Schedule & Sessions

Early bird registration opens February 1st!

FRIDAY, MAY 8TH

Facilitation workshop at the 2018 conference

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

Please note that you must register for the May 9-10 conference in order to add a Friday tour or workshop. Capacity is limited for both the tours and the workshops; we expect these optional add-ons to sell out, so plan to register early!

TOURS

morning tour:
cranberry commons & quayside village

Tour length: 4 hours, from 9 am to 1 pm
The Morning Tour includes bus transportation to 45-minute tours of Cranberry Commons Cohousing (Burnaby) and Quayside Village Cohousing (North Vancouver), and an exterior view of Driftwood Village Cohousing (currently under construction)

AFTERNOON TOUR:
WINDSONG & VANCOUVER COHOUSING

Tour length: 4 hours, from 1:30 to 5:30 pm
The Afternoon Tour includes bus transportation to 45-minute tours of Windsong Cohousing (Langley) and Vancouver Cohousing (Vancouver), and an exterior view of Little Mountain Cohousing (currently under construction)

We heard your feedback from the 2018 conference! This year, we're providing transportation via bus for the tours of local communities. It'll be convenient, informative (thanks to our local guides) and fun (thanks to your fellow conference attendees!).

WORKSHOPS

MORNING WORKSHOP:
POWER & LEADERSHIP IN COOPERATIVE GROUPS

Workshop length: 3 hours, from 9 am until 12 noon
Presenter: Laird Schaub

DESCRIPTION:

Many people have the naive dream that power will be uniformly distributed in community life. It ain’t so. One of the most tender and challenging topics for cooperative groups is the perception that someone in the group has misused their power or been a poor leader. In this workshop we'll unpack why this happens and what you can do about it. Power is not inherently good or bad—it depends on how it’s used. It is also never evenly distributed. Can your group talk about power openly? Has your group defined what qualities are wanted in people serving in leadership roles? Is there a healthy balance between how leaders in your group are appreciated and how they’re criticized? While it can be difficult to do these things well, ignoring them is worse.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP:
CONSENSUS CHALLENGES: WHY MANY GROUPS STUMBLE

Workshop length: 3 hours, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Presenter: Laird Schaub

DESCRIPTION:

For those of us who were raised in the competitive mainstream culture—which is just about everyone—consensus is an unnatural act. Learning to be cooperative requires unlearning being competitive. The bad news is that it takes personal work and dedication to effect that transition. The good news is that it’s possible. We’ll focus on a handful of problem spots in this workshop:
- Developing the capacity to work emotionally
- Committing to the discipline needed for meetings to be successful (Hint: meetings are not open mic)
- Appreciating that product and process need to be allies, not enemies
- Defining what’s plenary worthy and learning how to sequence an issue effectively
- Understanding the many ways that people differ—what can be done to level the playing field and what are the limits of diversity
- Not being too proud to ask for help

Laird Schaub speaking at the 2018 conference

PUB NIGHT SOCIAL

Details yet to be confirmed!

SATURDAY, MAY 9TH

Growing Up in Cohousing panel at the 2018 conference

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Please note that individual sessions may still move between time slots, as your conference organizers work to balance the content during each time slot with the available space in our venue.

8:30 - 8:45

CONFERENCE WELCOME

9:00 - 10:30

ROUND 1

cohousing 101

COHOUSING 101

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Kathy McGrenera (Quayside Village) and Lysa Dixon (Little Mountain Cohousing)

DESCRIPTION:

What is cohousing? How is it different from other types of intentional communities, or from typical market-driven housing? Learn how cohousing residents participate in the planning, design and ongoing management of their community. Find out how each community's personality is formed by that group's members, values and processes. This is your first glimpse into what it takes to build cohousing!

