FECHIMM - Fédération des coopératives d'habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain

the housing co-op movement

programms and clientele

Different subsidy programs for special groups (low income households) make up part of the financing of housing cooperatives. According to its program, the cooperative reserves a percentage of its housing units to specific clientele.

central-coop-housing

Central-Housing-Coop is a unique booking office set up by the applicants of low income housing units wanting to live in a housing cooperative financed with the PSBL-P program. Click here for more info.

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A co-operative is an association of individuals seeking suitable accomodation at a reasonable cost. Together, they administer a business that is jointly owned, making decisions democratically. Cooperatives therefore look for active members, prepared to invest their time and knowledge and develop new skills.

Through the ongoing involvement of its members, the cooperative can become a solid entity, thereby strengthening the cooperative movement as a whole.

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Statistics for cooperative housing in Quebec

In Quebec, more than 50,000 people live in nearly 1,200 cooperatives. On FECHIMM's territory, we estimate the number of cooperatives at 600 with more than 8,500 households.

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Reasonable cost

The rent varies from one co-op to the other, depending on the subsidies received by each. In the past 20 years, the federal and provincial governments had different programs to help housing co-operatives. In general, rents are higher in new co-ops than in older ones. Some co-operatives have rent subsidies, others don't.

On the other hand, it is true that the co-operative does not aim at making profits and does not sell its properties on the private market. This tends to make rents both more stable and lower than the market price.

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The co-op's structure for democratic decision making

The General Assembly delegates to the Board of directors. The Board of directors delegates the realization of its action plan to the committees: finance committee, secretarial committee, selection committee, maintenance committee, good neighbourhood committee, ad hoc committee.

All the members of the cooperative constitute the general assembly. Each member has a voting right. Decisions are taken by majority.
The board of directors consists of no fewer than five and no more than fifteen directors. They are elected by the general assembly and manage the affairs of the cooperative.
The board of directors appoints the committees for specific tasks and mandates.

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A specific legal framework

As with other types of cooperatives, housing cooperatives are governed by the Cooperatives Act, which determines, among others, the legal rules relating to the constitution, the financing and the associative operating of cooperatives.

For more information on how housing cooperatives function, visit the website of the Quebec Housing Cooperative Movement and consult the Cooperatives section on the website of the Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade.