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CHF Canada News

Submitted by Jacky Durrie

Co-ops celebrate National Seniors Day: Oct 1

National Seniors Day is coming up on Monday, October 1st. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the seniors in our lives – friends, coworkers, family and members of our co-op communities.

At the 2015 CHF Canada AGM, members adopted a resolution to encourage member housing co-operatives to annually recognize National Seniors Day on October 1st. The resolution, put forward by Toronto’s Hugh Garner Housing Co-op, encourages co-ops to call on their municipalities to issue a proclamation for Seniors Day with recognition from local politicians and dignitaries.

There are many ways to recognize and support older co-op members in your housing co-op. Some ideas include:

planning a celebratory event,screening CHF Canada’s Aging in Place Videoor just taking the time to check in with an older person in your co-op who could benefit from support or a social visit.

This year, Ottawa’s Dovercourt Housing Co-operative will hold a meeting with all members to celebrate senior members with a cake and snacks. Each senior will receive flowers and letters of recognition.

What is your co-op doing to celebrate National Seniors Day? We invite you to post your activities on CHF Canada’s Facebook page or Twitter or email them to Emily Doyle at edoyle@chfcanada.coop.

Daly Co-op renovations make Aging-in-Place easy 

Ottawa’s Daly Co-op is undergoing a serious makeover!

This 88-unit co-op is in the middle of a series of major renovations that are making the co-op safer, more modern, and more accessible, especially for seniors and members with disabilities.

Most of the approximately 130 members in the 35-year-old co-op are over 45. The building was designed to be wheelchair-accessible, and more than 30% of members use wheelchairs.

With CMHC’s agreement, the co-op negotiated a $3.1 million loan from Your Credit Union through CHF Canada’s Refinancing Program to pay off a line of credit and fund the reconstruction.

Among other things, the updates include:

bathroom renovations,rolling and walk-in showers for wheelchair users,exterior safety lighting,replacing carpets with flooring,parking lot reconstruction and resurfacing,washer and dryer upgrades.

Read more

Five ways to celebrate Co-op Week: Oct 14-20

Did you know that the third week of October is Co-op Week across Canada?

Co-op Week is a chance for members to celebrate the co-op advantage. Here are five ways your co-op can join in the celebration:

Show your love for co-ops by downloading these Co-op Week posters. Post in common areas of your co-op to get members excited about Co-op Week.Host a screening of A Silent Transformation, a film about co-ops. Invite neighbours in your community to join.Hold a Cheese and Chocolate Social featuring products from co-op producers. Camino, Gay Lea & St. Albert Cheese are just a few of the delicious co-op options you can try.Organize a co-op walk to explore the other co-ops in your neighbourhood.Decorate your Co-op Week event with the latest co-op merchandise from The Flag Shop.

If your co-op is on social media, be sure to share your events using the hashtag #CoopWeek2018.

Happy Co-op Week!

October Featured Resource: Good Member Service Charter (new)

Housing co-op boards of directors should strive to deliver good service to co-op members.

Your co-op can use CHF Canada’s new Good Member Service Charter to commit to a high standard of member service.

Radon Gas – Should you be concerned?

Submitted by Rose Ing

The Education Committee would like to provide some information about the potential dangers of exposure to radon gas.

Radon gas:

  • Is found in high levels in 1 in 8 Calgary homes

  • Is a naturally occurring colourless, odorless gas that is produced from the decay of radioactive decay of uranium in soil and rock

  • Is the second leading cause of lung cancer (primary cause for non-smokers)

  • Damages DNA and increases the risk of lung cancer

  • Effects are not immediate and usually takes 15 – 20 years after exposure

  • Enters homes through cracks in walls, floors and foundation and through floor drains

  • Levels can vary greatly between neighbouring homes

What can you do?

  • Let the Education Committee know if you would like a radon gas test kit for your home – if there is enough interest we may be able to bulk purchase kits from the Lung Association

  • Set it up to test the radon levels in your home for at least 3 months

  • Send the test kit to the lab listed on the package for analysis

For more information, please take a look at the following Health Canada fact sheet:

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/migration/hc-sc/ewh-semt/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/radiation/radon_brochure/radon-brochure-eng.pdf

and the Lung Association fact sheet here.


