Following a lengthy discussion, Prince Edward County Council has approved a By-Law to re-establish the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation as a Municipal Services Corporation.
The decision came Tuesday night at Shire Hall.
The Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation (PECAHC), formed by the Municipality, was designated a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC) in 2023 through Corporate By-Law #3 which was mirrored in Municipal By-Law 21-2023.
Following a recent governance review, PECAHC is seeking to consolidate governance documents and clarify its structure and mandate with the Municipality by repealing Municipal By-Law 21-2023, and replacing it with a new by-law which re-establishes PECAHC as a MSC and acknowledges the Service Level Agreement between PECAHC and the Municipality.
PECAHC has installed three Corporate By-Laws since its inception in 2018 to more accurately reflect its purpose and relationship with the Municipality, and to improve administrative efficiencies. Corporate By-Law #1 established PECAHC in 2018 as an independent non-profit organization, Corporate By-Law #2 captured the amendments made when PECAHC became a hybrid nonprofit organization in 2022, establishing the Municipality as the sole member. This was the point at which the Service Level Agreement was created, and Corporate By-Law #3 designated PECAHC as a MSC in 2023 and established the Municipality as its sole shareholder, rather than a member of the non-profit.
Corporate By-Law #3 was duplicated in Municipal By-Law 21-2023. After review by the Governance Working Group and the Municipal Lawyer, it was concluded that Municipal By-law 21-2023 is redundant. To resolve this, Municipal By-Law 21-2023 was suggested to be repealed and replaced with a new by-law that formally recognizes the Service Level Agreement between PECAHC and the Municipality.
ccording to the Letters Patent, the objects for which the corporation is incorporated are: to increase the amount of funding available locally for affordable housing development, to promote a vehicle for the transfer of municipal assets, physical or financial and affordable housing development, to initiate and/or support new affordable housing projects in cooperation with community stakeholders and developers, to ensure high operational standards and protection of affordable housing assets, up to and including owning and/or operating such assets, to create economies of scale for management, construction and operations of affordable housing assets, to provide effective and transparent governance of affordable housing investments, to provide knowledge and expertise in funding, design and operation of affordable housing, and to advocate for and educate the community about affordable housing.
A friendly amendment was made to the draft corporate By-Law stating ‘Up to 2 members of the Municipal Council for Prince Edward County may be appointed as a director to the Corporation’s Board,’ changing it to ‘Up to 2 members of the Municipal Council for Prince Edward County shall be appointed as a director to the Corporation’s Board’.
By-Law 21-2023 was repealed and By-Law xx-2025, being a By-Law to Confirm the Re-Establishment of the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation as a Municipal Services Corporation, was approved.
A full view of the draft corporate By-Law can be viewed at this link.
(HAILEY MACDONALD)
