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2014 Annual Meeting – Ottawa

This year, the traditional hat ceremony featured a hockey brawl broken up by a pair of mounted police.

This year, the traditional hat ceremony featured a hockey brawl broken up by a pair of mounted police.

Co-op members and supporters gathered in Ottawa, Ontario, for CHF Canada’s 2014 Annual Meeting, held June 4-7, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s housing co-ops.

Highlights

Highlights included a You Hold the Key – Fix the Co‑op Housing Crunch campaign rally on Parliament Hill that attracted over 400 people, including MPs from all parties. Members also discussed how the international Blueprint for a Co‑operative Decade can be applied to Canada’s co‑op housing movement.

Members chose from over 50 workshops at the Member Education Forum, while the Co-operative Management Conference offered professional development opportunities for managers of housing co‑operatives.

Social events included a welcome reception, a Rooftops Canada reception, a social event at the Irish Village in the ByWard Market and the annual closing dinner.

Awards

CHF Canada’s Award for Co-operative Achievement was presented to Stoneworth Co operative Homes.

CHF Canada’s Award for Co-operative Achievement was presented to Stoneworth Co-operative Homes.

This year’s winner of CHF Canada’s Award for Co-operative Achievement was Stoneworth Co‑operative Homes of Hamilton, Ontario, for its enduring commitment to environmental sustainability, youth engagement and exemplary enactment of the seventh Cooperative Principle – Concern for Community – through its dedication to supporting community both within and beyond the co‑op. Stoneworth expresses its dedication to internal and local community through practices that include being the pick-up location for a local wholesale produce-distribution program, maintaining a goodwill budget to support members, donating to the food bank, donating to the Golden Horseshoe Co‑operative Housing Federation (GHCHF) diversity scholarship fund and contributing to community programs and co‑ops in need.

Mark Paul was named Honorary Lifetime Associate for 2013 for his long and valuable service to CHF Canada. Mark is the Executive Director of the Central Ontario Co‑operative Federation (COCHF), where he has been the sole full-time employee since 1993. Among many projects, Mark worked tirelessly to incorporate and support a robust Co‑operative Staff Association of Central Ontario. He served as the federation representative on the Ontario Council from 1999 to 2006 and represented the Council to The Ontario Co‑operative Association. Mark’s commitment to the co‑operative housing movement began in British Columbia over 30 years ago. As project coordinator with Columbia Housing Advisory Association, he worked on the development of many co‑ops throughout the Lower Mainland. His humility and quiet, steady work portray a co‑operator dedicated to the efficient and smooth operations of member co‑ops and to the personal growth and education of individual members.

Amanda Shaughnessy received this year’s CMHC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Co‑operative Housing. Among her many achievements, while serving as manager of the Ottawa Federation of Housing Co‑operatives, she expanded member education services and oversaw the transition in the Co‑operative Housing Association of Eastern Ontario’s (CHASEO) operations from development to member services. Amanda has served on the board of the Housing Services Corporation (HSC) and the Ottawa Co‑op Staff Association. She also served as president of the Ontario Staff Associations network and Rooftops Canada. At Rooftops, she was cited as a particularly active director in fundraising and hosting overseas visitors.

Sponsors

CHF Canada thanks our sponsors who supported this year’s AGM. Our gold sponsors and suppliers included CMHC, MemberGuard/AutoGuard, Homestarts, Ricoh, OPMG, COHO Management, The Co-operators, Morneau Shepell, Phillips Hager & North Investment Management, Prentice Yates & Clark Chartered Accountants and SHSC Financial Inc.

Visit our photo gallery to enjoy some of the highlights of the meeting.

Resolutions

Delegates approved national resolutions in support of the You Hold the Key campaign, the Blueprint for a Co‑operative Decade, new ways of financing development, and co‑op housing options for Canada’s First Nations on-reserve communities.