Board Bytes for September…

This month we had lots to catch up on as we did not meet over the Summer.  Highlights:

  • We thanked Helen Wirrell for her involvement on the board and welcomed Jacky Durrie and Mark Terrell.  

  • The Fall begins, then, with one Board vacancy.   

  • We assigned tasks as follows:

    • Officers - Mark (keeping Privacy Officer role until next AGM), Jacky, Janice

    • Secretary - Phil (will continue for now)

    • Treasurer - Robert

    • Vice-Chair - Sarah

    • Chair - Phil

  • …And semi-sorted our liaison roles to committees (one of us was stricken by the flu on the night, so will finish this conversation next meeting):

    • Finance - Robert

    • Janice - Grounds

    • Sarah - Member Selection

    • Mark - Planning and Development

    • TBD - Education

    • TBD - Buidlings

  • We updated the Co-op members with signing authority: Robert, Sarah, Janice and Philip

  • In September we took the following actions or made the following decisions: 

    • Reviewed draft of updated Buildings Committee Policies - they now ready for a final tidy up and presentation to the Membership

    • Approved $3,000 allocation to supplement P and D Committee’s approved budget. Amount needed to contract consultant  to conduct a 60 year housing analysis (costs and revenue) as per the request of the City of Calgary as part of our land leasing/purchasing discussions. 

    • Referred spending decisions regarding the following to the annual budgeting process due to start in October: SACHA flood money ($6,215), balance after reaching new mortgage and paying CMHC to pay down previous mortgage ($138,672.83 + about $18,000 saved in this fiscal year as a result of paying down our original mortgage)

    • Instructed Planning and Development to isolate the costs of repairing/replacing three capital items: windows, balconies, roofing - all considered priority by our Mortgage lender (First Calgary)

  • We set our next Board meeting for October 10th at the Curling Club. 

  • Comments/questions are welcome, please route through Andrea at the office. 

Co-operatative Housing Federation of Canada AGM Report

Submitted by Sarah Reimer

The following is a written version of the presentation given at the Summer GM by Sarah Reimer

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit” – an ancient Greek proverb.

This saying featured strongly in both the presentations and the theme, culture and spirit of the CHF AGM in Victoria. We, the co-op movement as a whole, seems to be at a unique crossroads where we will find ourselves faced with choices that will greatly impact future generations of co-op members.

We’re stronger together- that’s the essence of the whole co-op movement- what struck me at the AGM, in the workshops and networking was that this is not only true on a per co-op/ individual member basis, but as a movement too. Seeing the variety of co-ops represented and hearing about their creative solutions put our co-op into a clearer perspective for me. I was particularly impressed by the work done by CHF, namely the successful lobbying they’ve been championing which has brought the co-op model to the table at the federal level. I also learned more about the land trust movement, which also shows that by joining forces with other co-ops, we, as a whole, have the opportunity to become a force to be reckoned with.

Vision and purpose of co-op housing as presented at CHF AGM- we were challenged with working to create opportunities and develop sustainable systems of governance and housing to ensure that co-op housing expands in scope, cultural awareness, and helps to solve housing crisis for variety of people.

CHF and its members pledged to uphold and work towards UN’s 17 sustainable development goals in 4 broad areas of eradicating poverty, improving access to basic goods and services (in our case, housing), protecting the environment (by making our co-ops increasingly green) and by building a more sustainable food system (in the form of permaculture projects on our land).

I had the privilege to attend three amazing workshops, one about boards and their structure, function and procedures, another about funding opportunities and practical solutions around increasing our ‘green’ness; one presenter focussed on the value of updating or renewing items, even something as simple as dual flush toilets en masse, rather than piecemeal as this makes available refunds/ rebates etc not otherwise available. I also took full advantage of networking opportunities and met key people around new and innovative funding options; discovering in the process that, in many ways, we are like other co-ops, but we are also amazing; we have a lot of hidden strengths and live-in assets yet to be fully appreciated. There’s a lot we can learn from organisations like CHF and SACHA; yet I was amazed at how ‘on the ball’ we are. A funding option which had been released less than a month prior and was news to me, was already known to the planning and development committee, who were already working to position us to access that resource. It was great to be able to see some of the pieces of the puzzle together, against our own unique backdrop.

