Registration is now closed. This webinar's recording is available for purchase. Please contact office@pibc.bc.ca noting the webinar year and number (for example, year 2023, webinar #5) and if you are purchasing for a Single or Group rate. An eligible current member name is required for member rates (Source: https://www.pibc.bc.ca/pibc-webinars).

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"Cohousing Neighbourhoods...some people call them a return to the best of small-town communities.  Others say they are like a traditional village or the close-knit neighbuorhood where they grew up, while futurists call them an altogether new response to social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century.  Each holds a piece of the truth."
- Cohousing Consulting.

PIBC is pleased to continue the important dialogue and education on missing middle housing. This insightful webinar will present the fundamentals of cohousing – an innovative approach to multi-family housing that encourages social connections between neighbours. Projects are being developed in urban centres and small communities throughout B.C. and Canada, with a wide variety of housing forms. This webinar will examine how local government policies and actions can support more cohousing projects, contribute to greater affordability for families and seniors, encourage multi-generational living and support community connection.

We will explore the multiple challenges and unique added complexities to getting cohousing built such as finding an appropriate site, securing the membership and financial capacity, and fitting the cohousing design objectives into municipal requirements. As well, we will discuss important federal policies that support cohousing specifically, and missing middle housing in general. You will hear from those who live in these developments and the positive impact on their lives. Finally, a case study will illustrate how one development was able to deliver 8 family sized homes at 25% below market to support missing middle housing.

Be sure to join us for this webinar on cohousing – yet another important tool that supports missing middle housing in your community!
 

Our Presenters

Ronaye Matthew
Consultant, Cohousing Development Consulting
A board member of the Canadian Cohousing Network since 1996, Ronaye Matthew is the leading expert on what it takes to get cohousing built in Canada.  As the primary consultant in Cohousing Development Consulting, Ronaye has supported the successful development of 11 Canadian cohousing communities www.cohousingconsulting.ca.
 

Margaret Critchlow
Director, Canadian Senior Cohousing Society (2011–2022)
Margaret Critchlow, PhD, taught anthropology at York University in Toronto, Canada for 25 years before retiring to Vancouver Island. She loved learning from villagers in the south Pacific islands of Vanuatu and from residents of Canadian housing co-ops. She has written or co-authored more than 50 academic article and 7 books.

She was a founding member of the first senior cohousing community in western Canada, Harbourside Cohousing, where she has lived with her husband since it opened in Jan 2016. Margaret enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for cohousing with people of all ages, independently and as a Community Building Facilitator with Cohousing Development Consulting. Her online courses, “Planning for aging in community” and “Is cohousing for you?” have supported people to better understand what they are getting into when they join a cohousing community. 

Odete Pinho RPP, MCIP
Agora Planning
Odete Pinho is registered professional planner, working with development and municipal clients. Between 2015 to 2020, she supported cohousing projects with feasibility studies, securing lands and developmentapprovals. She provided services for Driftwood Village Cohousing in City of North Vancouver, WestwindHarbour Cohousing in Sooke and Ravens Crossing in Sidney.

Elizabeth Tang
Specialist, Outreach and Project Development, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Elizabeth Tang is focused on engaging with professionals in the housing industry, academics, and provincial and municipal governments to ensure access to the latest and most relevant housing information from CMHC. She has been with CMHC since 2006. Prior to working at CMHC, Elizabeth was Trade Commissioner, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. She is a LEED Green Associate, and holds a MBA from the University of British Columbia with a specialization in sustainability and business strategic management.