CHF Canada: COVID-19 Updates
CHF Canada eNews
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
The latest edition of CHF Canada eNews is out now and covers:
Registration now open for Halifax Annual Meeting
Apply online for a Greener Co-op Microgrant
#HumansOfCoopHousing
Upcoming dates and deadlines
Co-op News & Links
CHF Canada eNews
CHF Canada eNews
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
CHF eNews
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
CHF Canada News
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
AGM season
Submitted by Andrea Bergen
PLEASE CONTACT ANDREA AT THE OFFICE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND EITHER OF THESE EVENTS:
CHF Newsletter
Submitted by Jackie Durrie
CHF Newsletter
Submitted by Jackie Durrie
CHF Canada - Call for Candidates
CHF Canada eNews
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
Make sure your federal co-op responds to CMHC survey on subsidy
Housing co-ops with federally-administered operating agreements recently received a survey from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
CMHC wants your co-op’s input on the program that will continue subsidies to low-income co-op households from 2020 to 2028. This program is called the Federal Community Housing Initiative, Phase 2 (FCHI-2).
CHF Canada urges co-ops to reply to the survey because CMHC needs to hear the co-op point of view. In a briefing note sent last week to every federally-administered co-op, we have laid out some issues that co-ops and local federations have raised. Here are some of the key issues to consider while completing the survey:
We want the new program to subsidize low-income units without a burdensome regulatory and administrative system.
The government should, at a minimum, maintain the same level of support for the same number of households.
Co-ops whose operating agreements expired before April 2016 were not offered agreement extensions. CMHC should re-enroll these co-ops in FCHI-2 so more vulnerable Canadians can have a place to live.
Co-ops need government to play an ongoing role in providing support to low-income households. We do not want subsidies to be phased out after 2028.
FCHI-2 be delivered as a rent supplement. Rent supplements meet deep member need and are easier to administer.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Douglas Wong, Program Manager, Policy and Government Relations at dwong@chfcanada.coop.
Video footage of the AGM plenary Vision Panel now online
For those who missed CHF Canada’s 50th anniversary Annual Meeting in Victoria last spring, or for those who’d like to review a session that many participants said was a valuable highlight, we’ve produced a video of the Vision Panel keynote session now available on CHF Canada’s YouTube channel.
There is both a short 3-minute highlights video and a one hour video covering the entire panel discussion. Both videos include captions in English or French.
The Vision Panel, sponsored by Vancity Credit Union, was a special exploration of Canada’s urgent housing needs. Held during the anniversary plenary and moderated by co-op member Darrah Teitel from Abiwin Housing Co-op in Ottawa, it featured panelists Margaret Pfoh (Aboriginal Housing Management Association), Paul Kershaw (Generation Squeeze) and Shachi Kurl (Angus Reid Institute).
We hope you will share these videos with members of your co-op to rally support for action on the goals and objectives of our new shared vision of “Co-op Housing for All”.
If you would like to receive a link to download a high resolution version of the video to show at a co-op meeting, contact CHF Canada’s Program Manager, National Communications, Scott Jackson at sjackson@chfcanada.coop.
Preston Heights Co-op celebrates successful refinancing and renovations
It's a special day when a Member of Parliament, a Mayor, a city councillor and many municipal election candidates turn up at a co-op event. When the event marks the complete replacement of the co-op's roofs, siding and doors, along with newly renovated kitchens and bathrooms in every one of the co-op's 40 homes, it's exceptional!
On October 19, Preston Heights Housing Co-op in Cambridge Ontario, built in 1984, had plenty to celebrate. After almost a year of construction, members gathered for a barbeque, live band, clown performance, and face painting for the children. They also used the occasion to tell the co-op's story in person to local politicians.
"We were chasing mold for the whole eight years I have lived here," says Bailey Kohls, the co-op's treasurer. "There were so many leaks from our roofs and siding. Our units were in bad shape and we didn't have nearly enough in our reserves to fix them. So, we had to get a new mortgage; we had no choice."
"It has just been fabulous. We were cooler this past summer. The new kitchens and bathrooms are fantastic, and I am so excited."
Co-op manager Allan Steinwell has worked at Preston Heights for four years. Using CHF Canada's Refinancing Program, Allan co-ordinated the work by the board to arrange its new $3.1 million mortgage. After paying out the existing CMHC mortgage, the co-op had $2.1 million to invest in replacing the co-op's building envelope.