I made some amazing connections, the full value of which hasn’t yet been realised; I look forward to continuing those relationships for the betterment of Sunnyhill and for the co-op movement as a whole.

My biggest takeaway is that co-op housing isn’t, nor can it be, simply about our current housing stock and current members; it is and must also be about who still needs a co-op unit and who will be housed in our units in 10, 15, and even 50 years; we need to make decisions now to enable us to secure co-op housing in perpetuity.


The loss of Suzanne Gibson

Submitted by Pamela Boyd

The coop has lost a long time member Friday September 21st at 5:00 am - Suzanne Gibson in #34, finally succumbed to cancer after a two year ordeal filled with amazing patience and good humour. She will be missed tremendously.

This obituary will be in The Herald on Thursday September 27 to Sunday September 29.

Suzanne.jpeg

Gibson, Suzanne (Suzy) Byrl, BA, BA, MA, PhD, May 10, 1953 - September 22, 2018. Suzy was a Calgarian born and bred. Although life took her elsewhere - to Hamilton, Ontario where she completed her PhD - or to Gwanju, Korea, where she was an Associate Professor for several years - she always returned to her beloved Calgary. She was proud of being a second generation Calgarian and a third generation Albertan.

Prior to completing her PhD in 18th Century English Literature at McMaster, Suzy did a BA in English, a BA in History and an MA in English Literature at the University of Calgary. She taught for many years at the University of Calgary and at Mount Royal College before taking up the position at Chonnam National University in Gwangju. After her retirement she took on an active role in the Sunnyside Housing Coop where she had lived for many years.

Suzy was an academic to the core, never too sick to have a discussion about the finer points of grammar or usage. She was also so much more. Her career included a stint as an airplane dispatcher and she had an impressive knowledge of car engines. She played a mean guitar, was an avid pool player and was always ready for a song or to bust out the dance moves. Suzy was a force of nature: larger than life and always the life of the party. She will be greatly missed by her family, Greg and Judy McCaffrey and Phillip McCaffrey, as well as her extensive family of special friends.

A musical gathering to celebrate and remember Suzy was held on Sunday September 30, 2018 at The Block 2411 – 4th Street N.W. from 6-9 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Suzanne’s honour can be made online to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.



Celebration of Myrtle Lambert's Life - Reminder

Submitted by Kathleen Shepherd

A celebration of Myrtle's life will be held on September 21 at Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. This is a potluck with light refreshments such as squares, cookies. Please come with any memories, stories that you would like to share about Myrtle.

Myrtle passed away on May 22 after residing in the Coop, unit 768, for almost 38 years. She was very active in the Co-op and also the Community. Please do join us on September 21 to celebrate Myrtle's life.

Thinking back on the goats

Submitted by Pamela Boyd  

So we all saw, or at least heard about, the goats on the bluff, right?  There were 140 of them, a couple of shepherds, two horses and a Boarder Collie making up the team.  They’ve rotated on now, but at night they were penned by the Centre Street Bridge and during the day munched their way across the breadth of McHugh Bluff from July 29 to Aug 15.

This is part of the city’s brilliant strategy for dealing with invasive plant species. They say the grazing also helps “to encourage biodiversity, the growth of native vegetation, enhance health in natural areas and is part of the City’s integrated approach to managing invasive species"..…good thing the co-op is so vigilant about tracking down Creeping Bell Flower!!   

To me, the sight of these lovely creatures ranging across our bluff, is…well….wonderful, beautiful, and visible proof of the city’s commitment to their biodiversity plan.  Just as we, in the co-op and on the Grounds Committee, are committed to our biodiversity plan. It’s not just about ensuring we are not harbouring invasive weeds, but that our own beautiful and coveted piece of inner city land is a welcoming place for all kinds of species….from bees to trees, from robins to raspberries, bats and woodpeckers and many thousands more.  

