CO-OP BIRTHDAY PARTY
Written by Sharmeen Ajmal, photos by Paola Bacaro
On August 22, co-op members came together for a fun-filled birthday celebration! It was a beautiful sunny day featuring a bouncy castle, creative sign painting, delicious treats and plenty of time to connect with neighbours. Thank you to everyone who joined and helped make the celebration so special! 🎉☀️
GENERAL MEETING RECAP
Submitted by Paola Bacaro
On September 10, a general meeting was held in the blue room of the Calgary Curling club. On the agenda were two motions, both of which passed, although one was amended. Further work will proceed on the second motion topic. There was a full house and lively discussion - as usual it’s great to see everyone come out to contribute to co-operative housing.
QUARTERLY FURNACE FILTER REMINDER - Mark your calendars!
Please remember to replace your furnace filter every three months to support better air quality and keep your furnace running efficiently. Upcoming replacement dates:
December 9, 2026
March 9, 2027
June 9, 2027
FINANCIAL PLANNING WORKING GROUP UPDATE
Eric on behalf of the Financial Planning Working Group
The Financial Planning Working Group has now completed a draft package of new financial policies and proposed By-law amendments and has sent the full package to the Board for review. Our next step is to meet with the Board, work through any questions or concerns, and then bring the package to the membership for an information session and discussion later this fall.
The package includes four new policies:
Replacement Reserve Fund Policy — establishes how Sunnyhill will identify, plan for, save for, and fund major long-term building and site capital needs.
Interior Renewal Fund Policy — creates a dedicated system for planning and funding kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, appliances, and other eligible interior replacements.
Operating Contingency Fund Policy — establishes a financial buffer for significant unforeseen non-capital expenses so emergencies do not have to be paid for by redirecting money intended for other work.
Special Capital Project Contribution Policy — creates a framework for temporary, purpose-specific member contributions when Sunnyhill needs to fund an exceptional capital project or program outside its regular funding systems.
The package also includes proposed financial By-law amendments so that money collected for designated purposes remains attached to those purposes from year to year, and so that Sunnyhill’s housing charges can properly account for long-term financial obligations rather than only the expenses of a single year.
This work is becoming increasingly important as we get a clearer picture of Sunnyhill’s financial position. We are currently facing approximately $15.85 million in identified or estimated capital, interior-renewal, and land-purchase obligations, without meaningful savings already set aside to meet them. Sunnyhill will have to determine how these obligations will be financed through a combination of grants, borrowing, existing resources, member contributions, and other funding strategies. Addressing these obligations will almost certainly require significant increases to housing charges in the near future. The exact amount cannot yet be determined because it will depend on grants, borrowing, financing terms, existing resources, and the planning work still underway. The policies themselves do not set those increases; they are intended to ensure that future housing charges reflect the actual cost of Sunnyhill’s obligations rather than arbitrary targets.
Much of the work has already been deferred for many years and now requires immediate attention. These are not optional projects that can simply be postponed indefinitely; the question is how Sunnyhill will pay for work that needs to be done.
Our new asset and renewal database is also nearing completion and is quickly becoming a very valuable planning tool. At this stage, the database focuses on interior components—including kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, appliances, and their replacement history and condition. It is giving us a much clearer picture of what exists across all 66 units, what has already exceeded its expected replacement cycle, and what work is likely to be required in the coming years. Beginning in 2027, we should be able to start expanding this system to include exterior building components, landscaping, grounds, and other Co-op assets so that, over time, Sunnyhill has a much more complete record of the property it is responsible for maintaining.
A tremendous amount of work has gone into getting us this far in a very short period of time. Rachel Janzen, Mollie, and Anna have done an enormous amount of work developing the database, organizing records, and helping build the planning framework. A dedicated team also carried out the unit inspections that provided much of the information needed to populate the database, and they deserve our deep gratitude for that work. Sean has also contributed substantially to the development of the policies and proposed By-law amendments.
There is still a great deal of work ahead, including inspections, professional studies, financial modelling, and determining how the identified work will actually be funded. But the basic planning and governance framework is now taking shape. The Working Group looks forward to sharing the package with members this fall and spending more time explaining what each policy does, why it is needed, and how the different pieces work together.