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Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada

The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) is the organized voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Founded in 1968 and registered as a non-profit co-operative association under the Canada Co-operatives Act, CHF Canada exists to unite, represent and serve the community of housing co-operatives across Canada and member organizations that support their operation and development. CHF Canada works actively for the growth, stability and independence of the co-operative movement and promote the practice of co-operation in Canada and abroad.

CHF Canada is a membership association and is governed by a 16-member Board of Directors. The services fall into three main categories: advice, education and support (to housing co-operatives, regional federations and other members); speaking up on behalf of co-operatives to administrative and government bodies across Canada; and providing group buying programs. CHF Canada provides services across Canada, with direct housing co-op members in every province but Quebec. Housing co-operatives in Quebec are affiliated to CHF Canada through their local regional federation, which are members of CHF Canada.

Find out more about housing co-operatives in Canada

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Economic Study: The Impact of Community Housing on Productivity in Canada

Research from Canada shows there is a causal connection between the proportion of community housing within the overall housing stock and gains in economic productivity. The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), Housing Partnership Canada, and sector partners commissioned Deloitte to produce a study on the economic value of protecting and building more cooperative and non-profit housing.Read More

Policy Canada Policy
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Housing Co-ops Are Getting More Affordable: Report

This Canadian report, released in November 2022, compares the occupancy charges (rents) of rental housing co-ops to those of similar rental properties in the private market. The study examined housing charges in Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa between 2006 and 2021.Read More

Policy Canada Study
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Les coopératives d’habitation au Canada deviennent plus abordables : rapport

Ce rapport canadien, publié en novembre 2022, compare les droits d’occupation (loyers) des coopératives d’habitation à loyer à ceux d’immeubles locatifs similaires sur le marché privé. L’étude a examiné les droits d’occupation des villes de Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto et Ottawa entre 2006 et 2021.Read More

Policy Canada Study
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Environmental Sustainability Policy

Co-ops that care about climate change and want to shrink their environmental footprint should consider approving their own Environmental Sustainability Policy. A model was developed by the Co‑operative Housing Federation of Cana ...Read More

Community Canada Policy
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Rochdale Pioneers and the Coop Principles

This essay does not pretend to be a work of original research or even of comprehensive synthesis and interpretation. It does aim to pull together selected points of view about Rochdale to give readers a convenient point of entry into some complex issues.Read More

Governance Canada
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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Report: New Models for Co-operative Housing

  This report was commissioned so that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) could have a better understanding of how co-operative housing models operate in other countries and also to look at possible “best pract ...Read More

Financing and Development Canada
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Co-op Housing: What It Is and How It Works

This article is a few years old but it explains really well what co-operative housing is all about and how it differs from low-income housing or social housing in Canada. Unlike privately owned low-income housing or City-run “ ...Read More

Community Canada
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Refinancing for Housing Co-operatives in Canada

This presentation is an overview of the purpose of CHF Canada's Refinancing Program. How does the program work? How are housing co-operatives supported throughout the refinancing process? What do co-operatives need to do to qualif ...Read More

Financing and Development Canada
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Needs Assessment Report – Housing Co-operatives: Presence of Women and Women’s Empowerment

In 2017, FECHIMM, in collaboration with organizations such as the Lachine-LaSalle Housing Committee (CLLL), the Réseau 2000+ Technical Resource Group (GRT), and the Regional table for Montréal / Laval Women's Centers launched th ...Read More

Community Canada
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How to Form a Co-operative

This resource from Ontario, Canada walks you through the basics of co-operatives, forming and operating a co-operative, and developing a business plan for a co-operative. ...Read More

Canada
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You Don’t Need to Buy that House

Article in The Walrus (Apr 21, 2017) on the housing affordability crisis in Canada's two major cities and how collective and decisive government action around housing affordability is crucial. Read More

Financing and Development Canada
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Governance or Management? Take the Quiz!

Take this quiz and see if you know the difference between the roles of your co‑op manager and board of directors. Follow-up test results with a Good Governance Action Plan. ...Read More

Governance Canada
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Getting Governance Right

Getting Governance Right - Good Governance and Principled Leadership for Housing Co-ops talks about how important good governance is if co-ops want to make sure they have sound management. This Co-operative Housing Federation of ...Read More

Governance Canada
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Getting our Co-op Principles Right

Getting our Co-op Principles Right is a short guide to the international co‑op principles, and what they mean for governance in housing co‑ops. It is intended as a companion to Getting Governance Right, a Co-operative Housing ...Read More

Governance Canada
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The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade – An Interpretive Statement for Canada’s Housing Co-ops

In 2012, the General Assembly of the International Co-operative Alliance developed the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade. The Blueprint is intended as a legacy of the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. Its five elements unite co-operatives worldwide as a distinct form of sustainable, people-centred enterprise.Read More

Management Canada
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Sustainable Forest Management: Best Practice Canada

Canada has approximately 400 million hectares of forest land and almost 94 % of this is publicly owned and managed by the government on behalf of Canadians. The forests are managed under very tough laws and as a result of these la ...Read More

Sustainability Canada
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CLH Training – Governance in Community-Led Housing

This guidance is about good governance and the responsibilities of those who are charged with governing community-led housing organisations. It relates to G4 Basic Governance, L4 Excellence in Governance, and L5 Statutory, Legal, ...Read More

Governance Global Report
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Financing Co-operative and Mutual Housing