The Grounds Committee is committed.  This year saw us building bee houses for some species of non-honey-making bees; bat houses to encourage local bats to become co-op residents, if not actual members.  We wanted to attract Merlins and Kestrels to keep our Magpie numbers in check but putting up Kestrel houses turned out to be not such a good idea in our close co-op spaces. We’re hoping a house or two on the bluff may attract the aviary hunters and that when the time is right a food forest will occupy some of our land.

The goat program made me feel that perhaps the co-op and the city are partners, after all, in striving towards a truly green inner city.  Certainly it is good for them to see that our commitment is strong. And when it comes time to renegotiate our lease, the city will bear this in mind and see our value as green thumbed, inner city partners.        

Celebration of Life for Myrtle Lambert, Long Time Resident of Sunnyhill

Submitted by Kathleen Shepherd

A celebration of Myrtle's life will be held on September 21 at Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. This is a potluck with light refreshments such as squares, cookies. Please come with any memories, stories that you would like to share about Myrtle.

Myrtle passed away on May 22 after residing in the Coop, unit 768, for almost 38 years. She was very active in the Co-op and also the Community. Please do join us on September 21 to celebrate Myrtle's life.

Concerned about someone sleeping on our grounds… or wandering around obviously high… or singing at the top of their lungs after dark or….?

Submitted by Belle Auld for the Education Committee

Phone the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership (DOAP) Team, 403-998-7388 if you see someone who seems to be intoxicated, loitering, trespassing or sleeping in an area that they should not be, but is not being aggressive.

If someone is being violent or aggressive, phone 9-1-1 or the Calgary Police non-emergency # 403-266-1234. (info borrowed from Alpha House Society)

You can also pick up a free naloxone kit from any pharmacy if you are concerned you may run into someone who has overdosed (it may save a life).

Reminder: Enmax Power Disclosure Authorization

Submitted by Andrea Bergen and Mike Whittington

***Edited to add: 28 of 66 units have submitted their forms to date. This power usage information is important for the Planning & Development Committee's anaylsis.

Please submit your completed forms ASAP to facilitate the work of this busy committee. Forms are due by July 27th. 

Mike Whittington in #807 has delivered to all units the Enmax Power Disclosure Authorization Forms that were discussed at the last General Meeting that was held on May 29, 2018.

Please complete these forms and drop off to me at the office or Mike can come and pick them up if you give him a call. 

Thank you and have a wonderful day

Andrea Bergen

_________________________________________________

At last general meeting, there were questions regarding where to find the information for the ENMAX Authorization form, which is located on our power bills. I’ve used an ENMAX sample bill to demonstrate where the numbers are. If a co-op member is using a provider other than ENMAX, look for the same two numbers on your respective power bill.

1. Find the Site ID and Meter # on page 3 of your bill.

2. Write those numbers on the Authorization form in the proper fields.

3. Complete the following lines of the form:

Name (First Last)

Signature

Date

Address

Put checks under “Most Recent 12 Months” and “Cumulative Excel”

4. If your authorization form is complete you can either hand it in to Andrea at the office or you can let me know and I will pick it up from you.

If you have any questions regarding this or need my help at all, you can call me (Mike from 807) at 403 969 3486 or e-mail me at mike.whittington@hotmail.com.

We just had our baby (Hooray!) so I am pretty flexible with when you can contact me and I don’t mind stepping out for a bit to visit at your unit if you need help!

Regards,

Mike @ 807

Fraserview Co-op in Vancouver: a New Path for Successful Cooperation

Submitted by David Broadhead

This story is part of a greater success for co-ops in the Vancouver area. CHF BC and the Community Land trust are working with the City of Vancouver on seven diverse housing co-ops. The Fraserview Co-op will charge market based housing charges and in turn subsidize the operation of other co-ops which target lower income families. They use a program like ours with a larger scale. It is a great example of co-ops working together under co-op principles. Just imagine what we could do here.

