereis a fire in the building~ - rja....-J.';t: " ~ \ . f ~~ ~ . i , ~ ( . l ~q - ~

The Fire Alarm SystemRight next to each fire exit oneach floor there is a fire alarm pullstation that activates a buildingwide fire alarm. If you have a fire inyour unit, alarm the people in yourunit by yelling "Fire!" at the top of

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your lungs and banging on roomdoors to get people up and out ofdanger, leave by the closest safe ex-it, closing all doors behind you andon your way into the stairwell, pullthe fire alarm. Even if you believeyou can put the fire out with one ofthe fire extinguishers, pull the firealarm. You could be wrong andevery second counts.

If you hear the fire alarm go off,call the fire department by dialing911 and tell them that the fire alarmis going off at 96 Gerrard St. East.Now leave by the nearest safe exitand go down the stairs. Don't screwaround with the fire bells to makethem stop ringing. It's stupid, inconsiderate of you and yourneighbours' lives, and will get youinto a lot of trouble if you getcaught. When we say a lot of trouble, we're talking $2,000 fineand/or a year in jail just for blocking the alarm. Try a charge ofcriminal negligence causing deathon for size if you happen to beunlucky enough to have a fire onyour floor.Elevators

You don't use the elevators during a fire. This could take you rightto the source of the fire. Also anelevator shaft acts just like achimney in a fire situation. Whenthe alarms are ringing and there is afear that there really is a fire, checkany door before you open it. Feelthe top, if it is hot to the touchdon't open it. If it feels cold, openit just a crack to see if it is safe to gothrough. Always close the doorbehind you and leave the doorunlocked. Go to the nearest


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stairwell and evacuate. I f you runinto smoke in the stairwell, try theother stairwell. If it is filled withsmoke return to your room andwait. I f you cannot make it back toyour room, knock on somebodyelse's door and get inside a room. I fyou are trapped in a room, put atowel or sheet (wet if possible)along the bottom of the door. Tapethe cracks of the door up to stopsmoke, and wait. I f there is somesmoke in your room get near a window and put a damp cloth overyour nose and mouth.

The Fire Escape StairwellsAt each end of the building there

is a flight of stairs. These are thefire escapes. I f you have to leave thebuilding during an alarm, walkdown the closest set of stairs. I f forany reason, you are unable to godown, the doors at the top of eachstairwell unlock automatically during a fire alarm. These doors allowaccess onto the roof. I f there issmoke in the stairwell you are in,cross over to the other one, on asafe floor. I f there is smoke comingfrom under a stairwell door, don'topen it, just keep going down.Smoke usually rises so you will besafer below the smoke. I f you have

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feel the top of the door beforeopening it. I f it's warm, go toanother floor, below and try again.I f it isn't warm and no smoke iscoming from under it, open thedoor a crack and check to makesure the area is safe. I f it is, goacross to the other stairwell.Main Stairwell Doors

Both east and west stairwelldoors, plus the stairwell doors fromthe F unit and E unit must remainclosed at all times. Why? If one ormore of these doors are proppedopen, instead of a fire escape, youcreate a chImney. Try moving down22 floors in a chimney You will notmake it. Don't use the stairwell forstorage or as a garbage can or as aplace to put closet doors you nolonger want. The stairwells are youronly emergency escape routes.E and F Units

Members in E and F units use thepart of their unit hall in front of thefire escape door as a storage area oras a sitting-lounge area. This is adangerous thing to do. Look at thisin the daylight with the lights on. Itlooks easy to walk around the furniture and out the fire-escape doorinto the stairwell. Now, imagine thepower off, no lights, it's pitch dark.The hall is half-filled with smoke(probably toxic). You are panicked.You must crawl across the floor asfast as possible to get to thestairwell. A bike is in the way, thena box, a table, a chair. Forget it.You will not get into the stairwellbecause the passage to the do or wasnot clear.

C and D UnitsObviously the reason that, .le architects designed these units withtwo unit doors is so the memberswould have a handy storage area infront of one of them. Actually thelaw requires two exits from theseunits. Why? Suppose there's a firein your kitchen lounge, thick smoke

is coming through the lounge door.An electrical short caused by thefire has put your unit in darkness.You only chance of escape is theunit door by the C5 or D5 rooms.That's where you find two bikes,the vacuum cleaner, boxes for whenyou move out, a shopping cart,brooms and beer bottles. I f youthink you have time to clear thisstuff out before you exit, you'rewrong. ;jJa~ I I~

Each unit has its own smokedetector, usually located in the unithallway. We replace the battery ineach once annually, or as required.If yours doesn't work, tell us. Ifyours works so well that you thinkit may be telepathic: knowing whenyou want to take a shower or cook,let us know. We will replace it orrepair it.

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The smoke detector alarms yourunit only. If it tells you there's afire, you tell everyone else by pulling the fire alarm on your way out.Don't use the smoke detectorbattery ' in your Walkman orwhatever; it's a pretty dumb way to

compromise your safety.Fire Hoses and Extinguishers

Rule #1: Don't use either unlessyou know how and don't take anyrisks. Your life is worth one hell ofa lot more than your stuff.The fire hoses are there only forthose who know how to use them.If you don't, don't!We have dry chemical, ABC typefire extinguishers usable on anytype of fire you're liable to findhere. The dry chemical is meant toact as a blanket, smothering the firein much the same way as a lidsmothers a grease fire. The idea isto spread a layer of the stuff overwhatever is burning. To use one,~ g r a s p the fire extinguisher by thehandle, in your right hand. Graspthe safety pin with your left handand twist the pin turn to breakthe plastic seal. Remove the pin.From a distance of 8 to 12 feet, aimthe extinguisher nozzle into thebase of the flames just above whatis burning and push the top leverdown with your thumb to startshooting the stuff. Move the streamof chemical back and forth over thefire to lay down a blanket of thestuff; keep the lever fully depressesuntil the extinguisher is empty.(Don't shoot in bursts.)

