Grandfather of housing co-ops strived to help poor
Mark Paul of Kitchener Born: Jan. 22, 1941 in the U.S. Died: March 30, 2017 of cancer-related health issues
At some point in Mark Paul’s youth, he must have made a conscious choice to opt for a positive, upbeat approach to life, despite having suffered years of abuse.
“He came from very challenging circumstances and overcame the worst of the worst,” said Rev. Jessica Rodela, Mark’s minister at Grand River Unitarian Church in Kitchener.
“To come from that background and to choose to be kind, to be generous, to invest in community” showed a strength of character, she said.
The minister thought highly of Mark, for his generosity, his forthright manner and despite being an introvert, he worked to bring community together. If a decision had to be made and Mark lobbied hard yet lost the vote to an opposing position, he would immediately support the majority, regardless of how passionate he felt.
“He had a deep and abiding trust in democracy,” said Rodela. “He believed in the collective wisdom.”
The man who became known as the grandfather of Ontario housing co-ops arrived in Kitchener after being hired by the now defunct Waterloo Wellington Non-Profit Homes. He was then hired as managing director of the nascent Central Ontario Cooperative Housing Federation where he worked from 1993 to 2015.
This was the perfect job for Mark who had long been on the front line of affordable housing for marginalized people. He was angered by the lack of political will to alleviate the problem.
In 2000, Mark expressed his feelings to a reporter. “For me, it’s the frustration of not being able to assist people who are desperate,” he said. “It gets depressing.”
Though Mark worked in a very public job, he was a private man. Not a lot of details are known about him. He was born in the U.S. but the exact state is unknown and he had been a peace activist in the 1960s, coming to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. In Canada, Mark worked as a computer programmer for CN, then returned to school to study adult education.
Mark’s successor at the federation, Sabine Behnk, recalled in the early 1980s Mark worked for a development resource group in British Columbia, establishing co-ops and providing education to members which led him to Ontario.
In his personal life, Mark had a sister but they were estranged for most of their adult lives and he never married or had children. Mark made his own family — from the people he grew close to in church and in the co-op community, people who were of like mind.
There was also a close 17-year relationship with Rhoda Reimer, a lady he met at church. They
spent all their free time together, sharing a deep love of music.
The couple attended symphony concerts, music festivals and live theatre in Waterloo Region, Blyth and Stratford. Though Reimer was more homebody than traveller, they did a few short trips together in Canada.
After Reimer died of breast cancer in December 2012, Mark pursued his love of more farflung exploration, visiting England, Switzerland and Germany, a country he wanted to visit again though his own bout of cancer halted those plans.
Rodela said when Mark travelled, he’d wake early in the morning then walk the city wherever he was staying, exploring the nooks and crannies, meeting new people.
“He was interested in people,” she said, adding that though Mark enjoyed human interaction, he had his limits.
For example, he really didn’t like coffee time at church, where everyone gathered in a big, noisy group.
“He preferred one-on-one,” she said. “He was deeply interested in sharing ideas and stories.”
Mark’s involvement in his adopted community was farreaching. He served as a dedicated volunteer with the citizen advisory group, Compass Kitchener, joining many committees and most recently served as vicechair.
Mark was also the long-time editor of the church newsletter and continued to help even after he officially retired from the job.
“He was so reliable,” said Rodela. “He’d step in for things.” Though Mark was serious about work and his activism, he also had a dry sense of humour and a quirky side.
Rodela said he once told her he could never downsize his home because his basement was filled with a model train collection.
As much as Mark contributed to his community in many ways, he will be known foremost for his work in co-op housing and his desire to help the poor.
“He had such a deep sense of right and wrong,” said Rodela. “He was such an ethical human being.”