We're Turning 40 & We Need Help!

Submitted by Marzena Czarnecka

Hello, Sunnyhillers! Guess who’s 40 this year? That’s right. Our little Co-op started housing Calgarians 40 years ago this coming August. So we are going to celebrate with a fabulous party.

Coming? Want to help out? Fabulous. Here’s what needs to be done:

RIGHT AWAY:

1. SAVE THE DATE: Mark Saturday August 18 down on your calendars and plan your summer holidays around it. You don’t want to miss our fortieth, do you?

2. INVITE PAST CO-OP MEMBERS! In touch with old neighbours? Let them know about the party! They are most welcome.

Here is the link to our Facebook Event

And here's a poster you can email to your friends.

3. INVITE VIPS! Members expressed interest in having our mayor, MLA, alderperson and perhaps other VIPs at the event. We also need to send invites to SACHA, HSCA and our other community partners. If you want to take the lead on this, please email Marzena ASAP.

4. WRITE AN ARTICLE about our history and birthday party for the HSCA Newsletter and the SACHA and CHF publications.

5. PREPARE & SEND A PRESS RELEASE to the local media about our birthday, our 40th, and the importance of cooperative and affordable housing. I can work with you on this and provide you with the press contact list – but I’d sure appreciate if someone else took the lead on this.

SOON (in July)

6. TIME CAPSULE! We have Sunnhill Time Capsules from 1988, 1998 and 2008. Let’s prepare a fabulous one for 2018! I need someone to take the lead on this and prepare the container, contact members about ideas of what they could put in the capsule, etc. Almost anything goes here—but we need someone to take charge of this project and make it happen.

7. BOOK MUSICIANS AND ENTERTAINMENT! Or at least bring a ghetto blaster, iPod, or karoake machine. If you want music at the party—please raise your hand and provide it.

8. BOOK THE BOUNCY HOUSE FOR THE KIDS! Self-explanatory, right? Right. Call me and I’ll tell you what to do.

IN A BIT (early August)

9. REMIND YOUR NEIGHBOURS that we’re having a party—we need a volunteer to deliver posters and another volunteer to call members.

10. INVITE NEIGHBOUR-NEIGHBOURS—we need a volunteer to spread the word to our surrounding community and our out-of-coop neighbours by posting in our Sunnyside Facebook group etc.

11. GO GROCERY SHOPPING! What’s party without snacks and booze? If you can coordinate and buy our food, raise your hand!

12. ORDER OR MAKE A GIANT CAKE! Self-explanatory, right? But someone’s gotta buy it / make it.

THE DAY OF (AUGUST 18)

13. BOUNCY HOUSE DELIVERY: Someone needs to be on-site at noon to arrange for the delivery of the Bouncy House.

14. BOUNCY HOUSE SUPERVISION: We need parents to take shifts making sure the kids are safe.

15. OTHER GAMES? If you want more fun and games for the kidlets—we’re all for it—but we need you to take the lead on organizing and supervising these.

16. OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE DAY: Love taking pictures? Good. Have we got a job for you! Who’s gonna do it?

17. SET UP: We will need extra tables and chairs in the Common. Can you be the muscle that provides them? Awesome—raise your hand!

18. FIREWOOD: We can’ t have a firepit without firewood! Can you buy and deliver the wood for the 18th? Thanks!

MORE IDEAS?

We want to make this a fabulous day for all of us and our community, so if there is something you want to do to celebrate our 40th—come tell us you want to take the lead on it, and we will see how much $ in the party budget we have to support it.

FULL DISCLOSURE: If there is an idea you have, but you aren’t willing to do the work to see it through—it probably won’t happen.

To help make the party fabulous, please contact Marzena at 587.998.7101, paddleink@gmail.com or through FB message.

And see you on August 18 (and before that at the Stampede Breakfast!).