I f that doesn't work, get the hellout of there! Do not place yourself


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in any danger to fight a fire; that'sthe firefighters' job!The hoses and extinguishers arelocated at each end of each mainhallway, one by the E unit door andthe other by the A2 apartmentdoor. Take a look at one of the extinguishers to see how it works.We put baking soda in each unitfor grease fires. This box should bekept by the stove and not used forany other purpose. If you have akitchen fire (NOT deep fat) emptythe box of baking soda on thefire-this should smother it. Thereason it should not be used ondeep fat fires (which is a dangerous

Location of Fire Alarms andFire Fighting Equipment

way to cook anyway) is that thegrease might splash up and burnyou.Fire extinguishers are not toys! I fyou get caught setting one offwithout good reason, you are goingto be evicted and charged . I f youset of f a fire hose you will be ineven more trouble.There have been few high-risefire deaths in Toronto, but fromtime to time there are fires reportedin high-rise buildings. Using yourcommon sense and not setting uptraps for yourself beforehand, andknowing what to do and what notto do, increases your survivalchances ten-fold.

r ----- - FIRf_ ALARMS - - - r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~AI

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A2

83 ////

85

A , -- L __ __.-1 L__c

------t L . - r - - - ~ _11--FIRE EXT STAIRWELLS- BOTH ENDS OF MAIN HALLF - - - - ~ r-----r--' ~ __ -V' r ------

84 86 D

--- [X TIN0U 6 HU< CAOINt: TS22

F

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Jobs with Wycik_____________Jobs

Neill-Wycik has various jobs forits members. Preference is given tofull-time students, where practical,for these jobs. In the fall/winter thepart-time jobs include mail-sorting,security staff, painters and occasional typists. In the spring and fallthere are short (five to ten days)full-time jobs doing building cleatlup.Neill-Wycik fills the room left vacant by departing members in thesummer by running a hotel operation. That means full-time summerjobs working as security personnel,in the breakfast cafeteria, on thefront desk, doing housekeeping, orworking on maintenance. Watchfor signs for these jobs.

The Co-operative Communit)'l------Co-operation AmongCo-operatives

Neill-Wycik is a member ofseveral co-operative organizationsto fulfill this basic principle of cooperation.1. Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.Neill-Wycik is a member ofCHFT as are the majority of housing co-ops in Metro. This organization of housing co-ops began soonafter Neill-Wycik opened. In 1973representatives from severalorganizations met to discuss non-

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profit housing. The federal government had recently amended the National Housing Act, creating thefirst housing co-op financing program and the Ontario governmenthad announced that it was settingup a ministry of housing. CHFTbegan in 1975 as an ongoingorganization to encourage andassist non-profit housing cooperatives.There has been phenomenalgrowth in the number of housingco-ops in Metro (and Canada) andCHFT has close to 60 members.Each member co-op appoints adelegate to represent them at themonthly members' meeting. This


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group elects a board of sevenmembers that is responsible for internal operations and administration. There is a staff of about 25.The major work of the organization includes:-development of new housing cooperatives- promotion of co--operative housing to the public-liaising with various levels ofgovernment concerning thefinancial and social needs ofhousing co-ops- providing managerial assistanceto existing co-ops- providing a forum for co-ops toshare information, skills and experience- developing courses and manualsdesigned for volunteers withinco-ops-special training for staff.

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Our responsibility as a member isto pay our annual dues, and participate in the democratic functioning of the organization through ourdelegate.2. Co-operative Housing Foundation of CanadaThe national organization wasestablished in 1968 to provide forcontinuing resource developmentand a communication and advocacycentre for co-operative housing inCanada. Representatives from theCo-operative Union of Canada,Canadian Labour Congress and theUnited Church set up the organization with their expertise and initialfunding.Over the years there has beendramatic growth in CHF. Thenumber of co-ops in Canada has increased and many are nowmembers. CHF membership is

about 300, half the national total.In 1978 there was a major change inCHF's funding. For every housingco-op mortgage negotiated with theCo-op Trust they contributed % ofone per cent of the mortgage principal (Le. half of their mortgagefee) to CHF. This financial base hasallowed development and expansion of the following CHF servicesto members:-Co-op Assistance Fund to givetrouble-shooting and financialassistance to housing co-ops indifficulty- Co-op Development Fund tohelp new housing co-ops in theirearly formation stages- Risk Underwriting Fund whichguarantees loans to new housingco-ops in the development stage- Resource Group Assistance Fundto help resource groups getstarted in the development ofnew housing co-ops- Resource Group DevelopmentFund to organize new resourcegroups where needed-Education Program which provides training in cities acrossCanada for housing co-opmembers, directors and staff- Information Network to givecontinuing practical informationregularly.

CHF also spends a considerableamount of time involved in thepolitical arena-lobbying forlegislation, monitoring legislativechanges and the activities of officials. It organizes its members fornation-wide action when necessary.

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Each spring the annualmeeting/conference is held. Co-opssend a delegate and observers torepresent them at this meeting andalso attend the education sessions atthe conference. The Board ofDirectors is elected at this time.Neill-Wycik is an associate memberso we do not have voting privileges.

NASCONorth American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) is an umbrellaorganization for student co-ops(housing, food and retail) in theU.S. and Canada. It is involved inthe co-op movement at variouslevels, including training and consultation, information exchange,developing educational materialsand serving as the link between 24active-member organizations

throughout North America.


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Floor Plans_____________--Where the Facilities Are

J ~ L OJKITCHEN

neill-wycik owner's manual from 1986-1987.pdf

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