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Facts and Figures

Facts and Figures

Across Canada, over 2,200 non-profit housing co‑ops are home to about a quarter of a million people in over 90,000 households. There are housing co‑operatives in every province and territory.

Canada’s housing co-ops by the numbers

Region Number
of Co-ops
Number
of Units
British Columbia 275 15,784
Prairies 129 6,739
Ontario 551 44,181
Quebec 1,130 22,501
Atlantic Provinces 122 3,164
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut 5 162
TOTAL 2,212 92,526

Housing co‑ops cost less to operate – about 14% less than municipal or private non-profit housing, according to a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) study of co‑op housing programs published in 2003.

About a third of all co‑op households pay a monthly charge geared to their income. Government funds cover the difference between this payment and the co‑op’s full charge.

Diverse communities - housing co-op demographics in Canada

Here are some statistics from research conducted by CMHC in 2003:

  • 58% of co-op members are women
  • 50% of co‑op households are female single-person or female single-parent households
  • 11% are members of visible minorities
  • 20% are immigrants
  • 4% are of aboriginal ancestry
  • 12% of households include a person with a long-term physical disability