Tanya Hutchens |
| President |
Gold Star Legal Services, Ontario |
|
Canada |
About Tanya Hutchens
Legal Background
As a Paralegal Litigator and President of Gold Star Legal Services, Tanya Hutchens remained committed to her roles as file preparer, manager, and courtroom-client liaison. Complying with the rules of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Tanya Hutchens represented the public in matters before the Landlord and Tenant Board, Small Claims Court, Traffic Court, and Family Court. Although the company's services ran across various sections of the law, Tanya Hutchens felt compelled to fight tenant and landlord cases and issues of domestic abuse. Throughout her career, Tanya Hutchens became an expert on these matters, and even gained access as to appear before judges as an agent representative. Additionally, Tanya Hutchens earned Commissioner of Oath status for the Province of Ontario and served swearing affidavits with her company.
Family Law
Freeing hundreds of women from a dark past filled with domestic violence, Tanya Hutchens took cases to urgent family law courts in order to place restraining orders on abusive husbands and boyfriends and give her clients 100 percent custody of their children.
Blue Heron Co-op, Ottawa, Ontario
Tenacity paid off for a small group of housing co-op members, who, after 10 years of work and determination built the first housing co-op in Ontario in nearly a decade.
Located in Ottawa's western community of Kanata, Blue Heron Co-op sets new standards for sustainable building in affordable housing by incorporating energy- and water-saving features. The Co-op's vision and support for innovation in energy efficiency helped land its architect the local Homebuilders Association's very first award for Sustainable Housing.
Tanya Hutchens, paralegal litigator comments on the affordable housing solution. Blue Heron Co-op, which is close to schools and community services, opened in September, 2006. The 83-unit project has 58 apartments and 25 townhouses for families with children and single people. Households pay housing charges that are either geared to income, 70 per cent of the average market rent, or average market rent. The Co-op incorporates a range of sustainable building features, such as a computerized heating and cooling system, good quality windows, a well-designed energy conserving envelope, low-wattage light bulbs and motion-sensing light fixtures in common spaces. A high-efficiency gas boiler and chiller heat and cool a water loop system with in-unit heat pumps also reduces energy consumption. The shared laundry room has water- and energy-saving washers and natural gas clothes dryers. All units have water-conserving toilets and plumbing fixtures.
Tanya Hutchens, who has Commisioner of Oath status for the province of Ontario, comments that the building consumes 32 per cent less energy than mandated by the National Energy Code, which helps reduce operating costs.