COCHF

June 1 is observed globally as International Children's Day or the International Day for Protection of Children. Established in 1949 by the Women's International Democratic Federation in Moscow, it aims to protect children's rights, end child labor, and ensure access to education and healthcare.

Happy Pride Month!

Historically, Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several Canadian cities, including Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Toronto's Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a dedicated time to celebrate and learn about the rich cultures, histories, and resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. The month culminates on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.

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Did you know that we lose anywhere between TWO and TEN units of affordable housing for every new one built? 🤯��That’s a conservative estimate. And that’s why we’ll never build our way out of the housing crisis, no matter how hard we try. We don’t just need newly built housing, we need to keep the affordable housing we’ve got, and co-op conversions are a GREAT tool that’s been completely absent from the conversation in Canada. 🧐 Rather than selling rental buildings that might be older, but are still totally livable, to investors who will inevitably raise the rents to turn a profit, why don’t we empower tenants to buy and manage them as co-ops instead? For those who aren’t familiar, co-operative housing is a form of collective ownership that kind of functions like a middle ground between renting and owning. Members of co-ops pay housing charges that are like rent, only way more affordable, stable and secure. People living in co-ops don’t have to worry about getting evicted, the building getting sold, or facing unpredictable, unjustified rent hikes. Plus they can personalize their units and have a say in how the building is managed. Members of a co-op run the building together and vote democratically on everything from maintenance projects to community rules to how high their housing charges should be. And because most co-ops are non-profit, the housing charges usually only reflect what it costs to maintain the building and pay off the mortgage. In many cities, this results in housing costs that are as little as half or one-third of the going market rate.��We used to build tons of co-ops in Canada, up to 20,000 units PER YEAR in the 1970s and 80s, but then funding cuts gutted the program. Now there’s a push to rekindle co-ops, but because our housing market is so bonkers, it’s become very expensive to build them new. Saving homes that already exist by converting them to co-ops not only keeps them affordable now and in the future (co-ops legally have to stay co-ops forever and can’t be sold) it also keeps communities intact, prevents homelessness and creates a bond between neighbours. #housing #coophousing #affordablehousing

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Finland didn’t just reduce homelessness. They decided to end it. I had the privilege of seeing this up close, invited by Y-Foundation — the organization at the heart of what’s become a global model for what’s possible when we treat housing as a human right, not a reward for sobriety or compliance. No preconditions. No earning your way in. Just a home — and then the support to build a life from there. We talk about Housing First in Canada. Finland built it at scale. Video explainer by @itsjasonflom

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S) in Canada represent an ongoing national tragedy, with victims experiencing violence at rates far higher than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women make up 16% of female homicides despite being only 4.3% of the population.

And that’s a wrap!! Thank you, volunteers, members, directors, colleagues, facilitators, partners, supporters, and hotel staff! You contributed so much of your time, expertise, and energy to making this year’s Spring Member Education Event and AGM so successful!

Congratulations to COCHF, Golden Horseshoe CHF, and Peel Halton Co-operative Housing Federation on our historic signing of the TRI-MOC/Memorandum of Cooperation!

Midday!

An amazing start to our event!’ Thank you to all!!