UNIT RESALES

UNIT RESALES: Marketing Support Options and Perspectives

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Odete Pinho (Cranberry Commons, Agora Planning), Donald Watson (Angell Hasman Realty Ltd) and Todd Pocklington (Royal LePage Sussex), Margaret Critchlow (Harbourside Cohousing), Maureen Butler (Windsong, Quayside Village and Driftwood Village Cohousing)
Moderator: Laird Schaub

DESCRIPTION:

When it comes time for a home resale in a cohousing community, how the seller, the buyer, and community engage with the process will impact the remaining community for many years.
First, we will present community supported marketing systems, followed by options from professional realtors’ view. Realtor commissions, referral fees paid to community and considerations for real estate transactions in BC will be discussed.
Followed by a moderated panel discussion representing first hand experiences of sellers, buyers and community marketing support members. Learn from those who will share first-hand knowledge about buying and selling from five British Columbia cohousing communities

COMPUTER SERVICES FOR COHOUSING

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Henning Mortensen (Prairie Spruce)

DESCRIPTION:

In this session, we will discuss the various computer tools that we are using in cohousing. This will be an interactive session, as we hear what tools other communities are using. We will discuss three common problems: support, link sharing, and ownership of information. A solution will be proposed and a call for volunteers to "open source support". Finally, we will talk about what Prairie Spruce did to get low priced internet.

INCLUSIVE COHOUSING

Session length: 90 minutes
Moderator: Marta Carlucci (Driftwood Village)

11:00 - 12:00

ROUND 2

GROWING UP IN COHOUSING

GROWING UP IN COHOUSING: Panel Discussion

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: To be announced

DESCRIPTION:

Growing up in cohousing offers many great opportunities for children. In addition to having access to a wider range of playmates and neighbours, people often comment that children from cohousing get along well with adults and have an expanded set of collaboration skills. Join this session to hear from young adults and teenagers who have grown up - and are still growing up - in cohousing. This was a favourite session at the 2018 conference, and we look forward to this year's youthful take on cohousing!

TOMO house + COHOUSING 'LITE'

TOMO HOUSE & COHOUSING 'LITE': A New Model for Cohousing

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Leslie Shieh (Tomo) and Kathy Sayers (Our Urban Village)

DESCRIPTION:

Creating urban cohousing can be challenging. Do we need to look at new ways to approach cohousing in pricy cities like Vancouver? Our Urban Village Cohousing has partnered with an innovative developer, Tomo Spaces, to try to streamline the process and reduce the financial risk for our households -- without compromising community building. Along the way we’ve had our share of growing pains. But we are hopeful that embracing new models for urban settings will increase the likelihood that more communities will succeed.

BUDGETs, BYLAWS & Depreciation reports- AGH

BUDGETS, BYLAWS & DEPRECIATION REPORTS

Session length: 60 minutes
Presenter: Lysa Dixon (Little Mountain Cohousing, Hive & House Consulting), Sandra Ens (ReMax Select)

Typically, cohousing in BC chooses to take on the legal registration as a Strata titled property. Whether you are are a long existing cohousing community, or a newly forming or establishing group, it can be overwhelming to navigate the ins and outs of the Strata Property Act, budgeting and other requirements. What can you do on your own, and when should you hire a property manager. (note, although this session will be focused on the British Columbia strata property requirements, much of the information will be easily translatable to provincial Condo regulations across Canada) In this session, we’ll give you a quick overview, as well as some tools and resources, to help you navigate and understand your obligations as a strata titled property, including:

Budgeting- how to apportion the strata fees (unit entitlement, per unit, or some combination?), as well as what you can and cannot apply to strata fees.
Strata Bylaws vs. rules or ‘community guidelines’. How to adapt the standard Strata bylaws to meet the needs of cohousing, and when it should be a community guideline vs. when it should be a bylaw.
Depreciation reports- do you need one, reasons for having one, and are there alternatives?

MAKING SUSTAINABILITY WORK

MAKING SUSTAINABILITY WORK: Creative Ways to Reduce Your Footprint in Cohousing

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Paul Cottle (Little Mountain) and Kim Peterson (Little Mountain)

DESCRIPTION:

As we become more aware of the myriad impacts our actions have on the planet and its people, many of us struggle to find ways to live more sustainably. Living in cohousing provides us with some powerful tools we can use to reduce our footprint in ways that are effective, surprising - and sometimes even fun! In this session we will explore some things that cohousers have done to make the most of the resources we all share.