For the Social Committee,

Marzena Czarnecka

Member Selection Update - Welcome and Farewell

Submitted by Susan Russell

As of July 1st, SHC will bid farewell to Crystal Tite and family from #10 SHL. Crystal and her family have lived in the co-op for seven years and during Crystal's time here she spent four years as a SHC board member and three years on the Member Selection Committee. Thanks for your hard work and contribution to cooperative living Crystal, we will miss you!

Member Selection would like to give a warm welcome to Mahlah Hanson, Ben Arkell and their three children who will be moving into #10 SHL.   Welcome Mahlah and Ben!

The Member Selection Committee meets as needed and meeting times are arranged depending on members' schedules. If you are interested in joining the committee please contact Susan Russell or Buzz Viberg.

Low cost internet for low income families

Submitted by Belle Auld

Low cost internet for low income families: (this from Innovation, Science and Economic Development / Government of Canada)

The Connecting Families initiative is investing $13.2 million over five years, starting in 2017-2018 to help bridge the digital divide for Canadian families who may struggle to afford access to home Internet. With this funding, Computers for Success Canada will develop a secure online portal that will enable eligible Canadian families to access high speed Internet service packages for $10 per month from participating Internet Service Providers. 

The lowest-income families, those that currently receive the maximum Child Care Benefit (CCB ), are eligible for this initiative. Eligible families will be contacted via a mail-out starting in the fall of 2018.


This initiative should be available in the fall of 2018. You can find more information at the page below: 
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/111.nsf/eng/home

Grounds Committee Learns About the Birds and the Bees

Submitted by Pam Boyd and Bob Bott on behalf of the Grounds Committee

The Grounds Committee is working to support and increase biological diversity in the coop. We have introduced bee and bat boxes as well as boxes for merlins and kestrels in the trees.  Prompted by member’s concerns that encouraging raptors into the coop would be a threat to our songbird population, we invited Katrina Jansen, biologist, Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation, for a co-op walk around and discussion on biodiversity in the coop.

Our June 1 meeting with Karen was very useful and informative, and we covered a number of areas.

She confirmed that the preferred prey for merlins and kestrels in our area would be house sparrows and rodents. Chickadees are too small, while robins and flickers are too large. The current magpie population is likely discouraging other birds, and the presence of the raptors would discourage magpies and pigeons, but there would be some decrease in other birds using areas near the raptor nest. 

However, there does not appear to be an appropriate location in the co-op for merlin/kestrel boxes because (A) raptors are sensitive to the noise of traffic and mechanical sound from the pump station near the south location (although it might attract a woodpecker), and (B) they themselves can be noisy and aggressive, and boxes should not be placed near a foot path or the play area.

Neither box has been occupied this spring, and we will remove the box near the one-bedroom units, but will leave the one further south in case it does attract a woodpecker.

Other threats to our song bird population are:

Cats. They should be inside, on a leash, or confined to a “catio” cat patio. '

Next biggest threat - crashing into windows. Decals are available from a company called WindowAlert that are highly visible to birds but translucent to humans. They are also sold by Amazon Canada.

Do not feed bread to ducks or other birds. It leads to “angel wing” bone disorders and diabetes.

Bat boxes look good but should be painted black. Bats like heat. It may take a while before bats find them and take up residence. Guano will collect under the boxes; it’s great fertilizer. Location on the pole in the laneway behind 3rd St. looks good.

Bee boxes look great.  If more people want them, let us know. 

If you don’t want to attract skunks, pick up fruit on the ground; fallen fruit is their favourite food. However, skunks are beneficial because they eat mice and wasps (yes, they eat wasps!), and they will only spray if threatened.

She recommended we plant mountain ash trees, which are good supplemental natural winter feeding sources for songbirds (especially birds like waxwings) and are also a good source of early spring food for migrants such as robins.  But we would need to watch for infection and remove them if they get infested with emerald ash borer (beetle whose larvae eat the trees). 

One of the merlin-kestrel boxes in a spruce tree (too high, according to Katrina). JP did a lovely job building them.

One of the merlin-kestrel boxes in a spruce tree (too high, according to Katrina). JP did a lovely job building them.

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