Beaver Creek Housing Cooperative

On April 10, Patrick Hunt spoke with The Record regarding the $93,000 of our capital expenditure fund that was invested by Canaccord in asset-backed commercial paper and frozen since last August.

Patrick Hunt, who sits on Beaver Creek's board, said in an interview the fund is used for repairs and upkeep at the 28-year-old housing complex.

Unlike many housing co-ops, Beaver Creek was in good financial shape, he said in an interview.

"In a pinch we could have survived this," Hunt said, but added, "somebody is responsible for this. It wasn't us."

He believes small investors weren't treated with the same respect as large ones.

"Everybody with a lot of clout and money was able to pull out of this, but the little guy couldn't," he said. "Ninety-three thousand dollars is a lot . . . to us."

Today, I am very proud and happy to be a member of Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek is much more than just somewhere to live; we are a community, almost like an extended family. I was reminded of a couple of posters I have seen around, which I want to purchase for our Community Centre, that describe how to build a community and how to build a global community. Looking over the lists, I am proud to say that many members at Beaver Creek are actually actively building our community by doing the actions listed. There are some items that I am not currently doing, but want to. Take a look at the lists and see what you can do to build your community.

About $93,000 of Beaver Creek's $183,000 capital expenditure fund invested with Canaccord is stuck in frozen ABCP. Steve Furino, Beaver Creek's Treasurer, has been asked to speak at the House of Commons finance committee's special hearing on ABCP tomorrow. Learn more in today's Globe and Mail or click the read more link.

On Saturday a group of members, their families and guests celebrated Earth Hour together. We gathered in our Community Centre where we were able to roll our own beeswax candles which we lit and took for a walk through the darkened streets. Arriving back at our Community Centre, a member told entranced young and old with some stories. Members were invited to stay for a cup of tea and discuss how we could make Beaver Creek even more "green."

Special thanks to Candlepower for donating the candle supplies, to Ryan Chen-Wing from The Record for covering the event, and to all of the members who helped out or attended this event. Be sure to check out our 2008 Earth Hour gallery for more photos from the event.

I just received the following urgent notice from CHF Canada E-news. Please consider sending a letter and letting your voice be heard on the topic of affordable housing.

Help Canadians looking for affordable housing. In early April, provincial and territorial housing ministers plan to meet in Ottawa with Monte Solberg, the federal minister responsible for CMHC. This gives co-op members another chance to ask the government to help the four million Canadians who need affordable homes.

You can send a letter asking Minister Solberg to take action on affordable housing.

But act quickly. This meeting is rumoured to be taking place on April 2. The federal minister did not attend the last provincial-territorial housing ministers meeting in Vancouver on February 6, but promised to meet with his counterparts within 60 days. Act now and send a message to Monte Solberg.

This Saturday, March 29, starting at 7:00 p.m., members of Beaver Creek Housing Co-operative will turn off their lights for an hour in the cause of fighting climate change.

Members and their invited friends will make their own hand-rolled beeswax candles to light for a community walk, followed by story telling for all ages and a discussion on "greening" their housing community.

How are you going to spend Earth Hour?

Bee's wax for the event provided by Candlepower (519)886-0662.

A fellow member has just passed on to me a link to a very important story: The Story of Toad Lane.

It quickly outlines the horrible conditions that lead to the creation of the world's first cooperative.

Many factory owners organized general stores, where they sold goods at high prices. They forced the workers to shop there- and fired them if they did not.

Sugar maple is the quintessential Canadian tree. A sugar maple leaf adorns our flag and “sugaring” is part of Canada’s history and culture. Canada produces around 80% of the world’s maple syrup with most of the balance produced in Vermont and New York states. Sugar maple is a large component of the fall colour display providing gorgeous arrays of yellow, orange and red. Sugar maple was designated as Canada’s national tree in 1965.

The winter holidays are a time to connect with friends and family and celebrate with each other. Some folks choose to exchange gifts, others hit the party circuit, and others host smaller intimate gatherings. No matter what the occasion, the co-op sector can help you meet your needs this season.

The Ontario Co-operative Association (On Co-op) has put together a Co-op Holiday Guide to help you source all your holiday needs through the co-op sector.

CHFC's Ontario Region has set up an "Action Centre" where you can learn more about how you can help coopertaive housing in Ontario this election. Learn the issues (build more co-op housing and upload co-op housing) and how you can help (send a message to your candidate and download tips and tools).