12:00 - 1:30

LUNCH

Of course lunch is included with your conference registration!
Looking for even more casual cohousing conversation? Join one of our "Dine & Dish" hosted lunch conversations, or a breakout session! Topics will be confirmed closer to the conference.

12:00 - 1:30

ROUND 3

community showcase

COMMUNITY SHOWCASE: Connect with new cohousing groups!

Session length: 90 minutes
Moderator: To be announced

DESCRIPTION:

Cohousing groups across Canada are making great progress! Come to this showcase to hear about our community sponsors - perhaps you'll connect with the cohousing group you're looking for, or hear tips about starting a new group!

facilitation: midwiving cooperative culture

FACILITATION: Midwiving Cooperative Culture

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Laird Schaub

DESCRIPTION:

When groups are at the front end of developing cooperative culture (they know where they’re headed but have not yet arrived), having meetings run by skilled facilitators can make a night and day difference in the likelihood of finding joy in the experience. Good facilitators are able to gently, yet firmly bring the group back on track when it strays from what it meant to be talking about, and are able to create appropriate containers that allows the wisdom of the group to emerge. In cooperative settings facilitators need to be able to work with both content and energy, which is an expanded skill set from what is generally asked of facilitators in the mainstream culture. In this workshop we'll lay out what the facilitator needs to be able to deliver, and how to acquire those skills.

urban cohousing: planning, designing and Development

URBAN COHOUSING: Planning, Designing and Development

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Grace H. Kim (Schemata Workshop) and Joren Bass (UD + P)

DESCRIPTION:

Using three recent urban cohousing communities as case studies, the audience will gain an understanding of how the intentional actions of individuals acting in consensus of the group successfully created a resilient urban community and new home. Comparing and contrasting the three different paths through urban community building, planning, financing, and design the attendees will see the hurdles and successes of each project. This session will examine how the communities navigated the design and programming decisions to create Capitol Hill Cohousing in Seattle and PDX Commons in Portland and the developing community of Washington Commons in Sacramento. The session is planned to be interactive with ample time for questions and discussion.

redefining death care

REDEFINING DEATH CARE: Caring for Our Own in Community

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Ngaio Davis (KORU Cremation) and Iris Paradela-Hunter (Vancouver Cohousing)

DESCRIPTION:

Death care has traditionally been a community undertaking. The common theme in funeral practices among various communities was group effort and participation - making death real to all. A century later, we have relinquished more and more to the professionals in the funeral industrial complex. Often, our dead are never seen and cared for by their families again. In this presentation, Ngaio and Iris will share stories (their own and others) to spark ideas and encourage cohousing communities to be more aware and engaged in their own end-of-life and death care.

3:30 - 5:00

ROUND 4

conflict & communication

CONFLICT & COMMUNICATION

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Karen Gimnig (CohoUS)

DESCRIPTION:

Conflict happens in spaces where humans interact, and this is a good thing. Understanding that conflict is opportunity to grow. Developing the communication skills that will allow us to access conflict's full potential brings a sense of connection and harmony to communities at any stage.

common meals: sharing session

COMMON MEALS: Sharing Session

Session length: 90 minutes
Moderator: To be announced

DESCRIPTION:

Common meals are an important tool for building connection amongst group members, and cohousing communities take unique approaches to breaking bread together. Variables include the number of meals per week, dividing the work of cooking and clean-up, and accounting for the costs of shared meals.
We are looking for a handful of conference attendees to share their community's approach! Please email us if you're attending the conference and willing to explain your community's system.

partnering with a developer:
how and why developers work with communities

PARTNERING WITH A DEVELOPER: How and Why Developers Work With Communities

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Joren Bass (UD + P)

DESCRIPTION:

If creating cohousing is a community-led process, why would we want a developer on our professional team? Can we self-develop and what are the benefits and or pitfalls? This session will look at the role, responsibility, value and disadvantage of having a developer involved. What, or who is a developer, and where do they fit in this process, what is their role, and how do they assist with financing? We will discuss possibilities and paths communities have found to self-develop, as well as the risks and challenges involved. How do you find a select a developer appropriate for cohousing? The discussion will look at a typical development budget, and how financing fits into the process.

four generations

FOUR GENERATIONS: Living in a Multigenerational Community

Session length: 90 minutes
Moderator: To be announced

Honouring Canada's cohousing pioneers at the 2018 conference

BANQUET

We're excited to share an evening of great company, tasty food, funny stories, and live entertainment with you.
Check back to see what we've got planned!

