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 Under Construction: A History of Co‑operative Housing in Canada is a new history of co‑op housing in Canada by author Leslie Cole. The book is a success story, built on the principles and perseverance of people who wouldn’t just take no for an answer in their pursuit of a place for housing co‑ops in Canada. Copies can be ordered from CHF Canada. Early Days 1820s Robert Owen of New Lanark, Scotland, promotes the idea of co‑operatives and founds several co‑operative colonies, such as New Harmony, Indiana. 1844 Rochdale Pioneers start the first successful retail co‑operative in Rochdale, England. 1913 The earliest student co‑op in Canada was Guelph Campus Co‑op, which started up in 1913 as a retail co‑operative and later went on to develop student housing and other services. 1930s The Antigonish Movement encourages retail and farm co‑ops to form. The movement also promotes building co‑ops, where members build houses for one another. When all the members are housed, the co‑op dissolves, leaving the members as individual owners. 1936 Campus Co‑operative Residence is established at the University of Toronto to provide housing for students, owned and operated by the students themselves. It is the first permanent housing co‑operative in Canada and the first student housing co‑op. Its founders were inspired by the Japanese co‑op philosopher Kagawa, who passed through Toronto on a speaking tour. 1937 Co‑operatives define themselves through a nation-wide submission of briefs, organized by the Co‑operative Union of Canada (CUC), to the Royal Commission on Co‑operatives. The housing recommendations in CUC’s brief are rejected by the writers of the influential Curtis Report. As a result, revisions to the National Housing Act do not provide any support for the start-up of housing co‑ops. 1944 Science ’44 Co‑operative is founded for students at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. A number of other student co‑ops formed and faded away during this period. Those that survived owned their own property. The co‑ops that failed, for example, the McGill Student Housing Co‑operative, leased their properties from the university or from the private sector. 1963 Waterloo Co‑op Residences starts up and later expands to become the largest student co‑op in Canada. 1964-1973 A wave of student co‑ops arrive on the scene, funded under Canada Mortgage (then “Central Mortgage”) and Housing Corporation’s student housing program. 1966 Willow Park Housing Co‑operative opens in Winnipeg, Manitoba – the first permanent housing co‑operative for families in Canada. 1968 CHF Canada (then the Co‑operative Housing Foundation of Canada) is founded as a joint initiative of the Canadian Labour Congress and the Co‑operative Union of Canada (now the Canadian Co‑operative Association) through the National Labour–Co‑operatives Committee. Its purpose is to encourage the development of housing co‑operatives. The Period of Development 1969 CHF Canada convinces the federal government, through CMHC, to make available $30 million of its new $200-million Innovative Housing Fund for several pilot co‑op housing projects. 1973-1978 Through amendments to the National Housing Act the federal government launches the first program to develop housing co‑ops for families. About 7,700 co‑op homes are created across Canada. 1973 The first regional federation of housing co‑ops in Canada, today called the Co‑operative Housing Federation of Toronto, forms. 1979 The first regional federation of housing co‑ops in Quebec forms in the Eastern Townships. Between 1981 and 1997, housing co‑ops form 21 other continuing regional associations. 1979-1985 About 39,000 co‑op homes are developed across Canada under the second federal co‑op program. 1986-1991 About 14,500 co‑op homes are developed through the third federal co‑op program. A special feature is the index-linked mortgage, introduced from Europe by CHF Canada. 1986-1993 CMHC and the provinces of British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario assist the development of more than 7,000 co‑op homes under a cost-shared federal/provincial housing program. 1986 The Co‑operative Housing Association of Ontario (CHAO) forms. A confederation of community housing development groups and regional co‑op housing federations, CHAO was instrumental in negotiating Ontario government support for co‑op housing development. 1989 Ontario funds its first non-profit housing program without federal aid, Homes Now. Over the next six years, more than 14,000 co‑op units are developed through a series of Ontario programs. 1993 Coop d’habitation étudiant Triangle Rose, a new student housing co‑op, starts up in Montreal. 1994 British Columbia announces a small program to create more non-profit and co‑op homes. 1995 Quebec funds PARCO, a non-profit and co‑operative housing program. Cuts Happen 1992 The federal government ends funding for new development under its unilateral co‑operative housing program. 