The Commission's final report on Cooperative and Mutual Housing (Bringing Democracy Home) highlighted the need for consideration of the role that cooperative and mutual housing could play in the national housing strategy. The Fina ...Read More

Financing and Development Global Report
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Logement abordable : profils de cinq villes métropolitaines

Par cette publication, nous souhaitons ouvrir le débat sur le logement en tant que droit fondamental et enjeu métropolitain, en mettant en lumière l’expérience de grandes métropoles et dans l’espoir d’inspirer des idées nouvelles pour aborder cet enjeu absolument fondamental de l’urbanisation moderne.Read More

Advocacy Global
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Towards the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals

The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments prepared a report showcasing how cities and regions are fostering alternative housing policies to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. With increased urbanization, ...Read More

Advocacy Global
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World Habitat Awards 2017 – Winners and Finalists

As part of our collaboration with urbaMonde, we would like to highlight this years World Habitat Awards.  They tell some fantastic stories of what has been achieved globally to create safe homes where people can live free from t ...Read More

Community Global
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Building Strong Development Cooperation: Partnership Opportunities between Cooperatives and the EU

In 2000, United Nations (UN) member states recognised the need to build global partnerships for development and the exchange of expertise as one of the Millennium Development Goals. Across the international development field, part ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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Raising Capital: The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives

New report: The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives "The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives", a new report released by the Alliance’s Blue Ribbon Commission explores ideas and options available to co-operatives that need suitab ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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Sustainable Use of Forests: an Urgent Global Challenge

The unsustainable exploitation of our planet’s forests is a major contributor to global warming and threatens the future of humanity. Co-operative Housing International believes that the co-operative family has a role to play to prevent the ongoing degradation of the forests and is calling all co-operatives to support its Sustainable Management Forest Initiative.Read More

Sustainability Global
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Financing Housing Co-operatives in a Credit Crunch

Financing the development of housing co-operatives is a challenge and more so in time of financial restrictions and uncertainty.  CHI members discussed the issue during a seminar held in November 2009 in Geneva.  Presentations w ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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What’s new in Sustainable Forest Management?

 The Forest Products Annual Market Review 2013 reports that the development of new refinement processes has led to the production of new and more affordable wood based products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). The report sta ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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The Guidance Notes on the Co-operative Principles

Updated Guidance Notes on the Co-operative Principles, edited by David Rodgers, former President of Co-operative Housing InternationalRead More

Governance Global
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Promoting Cooperatives – International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation 193 on the Promotion of Cooperatives

The ILO views cooperatives as important in improving the living and working conditions of women and men globally as well as making essential infrastructure and services available even in areas neglected by the state and investor-driven enterprises. Cooperatives have a proven record of creating and sustaining employment – they provide over 100 million jobs today; they advance the ILO’s Global Employment Agenda and contribute to promoting decent work.Read More

Legal Global
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Profiles of a Movement: Co-operative Housing around the World – Volume One

This first volume includes the co-operative housing profile of 22 countries. This report presents the history and the current realities of co-operative housing around the world.  CHI is currently in the process of updating the ...Read More

Community Global
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The Cooperative Housing International Good Governance Test

The purpose of the Governance Test is to provide a means for housing co-ops affiliated with CHI to measure their standards of governance and to help them develop a good governance action plan to improve governance in weaker areas. ...Read More

Governance Global
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Students and Housing Cooperatives

Student housing cooperatives have become very popular in the USA and many of these housing co-operatives are members of organizations such as NASCO. Unlike a resident who acquires shares at market rates to earn the right to occupy ...Read More

Community Global
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Environment Sustainability and Climate Change Seminars

To further our commitment towards sustainable sources of timber and forest products and to provide co-operators more information on the certification programmes and successful sustainable initiatives, CHI organized a seminar on S ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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Housing Co-operatives and Climate Change

ICA members adopted a resolution at the 2007 General Assembly calling on the co-operative movement to do its share in combating climate changes. The resolution suggests three ways on how the co-op movement can act now: Measure and ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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Legal Frameworks for Housing Co-operatives: Seminars

As part of CHI's plan to map its activities to the International Co-operative Alliance's Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, CHI held a seminar on one of the Blueprint elements:  Legal Frameworks for Housing Co-operatives. “Co ...Read More

Legal Global
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Good Governance Charter for Housing Co-operatives

 The Good Governance Charter for Housing Co-operatives was launched at the ICA Housing Plenary in Manchester in November 2012.It has three parts:A 10-point set of good governance practicesAn interpretive statement for each good p ...Read More

Governance Global
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Profiles of a Movement: Co-operative Housing around the World – Volume Two

Volume 2 of the Profiles of a Movement concentrates on the African continent. We are pleased to present the remarkable work achieved by the African co-operators, work accomplished in a very challenging environment. These profil ...Read More

Community Global
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Financing and Climate Change Seminars

Seminars about continued public sector investment in co-operative housing in Austria and Canada, innovative funding arrangements created by the co-operative housing sector in Italy and harnessing member investment through co-opera ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade and its Special Application to the Housing Sector

The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade is a worldwide campaign to “take the co-operative way of doing business to a new level”. The five key elements of the Blueprint are participation, sustainability, identity, legal frameworks and capital. The Blueprint is particularly relevant to co-operative housing and the Blueprint interpretation for co-operative housing below explains how.Read More

Governance Global
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