Calgary Journal Online

Nifty Fifties president says annual cost is insurmountable

The Nifty Fifties, a Calgary seniors group based out of the community of Parkdale, has turned to the courts to settle a building-related dispute with the Parkdale Community Association.

The group has taken the matter to the Court of Queen's Bench in its attempt to be exempt from paying an $18,000 per year rental cost for a building it believes it essentially owns. The city of Calgary is also named in the suit as it owns the land which the community building is located on.

Nifty Fifties president Alan Hinch said that having to pay $18,000 in rent would make a dramatic impact on the non-profit seniors association of Parkdale.

Bryan Weismiller/Calgary Journal

Nifty Fifties president Alan Hinch said that because the organization is non-profit, having to come up with $18,000 per year would likely be the demise of their club – which currently has around 325 members.

“We would have to put a much higher overhead cost on our programs,” he said. “These things have a habit of eroding because when the cost exceeds a certain point, people choose to not be a part of your activities.

“Then your membership drops, and everything dives.”

Hinch said having to up the prices on everything from their programs to the cost of a ticket to their monthly social night would have a profound effect on some of the members.

“It could squeeze a lot of people,” he said. “No one likes to talk about it, but there are a lot of seniors in the city who aren't prepared for today's costs.

“They don't always have a free cash flow to do other things, and for some of our members, it's their only social life. That's why we've fought the battle so hard.”

Hinch said that the bulk of their annual funding, which mostly comes from grants, goes toward paying staffing costs and general building upkeep. The Nifty Fifties employ a few people to organize and run their programs, as well as manage third-party rentals.

Darcy Morgan, vice-president of the Parkdale Community Association, said they are seeking to collect the funds from the seniors group to be able to sustain the community buildings that everyone is using, but also to make the space more available to anyone in the community.

“The Parkdale Community Association's principle is to be an inclusive community group, and that means we seek to provide services to all residents,” Morgan said. “So, in order for us to deliver that, we need to have an egalitarian approach that allows all residents in Parkdale and all members of the community association to have equal access to the assets and resources of the community.”

Morgan said that all programs and services in the community need to be funded somehow, and that the PCA has policies and procedures and renting and subleasing.

“All separate organizations, keeping in mind that the Nifty Fifties is separate, have to pay for their use of the facility, especially if it's an exclusive use,” Morgan said. “The Nifty Fifties is exclusive – it's not a public organization – it's private, and they have a certain membership.”

Morgan said that two-thirds of the seniors groups' membership comes from outside the community of Parkdale.

“If we do not charge rent for the use of the space, then how do we go back to the community members and say 'you can no longer use that portion of the building because people from outside the community are using it for free,’” he said. “How could that possibly be explained to the members of the community?”

The Parkdale Community Association and the Nifty Fifties group used to be the same entity. Hinch said that in the mid '80s, it was decided that the two should separate in order to generate more funding.

He said because doing things like casino fundraisers help to bring in funding, it was more beneficial to have two groups bringing in dollars for the community association.

Hinch said that the seniors’ group feels entitled to the building because of the amount of money it has contributed over the past few decades, including a cheque for $154,000 for the latest expansion project.

Meanwhile, Morgan said that primary community buildings were constructed before the existence of the Nifty Fifties, and that the money raised to do the expansion was public funding.

“We would not argue that people put in the effort to raise the money, and that some of those people eventually became members of the Nifty Fifties,” Morgan said. “But the facts remain that the old documents of record, at least the ones that we're aware of, show that the money used to build it was public.”

Hinch said that Nifty Fifties also feel entitled to the building because of the regular maintenance they perform on it.

“We maintain the building to the city of Calgary's current standard; We look after painting and repairs,” he said. “We maintain the lawns, look after snow plowing the parking lot, and we clear the sidewalks.”

Hinch said, “My understanding is that (the Parkdale Community Association’s) biggest difficulty is that they let their building go on maintenance, and now it's come to a head.

“So they've got things they have to do, and they need funding.”

Morgan said that for the past seven years, the community association has been trying to find an equitable solution that both parties could agree on, such as offering them a form of sub-lease.

“We feel that that demonstrates our desires to see the seniors, like all other constituents, are provided the highest quality of services that we as a community association can offer,” he said. “The group chose not to accept (the sublease) but instead to launch a civil case in the court of Queen’s Bench to establish their own independent right to have a portion of the building.”

Lil Halvorsen, a long-time member of the Nifty Fifties, said that sitting back and watching the situation unfold has been difficult for her and other members.

“We're so distressed by it all,” she said. “To see all this going on, it's disturbing, and until we settled down a bit, we were very upset.”

Halverson said she still thinks there could be a workable agreement between the two groups.

“But when they asked for such astronomical funds, it's difficult,” she said. “We're a non-profit organization; We just can't come up with (the funds.)”

Both parties are choosing not to speculate about what could be the outcome of the judge's ruling. They are due back in court on April 28.