1993 The federal government withdraws from cost-shared federal/provincial housing programs at the end of the year. 1995 Ontario ends provincial funding for non-profit and co‑op housing development. 1996 CHAO and CHF Canada merge. CHAO becomes CHF Canada’s Ontario Region. Devolution 1996 The federal Budget says CMHC will phase out its remaining role in social housing. 1996 CHF Canada releases a proposal for an independent non-governmental agency to administer federal co‑op programs in place of CMHC. 1997 The Ontario government decides to devolve non-profit and co‑op housing programs to municipal control. 1997 Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia sign social housing agreements with CMHC and take over administration of existing federal co‑op and non-profit housing programs. 1998 Manitoba and Yukon follow suit. 1998 CHF Canada releases a revised version of its program administration proposal. 1999 The federal Minister Responsible for CMHC announces that federal co‑op programs will not be transferred to the governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Prince Edward Island. 2000 Manitoba offers to transfer the federal co‑op programs back to CMHC. 2000 CHF Canada opens an office in Winnipeg, bringing the number of office locations to four. 2000 Alfonso Gagliano, federal Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, tells CHF Canada that he would be willing to consider the national co‑op program administrative agency if two or three provinces that had already signed social housing transfer agreements agree to participate in the discussions. British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland agree to participate. Quebec, which is considering a similar agency proposal from Quebec housing co‑ops, asks to take part as an observer. 2000 The first meeting of the federal-provincial-housing co‑op working group to discuss the co‑op agency proposal takes place on December 5. 2000 The Ontario Social Housing Reform Act revoking operating agreements with housing co‑ops and non-profit housing providers becomes law. The stage is set for wide sweeping changes to the terms of government housing assistance. 2001 The joint federal/provincial/co‑op housing Working Group continued to meet throughout the spring. In the summer, staff of CHF Canada met with CMHC staff to discuss some of the concerns the government has with our agency proposal. In a very positive meeting held August 7, 2001, the federal Minister responsible for CMHC, reaffirmed his support for CHF Canada's idea for a new national agency to administer co‑operative housing programs. The federal government announces the first new funding for housing since 1993. BC and Quebec are the first provinces to sign agreements with the federal government to match this funding. The transfer of Ontario's co‑op and non-profit housing programs to municipal control begins. 2002 CHF Canada opens an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our members can now reach us in five different offices in four time zones. 2003 The opening of Atkinson housing co‑op in Toronto marks the first conversion of a public housing project to a housing co‑op. 2004 Blue Heron Housing Co‑op in Kanata received funding to build 50 apartment units and 33 townhouses. The co‑op will be funded by a mix of municipal, provincial and federal money. A New Era 2005 CHF Canada opens a regional office in Southwestern Ontario to provide services to members in that region after their local federaion closed. CHF Canada and long-time members of Bridlewood Housing Co‑operative are successful in halting the sale of the co‑op to its members. On May 13, the federal government announced an agreement to transfer the administration of co‑operative housing programs to administration by the new agency created by the co‑op housing sector. Executive Director Alexandra Wilson steps down after 15 years with CHF Canada, to head up the new Agency for Co‑operative Housing. Nicholas Gazzard becomes CHF Canada's new Executive Director. 2006 The Agency for Co‑operative Housing began to deliver services to co‑ops in parts of Canada – BC, Alberta, Ontario and Prince Edward Island. CHF Canada launches a new 2020 Vision Project to help housing co‑ops prepare for the future. 2007 The theme of the 2007 CHF Canada annual meeting is sustainability. Co‑ops make environmental initiatives a priority. 2008 CHF Canada supports Thornhill Green Housing Co‑operative in its struggle to prevent York Region from selling the co‑op to its own housing corporation. Following a lobby by CHF Canada and other organizations, in September the federal government renewed three programs that were about to expire: the Affordable Housing Initiative, the Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. 2009 CHF Canada lobbies the federal government for funds to help existing co‑ops renovate their buildings. The federal government announces new funds for renovations and energy retrofits. |
Housing co-op history  |