"Every year," says Allan Steinwell, "we were spending 70 per cent of our reserves just dealing with leaks and mold."
Webinar Reminder: Securing your co-op's future
How do we plan for the future of our co-op buildings? How do we address members' needs today and also be viable for years to come? Where can we get the funds to do it? And how do we get started on the planning process?
CHF Canada has developed the tools and services to address these questions. Please join us on this special webinar on November 20th from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. This session has a limited number of spaces so register now and don't miss this chance to secure your co-op's future!
CHF Canada Indigenous eNews
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
Here is more news from CHF Canada. This is a quarterly newsletter specifically targeted about and for people living in co-ops that have indigenous ancestry.
Introducing New Aboriginal Director, Tina Stevens
CHF Canada and CHF Canada’s Indigenous members welcome Tina Stevens as their new Director Representing Aboriginal Communities.
This is Tina’s second time on the board. In 1996, she was the first Aboriginal Community director for CHF Canada.
Tina has dedicated her life to Indigenous leadership, both in and out of the co-op housing context. Her contribution has included advocacy for the Aboriginal Community director seat on the CHF Canada board while living at Native Inter-Tribal Housing Co-operative, and work as the second director appointed to the Ontario Council.
Throughout her roles, Tina has maintained a belief that housing co-ops provide a safe family environment for members to connect with their culture and community, maintain self-respect and respect for Mother Earth, find employment, access higher education and nurture the seeds for future generations.
Tina is an Algonquin-Ojibwe woman from Kitigan Zibi, Kettle and Stoney Point, who has lived in London, Ontario her whole life. She has three strong sons and attributes her energy to having been raised by a strong mother-- a great elder in her own community.
Tina was instrumental in creating alliances that continue today between the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) and Indigenous communities.
As a CHF Canada Director, “my priority is to be able to continue the education that (outgoing Aboriginal Director) Linda Campbell started and keep acknowledging our Seven Grandfather Teachings and how CHF Canada can incorporate the connection between these teachings and the Seven Co-op Principles.” Tina says she will also continue Linda’s work in educating the community about true Indigenous history.
“I will keep walking in Linda Campbell’s footsteps and continuing the journey that she started. I’m quite the humble person, being re-elected. I come with a lot of humility, working with vulnerable people and placing the importance on their survival.”
Discussions about of Truth and Reconciliation at CHF Canada’s Annual Meeting
At CHF Canada’s Annual Meeting last spring, Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and the role CHF Canada should play in this process, was front and centre on the agenda.
Included in the program were two workshops focused on Indigenous issues, an official welcome and greeting by local First Nations, and Resolution 3: Housing co-ops and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
The two workshops were Building Relationships with Indigenous Communities and the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. The building relationships workshop gave members the opportunity to discuss issues facing Indigenous communities and how to develop meaningful partnerships. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise gave participants the opportunity to experience the effects of colonization in Canada and witness the strength and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples.
At the National Business Meeting, members were welcomed by Chief Edward Thomas of the Esquimalt First Nation. Chief Thomas (pictured, center, with Tina Stevens and Linda Campbell) discussed CHF Canada’s reconciliation efforts and highlighted that “the only way we can move forward is by building relationships.”
The welcome and greetings ended with then President Nicole Waldron presenting Chief Thomas with a blanket, which is a traditional offering for the Esquimalt. Nicole stated, “this was such a pivotal moment as I listened to Chief Edward Thomas speak about relationship building as a path towards reconciliation. I am happy to see the steps that CHF Canada has taken and continues to take, and I hope that co-ops across Canada will join us on the path towards reconciliation.”
Later on during the National Business Meeting, members enthusiastically supported Resolution 3 calling on CHF Canada to undertake, with appropriate Indigenous guidance and advice, a plan for reconciliation that will guide the organization’s future actions and encourage member housing co-ops to reflect on ways that their co-op community can take action.
Exiting Aboriginal Director, Linda Campbell said she feels the resolution is “a step in the right direction and an open invitation to our people” and added that she is “happy with the progress CHF Canada has made over the past couple of years towards learning, reflection, and change.”
For more information about CHF Canada’s reconciliation initiatives, contact Emily Doyle at edoyle@chfcanada.coop.
Member profile: Roanna Hall’s path to leadership in her co-op
When Roanna Hall moved into Payuk Inter-Tribal Housing Co-op in Winnipeg on a cold February day in 2006, she didn’t even know she was moving into a co-op.