SUNDAY, MAY 10TH

Learning from the experts at the 2018 conference

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Please note that individual sessions may still move between time slots, as your conference organizers work to balance the content during each time slot with the available space in our venue.

9:00 - 10:30

ROUND 5

WHAT IT TAKES: DEVELOPING COHOUSING IN CANADA

WHAT IT TAKES: Developing Cohousing in Canada

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Ronaye Matthew (Cohousing Development Consulting)

DESCRIPTION:

This presentation introduces everything you need to know: overview of the elements, where the money comes from, roles and responsibilities of professionals & members, legal structure and how it relates to financial viability, financial phases and cash flow timeline, identifying potential costs, cohousing and affordability, establishing feasibility, finding and securing an appropriate site, phases of membership, working together, organizational structure, decision making, and information systems. Get ready to learn from BC's cohousing development expert, with 10 cohousing communities under her belt.

WORKING WITH YOUR ARCHITECT

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Grace H. Kim (Schemata Workshop)

DESCRIPTION:

The formation of a group is an exciting AND overwhelming time within the life of a community. Knowing what to expect helps. This session provides an overview of the design process as well as the group process work a community should undertake before the commencement of design. Architect Grace Kim will share examples of workshops that may be provided; the types of drawings that will be produced; and provide a glossary of terms to help understand the architectural jargon. Grace will also share strategies for how to best prepare for the design workshops, review the drawings provided and get the most out of your architects.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS: LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE

COMMUNITY MEETINGS: Leave Them Wanting More

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Mackenzie Stonehocker (Driftwood Village) and Marta Carlucci (Driftwood Village)

DESCRIPTION:

Well-planned, well-balanced, well-facilitated meetings are an opportunity to energize your group, create connections between members, and move your community forward. It’s no secret that it takes a lot of meetings to keep cohousing going, and the Hive & House consulting team will help you create meetings that stay on track, feel productive, and avoid meeting fatigue. In this session, you will learn how to plan an effective agenda, be introduced to formats beyond open discussion, and receive other tips & tricks for facilitating meetings – for a cohousing group or anywhere else!

BUILDING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY GREEN VILLAGE IN NOVA SCOTIA

BUILDING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY GREEN VILLAGE IN NOVA SCOTIA: Treehouse Ecohousing

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenters: Bryan Bowen (Caddis Collaborative) and Rayleen Hill (RHAD Architects)

DESCRIPTION:

Treehouse Village Ecohousing is the first cohousing project to be developed in Atlantic Canada. The architectural team will outline the workshop and design process including challenges and opportunities related to the community's rural site, climate, tight budgets, as well as knowledge translation strategies to the greater community to increase the public profile and understanding of cohousing in the Maritimes. The presentation will have a particular focus on finding the balance between achieving high levels of energy efficiency, living lightly on the land, and building affordably.

11:00 - 12:30

ROUND 6

MAKING THE TRANSITION TO COOPERATIVE CULTURE

MAKING THE TRANSITION TO COOPERATIVE CULTURE: It's Harder Than You Think

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Laird Schaub

DESCRIPTION:

It is not enough to have read a book about cohousing and like the idea of cooperative living. Almost all of the people who’ll join your group will have been raised in the competitive, adversarial mainstream culture, and it requires personal work to unlearn that conditioning and be available to act cooperatively when push comes to shove (which it eventually will). Unless you successfully make this transition you’ll just have competitive people in closer proximity to one another and the increased friction can get difficult in a hurry. In this workshop we’ll explain the social and communication skills needed to thrive in cooperative culture and how to foster their development in your group.

