MEMBER
RESOURCES
Governing and managing a thriving housing co-op can be challenging and complicated. We are here to help.
Don’t forget the many resources under our education program. Access to many of these requires FREE registration. If you do no already have an account, register here.
Meeting Tools
We offer tools such as sample agendas, minute taking templates as well as an overview section that covers general information about meeting notice, quorum, ordinary and special resolutions etc.
Meetings are the foundation of your housing co-op’s democratic governance structure, which means that everyone should have an equal opportunity to productively take part. This, along with legal requirements set out in the Cooperative Association Act and your Rules, means that you will want to pay careful attention to how your meetings are organised and run.
Model Rules 2.0
Our Model Rules are written with the best legal advice and offer a bold new standard in housing co-op governance.
These Rules are full of fresh ideas and best practices to address the current day needs of your business and community. With a simple step-by-step process and complete set of online tools and resources, you can make the process of updating your Rules and Occupancy Agreement as easy as it can be!
The Rules are fully compliant with the Cooperative Association Act and other acts of legislation.
Cooperative Association Act
Commonly known as the Co-op Act, it officially became law in 2001.
The official name of the Co-op Act is Cooperative Association Act, SBC 1999 – Chapter 28. SBC 1999 means that the Act is part of the Statutes of British Columbia (SBC) and was originally was passed in 1999. The latest consolidated version was published January, 2016. You can review the Act’s legislative history, including any changes not in force in the Tables of Legislative Changes.
You can find the Act and Regulation on the BC Government web site for Revised Statutes and Consolidated Regulations:
What you see on the web site is not an official version of the Act. It is best to buy your own, true copy. Co-ops and members can buy the Cooperative Association Act (the Co-op Act) and the Cooperative Association Regulation (the Regulation) from:
Crown Publications
536 Superior Street, Victoria V8V 1T7
Telephone: 250-387-6409
Toll free: 800-663-6105
crownpub.bc.ca
536 Superior Street, Victoria V8V 1T7
Telephone: 250-387-6409
Toll free: 800-663-6105
crownpub.bc.ca
Personal Information Protection
Your housing co-op must comply with the provincial Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) which includes having a PIPA policy and a designated PIP Officer.
We are pleased to provide a dozen regularly-updated PIPA tools to help you ensure your housing co-op is in compliance. These include a PIPA checklist, a sample PIPA policy, PIP Officer job description, a new member application form and a complaints form.
Policies, Samples and Templates
With 55 individual templates and guidance documents within the areas of housing co-op board and governance, finance, maintenance, membership and community there is no need for you to reinvent the wheel.
Sample policies, procedures, job descriptions (for various committees and roles) and forms are available as templates to be adapted for use at your co-op. Guidance documents complete the full set of support materials. These resources are regularly reviewed and vetted to ensure current best practices.
For CHF BC members only. You will need to be logged in to review these resources. If you don’t already have an account, get one here.
Starting a Housing Co-op
There are two main kinds of housing co-ops in BC: equity co-ops and non-profit housing co-ops. Interested in starting one?
We often get questions about how to go about starting a co-op. It’s easy to set up an organization; it’s a lot harder to create actual housing. The vast majority of co-ops in BC are non-profit co-ops, and with few exceptions were developed as partnerships between senior levels of government (through funding programs) and grassroots organizations. The funding programs that ran from the mid-1970s to early-1990s are over, so developing co-op housing is a serious challenge without resources (land, money) of your own.
Virtual Meetings
We offer a range of fee-based virtual meeting services.
Looking for more flexible options for holding your co-op meetings? Need support or tools to have an effective online meeting? We can help with virtual board meetings, general meetings, town halls, and more.
We also have tips and recommendations about best practices and how to prepare for various kinds of meetings.
Other Resources
Co-op Services is the newest team at CHF BC. We work with other staff members to support member inquiries, develop resources for member co-ops and assist with new co-ops.
We will be developing more materials and resources to complement our education program offerings (including workshops and member-only resources).