Finance committee  Those are some very good questions. Perhaps we can have a lengthier conversation about these very complex issues, but also about opportunities moving forward. Specifically on our focus on the development of new housing co-operatives writ large, members of our own association hav

Finance committee  In terms of prepayment options for housing co-operatives so that they can reduce the financial burden of high-interest mortgages, it allows housing co-operatives in today's low-rate environment to regenerate their housing stock. It's important to keep this issue separate from the

Finance committee  The mixed-income model is certainly something that helps create more cohesion in a community. It ensures that households that may face typically systemic barriers to social and economic participation have a conduit to inclusion by virtue of having neighbours they can rely on for

Finance committee  It's certainly becoming more time pressing. Low-income households, housing co-operatives, residents of social housing across the country need certainty about the future of assistance that's offered to low-income households, so they can continue to remain in place, and continue to

Finance committee  That's a good question. It's difficult to say how many units we necessarily need on the market, because by ensuring continuity of assistance, or delivering assistance directly to households you may be able to alleviate some of that core housing need, but certainly, there is a sho

Finance committee  We think we've really only scratched the surface of the potential of new financing of housing co-operatives to fund modernization. Again, the indicator right now is that, just in about a two- to three-year period, we've leveraged about $100 million in new mortgage financing to fi

Finance committee  Thank you to the chair and members of the committee for the opportunity to present our perspectives on budget 2018 today. We both work with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. It's a membership association of housing co-ops from coast to coast to coast, where a quarte

Finance committee  Finally, in order to create more affordable housing, we ask that the government earmark supply measures like predevelopment assistance, grants, and loans to catalyze development of more mixed-income non-profit housing, much like housing co-operatives. Our sector is ready and eage

Finance committee  First, just in terms of the co-operative identity, housing co-operatives are autonomous, non-governmental organizations that do have long-term operating agreements and partnerships with government, but they are autonomous and they are outside of government. Second, in terms of a

Finance committee  To put this into a little more detail, we are looking for a supportive regulatory environment that enables housing co-operatives to leverage their asset. There have been some particular barriers to that in the form of the long-term operating agreements that many housing co-operat

Finance committee  We see the development of a national housing strategy as a very important step in the right direction, and we really welcome this progress. We therefore urge the finance committee to make sure that the housing strategy is turned into housing dollars in budget 2017. To build a mor