Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada

April White (Will be acclaimed) First Nations Co-op, London, ON click here for bio

Shekoli Hello,

My Indigenous name is Watwaniyost – my English name is April White. I am of mixed heritage and I come from Onyota:ka, also known as Oneida of the Thames First Nation, and am of the Bear Clan.

As an urban Indigenous woman who was born and raised in the City of London, I have witnessed and experienced first-hand the unique needs of urban Indigenous families – inequalities in most, if not all areas of urban Indigenous living – racism, subtle bias, gender inequity, income inequality, poverty, hunger, and homelessness to name a few.

My strong interest in serving the Indigenous community is a family trait. I learned as a youngster that in being part of a community meant that we each have a responsibility to contribute to that community in whatever way that we can. It is with this responsibility in mind, that I decided to put my name forward as a nominee for the Indigenous Community Representative.

I am a newer member of an Indigenous housing co-op in London and have worked as a manager in another Indigenous housing co-op, also in London. As a former employee and now as a member, I have had opportunities to learn so much about co-operative housing, the co-op principles, and the benefits that they provide. It is my hope that as the Indigenous Community Representative, I will be able to continue to learn about Co-operative Housing and the Co-op sector.

It is with the support of the Indigenous Housing Co-ops in London that I am willing to step forward into more of a leadership role. It is because of their support and guidance that I can take these next steps in helping to create affordable housing for all.

My work within a not-for-profit Indigenous organization over the last several years has afforded me the opportunity to learn many different roles: support person, leader, learner, educator, confidante, and knowledge seeker. In the spirit of these teachings, I humbly ask for your support as CHF Canada’s next Indigenous Community Representative.

Yaw^ko, Anushiik, Miigwech, Merci, Thank you for you consideration and time.

April White

Tony Yee Sarcee Meadows Co-op, Calgary, AB click here for bio

Hello!

My name is Tony. I am running for a Member-At-Large position with CHF Canada.

I was born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In high school, I was involved in sports and theater.

Cool fact #1: there is a plaque called the P.R.I.D.E Award & in my graduation year, alongside the Valedictorian & the Student President, my name is engraved on it! To this day I am still amazed by that.

I attended the U of A in Edmonton.

Cool fact #2: my friends & I were at the game that #99 broke Gordie Howe’s record for most points by an NHL player. After University, I moved to Vancouver, BC & lived there for 7 years.

Cool fact #3: I was at the hockey game which Queen Elizabeth II attended & dropped the puck.

My wife and I married in 2006. She moved from Europe to Vancouver in 2007 & in 2009 we decided to move to Calgary. In 2011, we moved into Sarcee Meadows Housing Co-operative.

Since living in SMHC, I have seen firsthand the importance of being in a co-operative. It is a sense of belonging, of sharing & caring for the community, your neighbors and your family. When my kids got a little older, I decided to give back to SMHC, & successfully was voted on to the board. I have held the positions of treasurer and vice-chair. Quirky fact: My very 1st “assignment” was to go to the SACHA AGM. I was told it was “just a formality & bring back some information”. The night of the AGM, I somehow became a Member-At-Large for SACHA.

With SACHA, I have held the positions of MAL, Treasurer, Vice-chair and Chair. I am currently back again as Vice-chair. I still hear Al Pacino from The Godfather part 3 saying “Just when I thought I was out …”

I had been Vice-chair and Chair of the Bishop Carroll Music Society at my boys high-school in Calgary. Prior to that I was Chair of the PTA in Vancouver at their elementary school called Shaughnessy.

With my experience at all these boards and living in 3 different Provinces, I feel that I would bring a unique perspective & voice to CHF Canada.

I want to commend everyone who has decided to run for a position with CHF Canada and give thanks to all of you who are on the Board at your Co-ops! It takes dedication, passion, and a love for the community to step up and serve

I truly hope that you will vote for me to be on the CHF board. It would be an honor and a privilege!

In closing I say this: May the Force Be with You, Live Long and Prosper, Merci beaucoup, dziękuję bardzo & Thank you very much!

Tony Yee

Lee Campbell-MacDonald Needham Co-op, Halifax, NS click here for bio

Lee has always had a desire to make positive impacts to the world around them. At age 15, they became a volunteer peer Suicide and Intervention Specialist at the Youth Help Line. They volunteered in their high school’s “Gay Straight Alliance” (one of the first in their province at the time) and was on the organizing committee for the student-led Student Leadership Conference. More recently they have volunteered as a Guider for a local Girl Guides of Canada unit, which included overnight camping excursions (so much fun!)

