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2018 Annual Meeting – Victoria

More than 700 housing co-op members and supporters took part in CHF Canada’s 50th anniversary Annual Meeting in Victoria, BC from June 6 to 9, endorsing a vision framework for the future of Canada’s co-op housing movement and mobilizing $1 million in support of new co-op housing development.


Mark your calendars now for June 5 to 8, 2019 for our next meeting in London, Ontario.

Highlights

At the AGM opening plenary on Friday June 8, members heard BC’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson, outline her province’s ambitious ten-year plan to create 114,000 new affordable homes. Then a Vision Panel moderated by Darrah Teitel of Abiwin Housing Co-op outlined Canada’s most urgent housing issues and challenged us to promote and expand co-op housing.

At the national business meeting on Saturday, June 9, Adam Vaughan, MP for Spadina-Fort York and Parliamentary Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, outlined funding in the National Housing Strategy for the development of more co-op homes.

The meeting also featured an anniversary lunch featuring a CHF Canada time capsule and congratulations on behalf of housing co-ops in the U.S. from the chair of the National Association of Housing Co-operatives, Fred Gibbs.

The Ontario Region business meeting featured a presentation by Dr. Paul Kershaw on the impact of the affordable housing shortage on Ontario’s young adults, and the signing of a historic Memorandum of Co-operation between Ontario’s co-op housing federations and CHF Canada.

During the week, participants chose from scores of workshops at the Member Education Forum, and the Co-operative Management Conference offered professional development opportunities for managers of housing co-ops.

Awards

The recipient of CHF Canada’s 2018 Award for Co-operative Achievement is Bain Co-op in Toronto, Ontario for its Honour Canoe Project. Bain was recognized for supporting the 94 calls to action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to “redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation”.

CHF BC’s Community Land Trust received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Co-operative Housing. Their incredible accomplishments developing new co-op housing and redeveloping and expanding existing co-ops are worth recognizing and repeating across the country.

CHF Canada’s 2018 Honorary Lifetime Associate is David Lach, whose dedication to and vision for the co-op business model has helped shape the co-op movement in BC and beyond. A founding member of Quebec Manor Housing Co-op, David was instrumental in founding CHF BC, serving as its first president and helping start COHO Management Services Society. In 1993, David started the Community Housing Land Trust Foundation, and in 2000, he helped found one of North America’s earliest car share co-ops, Modo, which now serves over 17,000 members across British Columbia.

Sponsors

CHF Canada thanks sponsors who supported this year’s AGM: The Co-operators, BC Housing, CMHC, Bath Fitter, Vancity, Encasa, Homestarts, Morneau Shepell, Prentice Yates & Clark, DDL Document Direction, The Agency for Co-operative Housing, CHF BC, HSC, COHO Management Services Society, RCMS, Credit Unions Atlantic Canada, Ontario Co-operative Housing Federations, Alterna Savings, Aerographics Creative Services, Allegra Design Print Mail, and Community First Developments Inc.

Resolutions

Delegates approved nine national resolutions including –

  • a Vision Framework based on extensive consultations with members and stakeholders, supporting the growth of co-operative housing under the banner “Co-op Housing for All”.
  • support of 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
  • actions to combat Canada’s opioid crisis.
  • authorizing draws of $500,000 from each of CHF Canada’s national and Ontario endowment funds to support development of more co-op housing.