“I thought it was just like any other apartment,” she laughed. Within a few months, Hall was sitting on the board of her co-op. She has recently finished her fourth term as president!
Payuk’s mission is "to provide a safe, Co-operative living environment for Aboriginal families. Payuk is for Aboriginal families who wish to live in a drug, alcohol and violence free environment."
“I read the handbook, and my neighbour had a friend who explained to me what it was all about,” said Hall. When asked what drew her to seek a position on the Board, she said it was having a say in how the co-op was governed. “We have more of a say in how our building is run. We’re more independent, more stable. We’re there for each other.”
Hall spent her first two terms as a board member observing and listening. A woman who worked for the property management company at the time invited Hall to workshops and training opportunities offered by Manitoba Housing. This support encouraged her eventually to seek to become president.
She has also had the opportunity to attend CHF Canada education events. “They were good, very informative,” she said. Last June, the co-op sent two board members to Victoria for the Annual Meeting, where Hall ran for the position of Aboriginal Director.
Hall is pleased with the co-op’s achievements. Payuk recently received $2.175 million through the National Housing Strategy. “We pushed hard for those funds,” she said.
The story behind Orange Shirt Day
CHF Canada staff wearing orange for Orange Shirt Day
Southwest of London, ON stands a stone monument with the known names of children who attended the Mount Elgin Industrial School, a residential school for First Nations children that operated from 1851 to 1946.
“It’s sometimes difficult to swallow,” said Tina Stevens, Aboriginal Director for CHF Canada. “At least ten of those names are people from my own family.”
While the current government ponders a proposed statutory holiday to recognize both the struggles and the successes of Indigenous people in this country, the story of Phyllis Jack has inspired a special day in the calendar already.
Phyllis Jack was six years old when she was sent to residential school. She was excited to go to school, and asked for a shiny, orange shirt she saw in a store to wear on her first day. When she arrived at the school, staff took all her clothes, including the orange shirt. She never saw it again. She was lonely, and the discipline was harsh. Today, she speaks publicly about her residential school experience.
September 30 has been declared Orange Shirt Day to help us all to remember the impact of the residential school system on so many families. Stevens believes housing co-op members should wear orange shirts to honour the reconciliation process. “This should not be ignored by Canadians,” she said. “So many people were impacted by the taking of children away from their families.”
If your co-op recognized Orange Shirt Day, please let us know by contacting Emily Doyle at edoyle@chfcanada.coop.
CHF Canada Events Survey – tell us what you think
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
CHF Canada wants to know your opinion! Here is a survey that members can complete on-line. Please note that the survey closes on November 13, 2018.
………….
Good day,
As you may know, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) is the country’s unified voice for housing co-operatives. With over 900 members in every province and territory, CHF Canada represents the interests of over 250,000 Canadians living in housing co-operatives.
As part of ongoing efforts to improve services, CHF Canada is looking for your input. We invite you to participate in a survey conducted by Quorus Consulting on their behalf.
The survey should take about 10 minutes of your time. Your participation is voluntary. All your answers will remain completely confidential and anonymous; no individual respondents will be identified as part of the analysis and, in accordance with the Privacy Act, no one will contact you as a result of your answers to this survey without your express consent.
To complete the survey please click on the following link (if the link is inactive, please copy and paste the URL into your browser to access the survey):
https://quorusconsulting.qfimr.com/CHFCanada2018
Please complete your survey by Tuesday November 13, 2018.
If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, please contact the team at Quorus at discussions@quorusconsulting.com. If you would like to contact someone at CHF Canada regarding this study, you can reach Cynthia Mitchell, at 1-800-465-2752 ext. 226, or by email at: cmitchell@chfcanada.coop
We thank you for sharing your thoughts. Feel free to share this survey with other people who might be interested in providing this feedback. CHF Canada continues to improve its member services with your help.
Sincerely,
Rick Nadeau
President
Quorus Consulting Group Inc.
We take privacy seriously. To see Quorus Privacy Policy please visit: http://www.quorusconsulting.com/index.php/en/privacy-policy
CHF Canada News
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
CMHC Preservation Funding available to federal program housing co-ops
CMHC is now offering Preservation Funding to community housing providers, including housing co-ops with an active federally-administered operating agreement, to “help complete activities that will allow them to transition to a more viable and sustainable model.”
This is a great opportunity for federal program co-ops to get funding to do important planning and asset management. In this ongoing program, CMHC is accepting applications on a continuous basis, and reviews and prioritizes them every 30 days.