Lee joined Needham Housing Co-op 6 years ago with their partner and two children and has been an enthusiastic and active member since. They are a member of their co-op’s Grant Writing Committee, has attended multiple co-operative education seminars and volunteered their time to help organize the CHF Canada AGM 2022 in Halifax/Kjipuktuk.

“Being a member of Needham has changed my life. It reinvigorated my passion for change and advocacy work and has afforded me the financial stability to go back to university as a mature student to enter the field of social work, something I never thought I would be able to do as a parent”. They were a Dean’s List recipient at Mount Saint Vincent University, before being accepted to Dalhousie University’s School of Social Work program (with plans to graduate in 2024). Lee is also the recipient of the 2020 CHF Canada Diversity Scholarship.

As a queer, non-binary trans, neurodivergent individual with hearing impairment, they innately recognize the need for oppressed and marginalized communities to have representation from within. Lee’s passion in affordable/attainable housing revolves around the need for inclusivity, respect, diversity, reconciliation, and the development of meaningful human connections, advocacy, and education. They firmly believe that analysing how privilege, power, and oppression can affect peoples’ access to housing is essential to paving a new way for how society and government relate to affordable/attainable housing. Lee sees housing as not only just a place to live and sleep, but they also see it as a way to provide safety and community to citizens and can positively impact one’s health and wellness.

Professionally, Lee has worked in many administrative roles in health care for the last 15 years and takes great pride in the work they’ve done to support other healthcare professionals during that time. This has provided them with first-hand experience working in a unionized environment, and accessing educational opportunities, such as the Annual Women’s Issues Committee Conference by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU), and training through AwareNS to name a few.

Lee loves spending time with their family and chosen family – cooking meals and hosting dinners. When Lee is not busy with their studies, they also enjoy gardening, knitting, drag shows, board games, and baking.

Augustina Charles Des Jardins Co-op, Ottawa, ON click here for bio

I am Augustina Charles, a gregarious, courteous, open-minded, down-to-earth, respectful co-op neighbour. I have had the pleasure of living in many different countries and types of dwellings. I was born in the Caribbean, where I spent the first eighteen years of my life, then moved to the USA for university and now call Canada home.

Des Jardins co-op has been my home since 2018 and I enjoy the sense of community, shared responsibility and other nuances that make co-op life unique. Since moving to Des Jardin, I have served on the Community Engagement Committee, and developed a desire to contribute in a more meaningful way in the form of being a Director. I joined Des Jardin Board of Directors in 2020 and served as President of the Board for the first year and a Director at Large for the second. My time as President came with some unprecedented challenges, including, navigating COVID, renewing our mortgage during COVID, switching meetings to a hybrid format, hiring a new management and undertaking the bidding process for refurbishment of our building.

While serving, I gained valuable insight into co-ops including some the systemic and ongoing challenges facing co-ops, such as a lack of qualified managers and management companies with adequate knowledge of coops and increasing participation in member engagement and governance. The aforementioned challenges created a desire to learn more about the co-op sector and contribute at a higher level. Having worked with CHF Canada on our Asset Management Plan, and speaking to their past Board members, I believe that my skills would be a good fit, allowing me to contribute while learning about the sector.

What I bring to the table?

I bring to the table an extensive education portfolio, comprising of an MBA in International Management, BSc in Industrial Management and a Diploma in Human Resource & Payroll. My diverse and expansive career, a diverse background, include over 20 years of Stakeholder/Client Relationship Management, Logistics, Program delivery and Administrative roles across diverse industries.

More importantly, my experience and knowledge of the below competencies played a key role in my success as President.

Leadership
Financial Literacy & Fiduciary Accountability
Communication and Interpersonal skills
Program & Process Improvement

Why do I want to serve as a Director?

CHF Canada’s mission resonates with me. Throughout my life, be it volunteer or career, I am drawn to roles “in service” of others. This opportunity aligns with that value while allowing me to gain valuable knowledge that will have a direct impact on the sustainability of my co-op but more importantly, I hope to contribute to the wider co-op sector.

