Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Inukshuk Housing Cooperative in my riding was built in 1988-89 to provide affordable housing options to its 50 members. The co-op is run by a board of volunteers from its membership, ordinary people like you and I, on a non-profit basis. Rents are assessed according to their overall costs of operation, with little surplus accumulated except for planned, specific projects and emergencies. Part of the assigned rent is set aside for the payment of the yearly property and school taxes levied by the city and is based on MACA's assessment classification.

In the first year, Inukshuk was assigned an assessment of class one, that is single-family dwellings, the same as other co-ops in the neighbourhood. Sometime during 1991, MACA arbitrarily changed the assessment class from one to class four, that being multi-family dwellings. The city then assigned its mill rate accordingly and the home owners dutifully paid their taxes, unknown to them that a major change had occurred. There was never any consultation with the co-op and its members or the city. Simply put, someone in MACA made the changes in error.

When the question was raised, no explanation was given except to advise them of payment deadlines. Being civic-minded, they paid the taxes they were assigned. Under new board management, the error was recognized and challenged through letters to the city and to the department. Madam Speaker, in a letter, MACA agrees that Inukshuk should be class one, single-family dwellings, not class four, multi-family dwellings, but appears to be reluctant or unable to redress the problem.

It appears, then, that until a better explanation is received, the 50 home owners of Inukshuk will be forced to pay an additional $500 a year for three years of this error. I will conclude by thanking MACA for changing the classification back to single-family dwellings for this upcoming tax year. I will have some questions to ask the Minister later on.

---Applause