Co-op Vision

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Our vision of who we are is also shaped by our commitment to give service of the best possible quality at a fair price. We define our commitment to serve through the aims that Canadian housing co-operatives hold in common. Our shared aims include:

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Meeting our members’ need for:

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• good housing people can afford through wise decisions at the time of development, an active membership, not-for-profit operation and assistance for low-income households

• security of tenure based on respect for members’ rights as joint resident-owners, fair application of by-laws, effective management, striking a balance between group and individual needs, and protection from the sale of the property

• safe and secure communities in physical design and in attention to domestic violence and other crime in our co-operatives and neighbourhoods

• control over our housing environment through educated decisions on budgets and governance, and resistance to undue intervention by government in co-op affairs

• community by means of co-op traditions that celebrate tolerance, mutual support and social, cultural, ethnic and economic diversity among members as a source of strength

• opportunities for personal growth through co-op education and our expectation that all members will contribute what they can to the co-op.

 

Meeting our responsibility to the larger community through:

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• involvement in our immediate neighbourhoods

• fair employment practices within co-operatives

• choices that respect the environment and demonstrate the principles of sustainable human settlements

• support for co-operative development in Canada and abroad.

 

Meeting our responsibility to future generations by:

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• practising stewardship, including responsible care of co-op lands and buildings, economical management, not-for-profit operation and the creation of land trusts

• lobbying governments for fair housing policies that work for all of us

• developing new housing co-operatives at home and abroad.

 

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Reprinted from the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto