ACHA Canadian Study Tour: Bringing global co-operative housing lessons home

The Australian Co-operative Housing Alliance (ACHA) delegation has returned from Canada with new insights, stronger international relationships and a clear message: co-operative housing can be scaled when policy, finance, sector leadership and community governance work together.

From 1 to 13 June 2026, an Australian delegation of co-operative housing leaders, banking representatives and sector partners travelled across Canada to learn from one of the world’s most established co-operative housing systems. The tour explored how Canada has grown, financed and supported co-operative housing at scale, and what lessons could help strengthen the Australian sector.

Canada is currently making its largest investment in co-operative housing in 30 years through the $1.5 billion Co-operative Housing Development Program. The program is designed to expand co-operative rental housing and support the development of thousands of affordable co-operative homes by 2028.

For ACHA, the tour was not about importing a model wholesale. It was about understanding the conditions that make growth possible.

Learning from a mature co-operative housing system

The delegation met with housing co-operatives, federations, lenders, government representatives and sector leaders across multiple provinces. A consistent message emerged: the challenge is not the co-operative model itself, but creating the policy, financing and investment settings that enable it to grow.

In Ottawa, the delegation visited the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada), where discussions focused on national growth, sector advocacy and the roles of government, lenders and housing providers in delivering affordable housing at scale.

The delegation also met with Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada to better understand the country’s wider co-operative economy, which spans banking, insurance, agriculture, retail, healthcare and housing. These conversations highlighted the value of a strong, connected co-operative movement that can advocate across sectors while keeping community benefit at the centre.

Housing that builds community

Site visits showed the diversity and strength of Canada’s co-operative housing sector.

At Abiwin Co-op in Ottawa, delegates heard how co-operative housing can support safe, inclusive communities while preserving important social and cultural history. At Cartier Square Housing Co-operative, one of Ottawa’s largest co-ops, discussions focused on governance, asset management and access to affordable long-term finance.

In Vancouver, the delegation visited long-standing and newer co-operative housing communities, including projects supported through Community Land Trust partnerships. The visit highlighted how affordability can be created and protected through intention, governance and community ownership.

The delegation also saw how design can support co-operative living. Shared spaces, accessible courtyards and community facilities were not treated as extras, but as part of what helps residents connect, participate and build strong communities.

Strong institutions make growth possible

One of the strongest lessons from the tour was the importance of sector infrastructure.

In Gatineau, the delegation visited Projet Sainte-Josephine and learned how organisations such as FIHAB and LOGE-IC provide governance, development, financial and technical support to help housing co-operatives thrive. The visit reinforced a key point: successful co-operative housing relies not only on individual projects, but on strong institutions that support the sector over time.

The delegation also visited Village Chelsea, an innovative shared-equity co-operative housing development that balances affordability, financial sustainability and long-term community benefit.

For Australia, this is an important insight. If co-operative housing is to grow, the sector needs more than goodwill. It needs policy recognition, financing pathways, technical support, development capacity and institutions that can hold knowledge, build partnerships and support delivery.

Policy, finance and partnership

At Parliament Hill, the delegation met with Canadian Members of Parliament Adam van Koeverden and Jenny Kwan. Adam van Koeverden shared his personal experience of growing up in co-operative housing and reflected on the stability, opportunity and community it provided. Jenny Kwan spoke about housing systems that prioritise affordability and community outcomes, and the role of governments, co-operatives, community housing organisations and mission-driven financial institutions in addressing housing challenges.

These conversations reinforced the importance of collaboration. Co-operative housing grows when governments, financial institutions, housing providers and communities work together with a shared long-term purpose.

For ACHA, this aligns strongly with the Australian context. Housing affordability continues to challenge communities across the country. Co-operative housing offers a practical, proven model that can deliver more affordable, secure and community-led homes, but it requires the right settings to grow.

Australia on the international stage

The Canadian Study Tour also provided an opportunity to share Australia’s experience with the international co-operative housing movement.

ACHA Chair Liz Thomas presented at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada Annual Meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick, sharing insights into Australia’s growing co-operative housing movement, the work of ACHA and the opportunities ahead for expanding co-operative housing as part of the solution to Australia’s housing challenges.

Liz also joined the international panel “A More Co-operative Economy,” alongside leaders from the United States, Europe and Canada. The panel explored global policy trends, successful co-operative models and practical strategies to grow co-operatives and mutuals as part of a stronger, more inclusive economy.

These international exchanges matter. They ensure Australia’s co-operative housing sector has a voice in global conversations, while also allowing ACHA to bring tested ideas, evidence and relationships back home.

What comes next

The Canadian Study Tour confirmed what ACHA has long advocated: co-operative housing can be a meaningful part of a more diverse, secure and affordable Australian housing system.

The tour highlighted several practical lessons for Australia:

• co-operative housing needs long-term policy support and investment;
• finance models must be designed to support community-led housing;
• strong sector institutions are essential for growth;
• co-operative housing delivers more than dwellings — it builds participation, inclusion and community; and
• international partnerships can help Australia move faster by learning from proven models overseas.

The conversation will continue at the 2026 ACHA Co-op Housing Summit in Sydney, hosted by Common Equity NSW. Tim Ross, CEO of CHF Canada, will join the Summit in person to share first-hand insights from Canada’s co-operative housing sector and its current period of growth and investment.

The delegation returned home inspired, energised and with practical ideas to support future advocacy and sector development in Australia.

Canada has shown what is possible when co-operative housing is backed by policy, investment and partnership. ACHA’s task now is to bring those lessons home and keep building the case for co-operative housing as a practical, proven solution to Australia’s housing affordability challenge.