Residence life committee (RLC)
The residence life committee (RLC) is a tool that promotes well-treatment in private seniors’ homes (PSR). It helps maintain essential collaboration between PSR managers, PSR residents and their caregivers. Through the RLC, residents and caregivers can anonymously express their suggestions for improvement and ensure the PSR continuously adapts to their needs and expectations. The RLC also gives you a voice on activities, services, safety and other matters to ensure healthy living conditions that meet residents’ needs. By registering your RLC for free with the Association des Comités de Résidents Officielle du Québec (ACROQ), you benefit from our support to answer all your questions and guide you through your operations.
Creating an RLC: mandatory in all PSRs
Since Ministerial Decree 1574-2022 of August 17, 2022, the regulation respecting the certification of private seniors’ residences mandates the presence of a residence life committee in many establishments. The RLC is not a union; it’s a structure organized by and for residents that acts as a constructive partner in creating a culture of well-treatment within the PSR, ensuring the well-being, safety and rights of seniors.
The RLC is composed of 3 to 7 members elected by PSR residents, the majority of whom must be PSR residents. If a majority of the committee’s residents cannot be reached, RLC members may elect any other person of their choosing, provided that this person is neither a member of the PSR staff nor responsible for supervision.
The PSR manager is also required to support the proper functioning of the RLC, including by providing an appropriate space and ensuring the confidentiality of files.
The essential functions of an RLC
In accordance with the regulations on PSR certification, a residence life committee has multiple functions:
- Sharing information about residents’ rights and obligations.
- Promoting improvements to residents’ quality of life.
- Defending the collective interests of residents.
- Providing, at a resident’s request, useful information for filing a complaint with the local complaints commissioner and quality of services at the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) or for submitting a request to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL).
Useful resources about RLCs
- PSR resident and caregiver identification form (French only)
- Presentation on residence life committees (RLC): visual training
- RLC bylaws template: an internal regulations template
- PSR resident and caregiver identification form (French only)
- Vote compiler for RLC member elections
- RLC working committees: optimizing the organization of your environment
- PSR certification regulations
FAQ: answers to frequent questions about RLCs
1. Who can open the requests (suggestions) box and when?
It is up to the RLC to describe in its general regulations and its way of proceeding. Normally, a member of the RLC has access to the requests box, reads them and, following sorting, presents each of the signed requests to the RLC administrators without identifying the author. The RLC thus protects the anonymity of the applicant. Your general regulations, adopted at a general meeting of residents, must therefore describe this way of proceeding. The same goes for the electoral process. If your RLC has not yet adopted its general regulations (or its internal governance), ACROQ can help you fulfill this essential duty.
2. I am on the RLC of an RPA in the Québec region. There is an imbroglio over the responsibilities of the RLC. First, a little context. There are 5 of us on the committee because this was decided by the administration of our RPA. We don’t have an appointed chair or secretary, etc., because the administration told us we couldn’t have one because all committee members were equal. I’m trying to find out what powers our RPA management has over us. Can they decide on the number of members, decide on the administrative structure of the committee, etc.? Another question, from when can management legally exclude a member elected by the RLC assembly? I am trying to draw the line between a member of the RLC having a conflict over the amount of his rent with management, which is justifiable, and a member of the RLC threatening to physically attack a member of management, which is unacceptable. Or maybe they don’t have the right to exclude a person?
According to ministerial decree 1574-2022, included in full in the Regulation on the certification of RPAs, published on August 31, 2022, is clear: Article 56.6: An RLC defines its operating rules, in particular the frequency of its meetings.
Consequently, the administration of an RPA or its managers cannot determine the number of members making up the RLC, nor impose a model excluding the presence of a president, a vice-president and a secretary. In the model suggested by ACROQ, everyone is equal, even if there are officers such as a president, because everyone has a single right to vote.
The administration of an RPA has no power over the composition of an RLC and even less power to exclude a member elected by residents. It is the residents of an RPA who must elect their representatives. If an RPA administration refuses to comply with the Law, after trying to convince them, there is a recourse that a resident (or a member of the RLC) can take, it is the complaints commissioner of the CISSS or CIUSSS.
3. I am president of the residents’ committee of my RPA. Our residents’ committee fully corresponds to the description of a living environment committee, with the same functions, structure, mission and mandate. Is it essential to change the name of the residents’ committee to the living environment committee? A name change involves a lot of work, such as business number, change to bank, badges, letterheads, checks and others. The residents’ committee is made up of seven members elected to the AGA and harmony has been perfect for more than 10 years.
In several RPAs, a residents’ committee was already working to create well-treatment. Some, although not required by law, are registered with the Business Register as a non-profit organization (NPO) or the equivalent. There is a very simple possibility of maintaining your incorporation and complying with the new regulations on certification published in the Official Gazette on August 31, 2022. You can add to your business file another name used in Québec. This information is located in the Name Index section of your file. It is therefore sufficient to indicate to the Business Register that your residents’ committee operates under the name of RPA xxx Living Environment Committee. However, you will need to create a draft of the General Regulations of your RLC approved by the residents at a general meeting, to carry out elections whose candidacies are open to residents and caregivers, to respect the number of administrators between 3 and 7, and to have mandates of one year to 3 years maximum. We suggest alternating two-year terms. An example of general regulations is available on our website. Furthermore, I invite you and the members of your committee to register for free with ACROQ.
4. We do not have RLC in our PSR. We are currently looking into the possibility of creating one. How can you help us?
We can support you in the process of creating your RLC. Our website offers a support guide: Residence life committee (RLC) support guide. We suggest that you first contact ACROQ for a TEAMS videoconference meeting with residents and caregivers wishing to set up your RLC. At this meeting, we will establish the next steps, such as creating a draft of your general regulations and the general assembly of residents to adopt these regulations. We will also be able to establish a scenario for the elections of members of the RLC.
5. What can our RLC do against a general director who does not want to publish our texts unless she has approved them in advance?
Section 56.6 of the Act stipulates that the RLC is AUTONOMOUS; therefore, the administration of an RPA does not have the authority to censor the information that an RLC distributes to its residents. That being said, if your managers persist in their desire to censor your texts, you can contact the complaints commissioner of your CISSS or CIUSSS. Normally, this should be enough to enforce the law. You then have recourse to the Public Protector if your efforts are not satisfactory.
6. Our RLC does not have permanent premises. We asked our landlord, and he refused. He asserts that Decree 1574-2022 only requires him to provide premises for a one-off need and not for premises dedicated to the RLC 24 hours a day. What to do?
Your landlord is right. He is not obliged to provide you with permanent premises. If you wish to establish a time for communication with residents, you could possibly agree on a location. Let’s say, for example, Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., room XYZ, reserved for the RLC. Inform us of your steps. Don’t forget that your RLC can become a committee member of ACROQ and be able to exchange with other RLCs. You, your residents and your caregivers can also register as a member of ACROQ (See: https://acroq.ca/en/become-a-member).
Register an RLC with ACROQ
Registration with ACROQ is free. By registering a residence life committee (RLC) with ACROQ, you receive our association’s support to ensure your RLC runs smoothly, get your questions answered and be guided through the various processes and regulations to follow. Together, we will build well-treatment within your PSR to create a living environment that supports the well-being of seniors, in collaboration with your PSR’s managers, residents and caregivers.