Part of the funding in the National Housing Strategy, Preservation Funding can help cover activities including but not limited to:
Building condition audit/assessment (BCA)
Capital replacement reserve planning (CRP)
Refinance consultation, analysis, assessment
Operating viability analysis
Age-friendly (i.e. aging in place) conversion assessment
Energy audit
For more information, visit CMHC’s Preservation Funding webpage. For help completing your application, you can contact CMHC’s Affordable Housing Specialist for your region.
Five ways to celebrate Co-op Week: Oct 14-20
Did you know that the third week of October is Co-op Week across Canada?
Co-op Week is a chance for members to celebrate the co-op advantage. Here are five ways your co-op can join in the celebration:
Show your love for co-ops by downloading these Co-op Week posters. Post in common areas of your co-op to get members excited about Co-op Week.
Host a screening of A Silent Transformation, a film about co-ops. Invite neighbours in your community to join.
Hold a Cheese and Chocolate Social featuring products from co-op producers. Camino, Gay Lea & St. Albert Cheese are just a few of the delicious co-op options you can try.
Organize a co-op walk to explore the other co-ops in your neighbourhood.
Decorate your Co-op Week event with the latest co-op merchandise from The Flag Shop.
If your co-op is on social media, be sure to share your events using the hashtag #CoopWeek2018.
Happy Co-op Week!
Introducing New Aboriginal Director, Tina Stevens
CHF Canada and CHF Canada’s Indigenous members welcome Tina Stevens as their new Director Representing Aboriginal Communities.
This is Tina’s second time on the board. In 1996, she was the first Aboriginal Community director for CHF Canada.
Tina has dedicated her life to Indigenous leadership, both in and out of the co-op housing context. Her contribution has included advocacy for the Aboriginal Community director seat on the CHF Canada board while living at Native Inter-Tribal Housing Co-operative, and work as the second director appointed to the Ontario Council.
Throughout her roles, Tina has maintained a belief that housing co-ops provide a safe family environment for members to connect with their culture and community, maintain self-respect and respect for Mother Earth, find employment, access higher education and nurture the seeds for future generations.
Tina is an Algonquin-Ojibwe woman from Kitigan Zibi, Kettle and Stoney Point, who has lived in London, Ontario her whole life. She has three strong sons and attributes her energy to having been raised by a strong mother-- a great elder in her own community.
CHRA Housing Professionals Mentorship Program
The Housing Professionals Mentorship Program of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) connects experienced housing professionals with those who are ready to take the next step in their professional journey, or graduate students whose research is focused on housing or homelessness in Canada. Applications for the 2019 cohort are being accepted until October 31, 2018.
“The mentorship connected me with an experienced practitioner in the field who helped me see how the programs and policies I work on play out in the real world,” says past program participant and CHF Canada Program Manager, Policy and Government Relations Douglas Wong. “Beyond that, my mentor has provided me with career counsel and advice. As a young professional still new to the sector, this has proven invaluable.”
Visit the program webpage for more information.
Co-operatative Housing Federation of Canada AGM Report
Submitted by Sarah Reimer
The following is a written version of the presentation given at the Summer GM by Sarah Reimer
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit” – an ancient Greek proverb.
This saying featured strongly in both the presentations and the theme, culture and spirit of the CHF AGM in Victoria. We, the co-op movement as a whole, seems to be at a unique crossroads where we will find ourselves faced with choices that will greatly impact future generations of co-op members.
We’re stronger together- that’s the essence of the whole co-op movement- what struck me at the AGM, in the workshops and networking was that this is not only true on a per co-op/ individual member basis, but as a movement too. Seeing the variety of co-ops represented and hearing about their creative solutions put our co-op into a clearer perspective for me. I was particularly impressed by the work done by CHF, namely the successful lobbying they’ve been championing which has brought the co-op model to the table at the federal level. I also learned more about the land trust movement, which also shows that by joining forces with other co-ops, we, as a whole, have the opportunity to become a force to be reckoned with.
Vision and purpose of co-op housing as presented at CHF AGM- we were challenged with working to create opportunities and develop sustainable systems of governance and housing to ensure that co-op housing expands in scope, cultural awareness, and helps to solve housing crisis for variety of people.
CHF and its members pledged to uphold and work towards UN’s 17 sustainable development goals in 4 broad areas of eradicating poverty, improving access to basic goods and services (in our case, housing), protecting the environment (by making our co-ops increasingly green) and by building a more sustainable food system (in the form of permaculture projects on our land).