COHOUSING SITE DESIGN

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Laura Fitch (Fitch Architecture & Community Design)

DESCRIPTION:

What makes a cohousing site different than standard multi-family housing? How do you design for connection? How do you support pedestrian movement and safety while accommodating parking needs? What about agricultural and business uses? We will discuss how cohousing site design can address these questions and we will look at examples from MANY communities (urban and rural).

SENIOR COHOUSING: LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES

SENIOR COHOUSING: Lessons from the Trenches

Session length: 90 minutes
Moderator: Kristopher Stevens (Cohousing Options Canada, SAGE Seniors Cohousing Advocates)
Panelists: Carolyn Salmon (Quimper Village), Gretchen Brauer-Rieke (PDX Commons), Margaret Critchlow (Harbourside Cohousing), Susan Fries (PDX Commons)

DESCRIPTION:

In this fast-paced panel session, panelists will speak from their experience as members of senior communities, and as consultants and coaches to other communities in development.
One will describe the creation of three communities in the same town, comprising three designs and two legal and financial development frameworks.
Another pair of panelists will share their community’s approach, via their Health Team, to prepare members for health emergencies, organizing community support for people with health issues, and engaging the community in discussions around long-term planning for an aging population.
The final panelist will share her community’s marketing and communication strategies and their organizational structure during development and how it evolved after move in.
Moderator Kristopher Stevens will provide quick facts about senior cohousing around North America and preview a short clip from the new documentary by Bullfrog Films, “The Best of Best Worlds: Cohousing’s Promise.”

Co-living and co-buying: Alternatives to cohousing

Co-Living and Co-Buying: Alternatives to Cohousing

Session length: 60 minutes
Presenter: Sandra Ens, RE/MAX Select Realty

DESCRIPTION: Cohousing is just one way we can choose to live in community together. More and more individuals and families are choosing to purchase and share space together- whether it's a Vancouver Special with seperate up and down suites for 2 families, or a large house with multiple bedrooms shared amongst millenials. In this session, Sandra will share her hands on experience in finding the right property, working with co-ownership agreements, and the professionals you need on your team. Bring your questions!

12:30 - 2:00

LUNCH

2:00 - 3:30

ROUND 7

HOME PRICING FOR EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY

HOME PRICING FOR EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY: Translating Project Costs into Sales Prices

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Joren Bass (UD + P)

DESCRIPTION:

During the development process all communities must translate project costs into final home sales prices. This is one of the most important financial and collective decisions communities must make.
A well-designed community will have a diverse mix of unit sizes and types. Each home will likely have unique attributes such as location within the community, differing access to light and views, or constructed attributes such as extra bathrooms or balconies.
So how do you create a pricing framework that follows the basic cohousing principles of equity and shared affordability, while also reflecting the common market conditions for appraisal and financing? This session will discuss pitfalls and successful approaches that developing communities can use to set home prices.

COMMUNITY LIVING AT ITS BEST

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Karin Hoskin (Wild Sage Cohousing, CohoUS)

DESCRIPTION:

The Community Living Team or ‘party planners’ are a vital part of a healthy community. This session will talk about the goal of this team, what skills are helpful to have in people on the team to fill various roles, how to create a vision and a plan to carry it out. Examples of various events will be presented with varying levels of detail. Then, for fun and action, we will break into small groups for brainstorming and begin to create possibilities to present to your own community!

GETTING THE WORK DONE IN COMMUNITY

Session length: 90 minutes
Presenter: Lyons Wittens (Pioneer Valley)

DESCRIPTION:

How do you get all your community work done? Each cohousing group needs to decide what tasks to include in community work, what system to use to connect each member with their tasks, how to organize meals work in particular, and whether and how to enforce work agreements. In this session, we will explore the "affinity work system" used at Pioneer Valley Cohousing which has just celebrated its 25th year and is still going strong thanks to a robust work system. This will be a presentation with plenty of time for questions and some discussion.