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For Immediate Release: Voters and Candidates Urged to Make Housing Central in Provincial Election Campaign Co-op and non-profit housing sectors outline key asks to address worsening crisis in British Columbia and provide tools for voters to learn about the issues in their community VANCOUVER, B.C. (October 14, 2020) – With voting day approaching, BC Non … Continued

CHF BC has reached a new agreement with TELUS to continue providing deep discounts on HDTV and high-speed Internet services to our members, effective October 1.

We welcomed TELUS as our newest group buying partner almost five years ago.  Since then 3,400 co‑op members have enjoyed the benefits of affordable internet access and home entertainment services.  We are pleased to announce that this will continue for another five years.

In our fast-changing world, staying on top of the latest information and resources to keep your co-op running smoothly is more important than ever. But at a time when work and learning are moving online, how do we ensure everyone stays motivated and engaged? CHF BC’s new Education Director, Katy Bigsby, has more than a … Continued

38 years ago today a small but determined group of housing co-ops activated the principle of “co-operation among co-operatives” by founding CHF BC.

We are grateful to our members, directors and staff for their vision, loyalty and resilience.

For more than 30 years, Kerry Smith has worked tirelessly on behalf of the co-op sector – advocating, advising, and supporting with knowledge and wisdom in a variety of roles – and will be deeply missed as she begins her retirement effective today.

A treasured friend and colleague, Kerry has been looking forward to this next chapter in her life for some time and has decided to move up her retirement date to get a jump on all the adventures she has planned (many involving her trail bike, Mollie!).

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first virtual town hall on April 22nd. We hope you enjoyed exploring what housing co-ops need to know during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event attracted more than 180 co-op members, making it the best attended event in CHF BC’s history.

Our focus wasn’t on how to survive. Rather it was how to thrive and do whatever’s necessary to emerge from these challenging times stronger than ever. 

If you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the virtual town hall recording below.  And don’t worry, we’ll be scheduling regular events on line to keep you in the loop.

MEDIA RELEASE     BC Budget: Delayed Investments Will Only Make BC’s Housing Crisis Worse Housing advocates express disappointment in 2020 provincial budget VICTORIA, BC (February 18, 2020) – The lack of new investments in affordable housing, and the delay in delivering on existing commitments, will only make B.C.’s already serious housing crisis worse, say … Continued

Media are advised that Thom Armstrong, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC (CHF BC), and Jill Atkey, CEO of BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) will be available for interviews on the 2020 Provincial Budget on Tuesday, February 18.

Earlier this week, the City of Vancouver released its long awaited co-op Lease discussion paper.  This launches a period of consultation and discussion that is expected to result in a final report to Council by the summer of 2020. The discussion paper: You can download the discussion paper, read more about the City’s process, and … Continued

Enrolment in the FCHI-2 began last month for federally administered co-ops.  The program will provide new rent assistance to low-income members beginning April 2020 and lasting until March 31, 2028.

In earlier communication we advised all federally administered co-ops to apply for enrolment in FCHI-2 in case they are eligible.  We can now be more precise in our advice.

Thank you for joining us for the Fall 2019 Vancouver Island Council meeting at the Hotel Grand Pacific this week! There was a great crowd for the October 8 meeting in Victoria.

CMHC has been working closely with key housing associations over the summer to finalize details for Phase 2 of the Federal Community Housing Initiative (FCHI).

This new rental assistance program for community housing providers reaching the end of their operating agreements will be available as of April 1, 2020.