I had the privilege to attend three amazing workshops, one about boards and their structure, function and procedures, another about funding opportunities and practical solutions around increasing our ‘green’ness; one presenter focussed on the value of updating or renewing items, even something as simple as dual flush toilets en masse, rather than piecemeal as this makes available refunds/ rebates etc not otherwise available. I also took full advantage of networking opportunities and met key people around new and innovative funding options; discovering in the process that, in many ways, we are like other co-ops, but we are also amazing; we have a lot of hidden strengths and live-in assets yet to be fully appreciated. There’s a lot we can learn from organisations like CHF and SACHA; yet I was amazed at how ‘on the ball’ we are. A funding option which had been released less than a month prior and was news to me, was already known to the planning and development committee, who were already working to position us to access that resource. It was great to be able to see some of the pieces of the puzzle together, against our own unique backdrop.
I made some amazing connections, the full value of which hasn’t yet been realised; I look forward to continuing those relationships for the betterment of Sunnyhill and for the co-op movement as a whole.
My biggest takeaway is that co-op housing isn’t, nor can it be, simply about our current housing stock and current members; it is and must also be about who still needs a co-op unit and who will be housed in our units in 10, 15, and even 50 years; we need to make decisions now to enable us to secure co-op housing in perpetuity.
CHF Canada News
Submitted by Jacky Durrie
Read the latest edition of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada eNews newsletter
Also...
CHF Canada appoints Tim Ross as Executive Director
CHF Canada’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Ross to the position of Executive Director, effective June 11, 2018.
“Tim is a forward-looking leader with an accomplished track record,” said CHF Canada President, Nicole Waldron. “With his appointment, we will push harder, lead change and build on our success in order to serve our members and movement.”
Tim brings years of leadership experience in housing and homelessness focused membership organizations. He joined CHF Canada’s government relations team in 2016 and has served as CHF Canada’s Director, Strategic Affairs since 2017. Prior to moving to Ottawa, Tim worked as the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association and as the Interim Executive Director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.
Asked about his new role, Tim commented, “We have all the ingredients for continued success: a vibrant membership, a future-focused board, committed staff and engaged partners. CHF Canada has the credibility, connections and resources needed to respond to opportunities that will lift our movement to new heights.” Tim looks forward to meeting with members and partners in the coming months, and at the upcoming 50th anniversary Annual General Meeting in Victoria, BC.
Outside of work, Tim enjoys travel, skiing, reading and keeping up on current affairs. He is a self-described Trekkie and music fan.
“The board would also like to take this opportunity to thank Karla Skoutajan for serving as our Acting Executive Director since September 2017,” said Nicole Waldron. “We wish Karla the best in her retirement.”
The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada is the national voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Its members include over 900 non-profit housing co-operatives and other organizations across Canada. More than a quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops, in every province and territory.
How to contact Tim Ross:
Email: tross@chfcanada.coop
Telephone: 1-800-465-2752, extension 222
Twitter | LinkedIn
Inquiries:
Nicole Waldron, nwaldron@chfcanada.coop
Karla Skoutajan, kskoutajan@chfcanada.coop
An interview with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Submitted by Jacky Durry
Hey all,
Here’s a link that may interest you.
The recording of our popular webinar held last week with Adam Vaughan is now available online.
Adam Vaughan is the MP for Spadina-Fort York and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. As such, he is one of the key architects behind Canada’s new National Housing Strategy. He is also a strong advocate for co-operative housing.
Among several important topics he touched upon in this one-hour webinar, Vaughan said that eligible Section 95 housing co-ops will be hearing from CMHC about the 2018 subsidy extension in the next couple of weeks.
Asked by CHF Canada Director, Strategic Affairs Tim Ross about the potential for more co-op housing development, Vaughan said that co-ops should get into “build mode” and pitch for as much of the new federal funding as possible. "Co-ops don't have to replicate the previous model,” he added. "We're diversifying the toolkit and the financial supports to make a whole new generation of opportunities materialize."
CHF Canada thanks Adam Vaughan for this open and helpful discussion with housing co-op members and supporters.
Cheers,
Jacky
National Housing Strategy
Submitted by Jackie Durrie
We have heard more details about the much anticipated National Housing Strategy, please find attached a news release and CHF Canada e-news regarding the housing strategy.
Here is a PDF of the strategy for the insomniacs!