Co-operative Law

Celebrating National Housing Day

November 22nd, 2024 by Hunter Stone

Today, on National Housing Day, we were thrilled to celebrate Riverdale Co-operative in celebrating the grand opening of 26 new co-op housing units. This marks a significant milestone in creating more affordable and sustainable housing options for the Co-operative community.

We also extend our warmest congratulations to Riverdale Co-operative on their 50th anniversary! Half a century of fostering community and collaboration is truly commendable, and the addition of these new units is a testament to their ongoing commitment to housing excellence.

Learn more in the full announcement here.

Here’s to many more years of community-building and success!

Federal government commits to largest investment in co-operative housing in decades

July 15th, 2024 by Fatema Jivaji

The federal government is investing $1.5 billion towards new co-operative housing through the Co-operative Housing Development Program.

A Housing For All banner on a Toronto housing co-op with the one per cent logo from the 1998 campaign for all levels of government to allocate an additional one per cent of their budget to a national housing program.

In Canada, many households prefer homeownership because of the precarity of rental housing. The landlord-tenant relationship skews on the side of the landlord, leading to issues related to affordability, low maintenance standards, and security of tenure. The adjudicative body charged with overseeing and enforcing residential tenancy laws remains back-logged, such that it can take months- or even years- to deal with maintenance concerns, bad faith evictions and other issues. Continue reading “Federal government commits to largest investment in co-operative housing in decades”

Community bonds turn social capital into financial capital

May 6th, 2024 by Ken Farrell

Community bonds not only help raise funds for specific projects, but can also help contribute to the long-term social health of a community.

The Centre for Social Innovation on Spadina Ave. in Toronto. Credit: CSI Credit: CSI

A community bond is a financing tool used by social-purpose entities like charities, non-profits, and co-op, for raising money, and by investors who want to see their money put to good use while still earning a return on investment. Continue reading “Community bonds turn social capital into financial capital”

Iler Campbell Attends 2024 Winter Workshops Conference!

January 26th, 2024 by Iler Campbell LLP

On Saturday, January 27, 2024, CHF will be hosting about three hundred co-op members who will be attending the Winter Workshops Conference and AGM. We’re proud to participate in this unique opportunity that sheds light on all aspects of a housing co-op’s operations.

Safia Lakhani will be discussing co-op evictions, specifically, the ins and outs of a co-ops internal process, which is followed by the process at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Michael Hackl will be discussing the balance between an individual’s rights to consume and grow cannabis and a co-ops rights to institute controls over production. More on Safia and Michael’s workshops can be read here. 

If you’re attending this years event, we welcome you to say hello!

CHFT Honours Brian Iler as Honorary Lifetime Member

January 5th, 2024 by Iler Campbell LLP

Last month, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto honoured Brian Iler of Iler Campbell LLP as an Honorary Lifetime Member in recognition of his years of service providing legal advice to co-ops and non-profits in Ontario. You can watch his acceptance speech here.  Celia Chandler, of CHFT, also wrote this piece in recognition of Brian’s achievement. We are so proud of all of Brian’s work in the sector, and extend our congratulations to him!

Hoarding – a human rights obstacle in housing

October 31st, 2023 by Hunter Stone

Hoarding is more complex than a simple housing issue. It is a recognized psychological disorder and therefore has human rights implications where it comes to accommodation and housing.

An example of hoarding. Credit: Donald Trung Quoc Don / Wikimedia Commons

Items piled as high as your eyes and the decay of takeout containers scattered throughout the unit; it’s a view we tune into for entertainment purposes on shows like “Hoarders: Buried Alive”. However, this type of unit condition is all too familiar for many housing providers across Ontario and the challenges which come from navigating it.

Continue reading “Hoarding – a human rights obstacle in housing”