The Vision, Values, Principles and Strategic Plan, are goals that I identify with and if given the opportunity, I would like to contribute by moving the dial forward in sustainability and success of co-ops and education of the general public on the value of co-ops.

John Bathurst Misty Ridge Housing Co-op, Burnaby, BC click here for bio

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is John Bathurst. I was born and raised in London, Ontario and after residing in Montreal for 6 years, I relocated to British Columbia in 1974. Since then, I have lived in various cities, including Victoria and Port Alberni where our children were born. Since 1987, I have called Burnaby, specifically Misty Ridge Housing Co-op, my home along with my partner Pat. Misty Ridge has been a wonderful community for us to raise our children and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

During my time at Misty Ridge, I have served on the board multiple times, held the position of maintenance chair, and led an $8 million facility upgrade project. As a small business owner with contracting experience, my team and I completed the project under budget.

My experience with boards and directorships dates to my high school years when I was elected president of my Junior Achievement company. Since then, I have served on various boards, including the regional Eastern Township board for Ski Patrol (Patrouille Canadienne De Ski) and the Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council in Port Alberni. In Burnaby, I held several positions at the Burnaby Winter Club and most recently served as a director of CHFBC. Currently, I am proud to chair CHFBC’s Aging in Place Committee. These experiences have been valuable learning opportunities for me and I am grateful for the privilege of being a part of each of these organizations.

I am someone who is not afraid to ask for clarification and take on responsibilities outside of my comfort zone. I strive to leave every organization I am involved with in a better state than when I first joined. A little humour along the way never hurts either.

Why am I interested in serving on another board? Co-op housing has become a passion of mine, as I believe it plays a significant role in sustainably housing our growing population. With my experience and dedication, I want to continue to promote this message and make a positive impact in the field of co-op housing.

Lana Wong Waterloo Co-op, Waterloo, Ontario click here for bio

Hello! My name is Lana Wong, and I am excited to run for the CHF Canada Board. I am passionate about housing co-operatives – it is a great model to both build a strong and inclusive society, and to address Canada’s housing affordability crisis.

For 10+ years, I have been actively involved in housing co-op activities at the local, regional, and bi-national levels. These experiences have given me exposure to diversity among people, organization, and approaches at housing co-ops, towards opportunities and challenges. With the courage to experiment, the desire to co-operate, and the generosity to share our learning, our sector is poised to take on the rapidly changing world.

My co-op involvement began when I lived at Waterloo Co-operative Residence Inc (WCRI), the largest student housing co-operative in Canada. For decades, WCRI has provided safe, affordable, community driven housing to post-secondary students in the Region of Waterloo. Notable projects that I worked on include:

redevelopment project that increased the co-op’s capacity by over 30%,
partnership with a non-profit to provide 80+ beds for transitional housing in a vacant WCRI building due to in-person learning suspension during the pandemic, and
connection of WCRI members and student housing co-op model with the wide co-op sector.

While I did not grow up in a housing co-op, my world view and leadership style had been greatly influenced through co-operating with members, co-op staff, and professionals in these projects.

Outside of WCRI, I have served on the boards of housing co-op federations including North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO), and Central Ontario Co-operative Housing Federation (COCHF). I have had the opportunity to connect with many co-opers in these federations. As a young co-oper, I appreciate the opportunities that are otherwise not accessible, unless the young person is in a specific and often privileged position. However, I have also heard stories of people not able to join a co-op due to the long waitlist, and people forgoing opportunities due to the stark difference in housing costs. As a housing co-op sector, we are not able to keep up with increasing desire to join our inclusive communities, and society loses out on talents from our community. I am committed to advocate for housing co-ops growth and preservation.

Through serving on various boards, I have developed leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Professionally, I work in finance and data analytics, in one of the most sustainable companies in the world. I have developed strong finance management skills, business acumen, and commitment towards sustainability. Co-operation is important to me, and I strive to ensure that all voices are heard and respected.

My experience in housing co-operatives, leadership skills, and commitment to co-operation make me a strong candidate for CHF Canada Board. I am eager to contribute my knowledge and expertise to the organization, to advance housing co-operatives in Canada. I kindly request your support and the opportunity to serve you as a member of the Board of Directors, as we work together to build thriving and inclusive communities.

David Corson (Will be acclaimed) Fairlea Park Co-op, Ottawa, Ontario click here for bio

Candidates

Indigenous Board Representation Election

Director, At-large

Finance and Audit Committee