I have indeed been kicked from the forums entirely - did send an email requesting clarification as to their rationale, but no response, so I assume tis permanent...
Anyway ... since they can't be bothered to respond to me, and since they deleted not one but 2 threads so you can't read for yourself, here is what happened.
The thread re: meeting disappeared ... but in its place, the admin posted a new thread which stated that if we wanted to meet, we need to provide them (via email) with a bunch of information including the purpose of the meeting, number of attendees, location, date, agenda, etc .... THEY will set it all up for us (isn't that ever so ~nice~ of them?)
I responded that it would be difficult for any one of us to provide detailed responses to their questions since they had deleted the very thread where we were attempting to sort those details out. Very shortly thereafter, that thread, and my comment, of course, disappeared into the ether. A new admin thread appeared - locked this time - that one you've probably seen, as I imagine it is still there .... one about using the forums only to discuss issues relating to landlording...?
An hour or two later, I posted the blog post below this one ... offering to facilitate an email list if people wanted.... and then I posted a message on "my" thread re: being "So discouraged" mentioning only that I had added a couple of posts to my blog if anyone was interested.
Shortly thereafter, my account was deactivated and there ya go ...I am, apparently, far more problematic than Tagly, and Doug, and .... well, everyone!
Which, of course, especially combined with the ~magic post~ I mentioned, and the lack of transparency re: the association's advocacy activities re: our issues, or even, indeed, re: who is behind the OLA, causes me to view the whole thing with a rather jaded eye at this point.
I do not understand why an association which claims to have all the answers in its database of over 70,000 posts would disable the search function, also.
And I certainly do not understand why I, who have actually paid to be a member of the Ontario Association of Landlords, would be ejected for so minor an offense as attempting to facilitate something they claim to be supportive of.
Apparently, name calling, insulting others, and posting ridiculous nonsense are all just fine... but attempting to facilitate contacting people outside the forum is not.
What IS it that the Ontario Landlords Association does not want its members to discuss, I wonder?
Why is a simple get together for coffee so gosh darned threatening to them?
Smells fishy to me.
Do you get the impression that more and more we are becoming a police state/communist country? I do.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very fishy, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find extremely uncomprehensible is the immediate need of the powers of any organization to squash the entrepreneur, the initiator of new, the intuitiveness of our nation. Municipalities/Governments do not support new business, simple people trying to make a living thru creating retail or service type venues. What is wrong with this world, this country. Beauracracy,, its plain and simple... back off and let me raise my own child, when they are bad let me set them straight,, back off and let me manage my own property,, take down your signs and fuck your rules. Ok I am done. Sorry if I offended anyone. I am so sick to death of rules,, when I die I want my grandchildren to have just one ounce of say.. I want everyone to be able to have freedom of speech!!
ReplyDeletethanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that when it comes to the OLA it's adding up to landlords being given a place to vent and to FEEL as though we are being heard while really we're just being kept occupied so that we don't bother organizing or doing anything that would really make any difference. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if I were to discover it's actually hosted by corporate landlords - particularly given the magically disappearing and reappearing (under a different name) post... clearly at least SOME users have admin rights and are able to delete posts - and at least one user is playing in the role of a landlord AND a tenant. Coincidentally, that particular LL often identifies himself as involved with corporate LL associations as well.
Makes no sense - preventing small landlords from using the OLA site to set up meetings with one another? Why would corporate landlords object to this? Is the site just so much "panem et circenses"? Do the tenant organisations, posters and advocates have that much pull with the OLA?
ReplyDeleteCertainly doesn't make sense to me... but then neither did shutting down people's ability to use direct messaging, or the search.
ReplyDelete"Panem et circenses" seems a rather apt description; thanks for that.
Wow, I didn't even now this happened to you. ;) good thing I had bookmarked your blog previously. Best of luck to you. I'll check out the new forum, but I've noticed it's pretty hard to get one going these days.
ReplyDeleteAre you still able to take advantage of the credit checks from TVS through them? If not you should get a refund of your $99
ReplyDeleteHaven't tried yet ...suppose I should, but really doesn't matter all that much since it's unlikely we'll ever need to find another tenant ... we've pretty much had it with landlording in Ontario.
ReplyDelete