Member Events
Study Circle
As our second Study Circle topic, we have selected the book “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond. It’s a brilliant and heartbreaking look at poverty and the impact of unstable housing, where eviction is the norm. It's been on several bestseller lists and even though it is based in the USA, it tells a story that is close to home. You can borrow one of the copies we have in the office (email Kathie - don’t delay, these are first come, first served!), order the book from Words Worth, or borrow from your library. Or if you prefer, you can watch a talk by the author on YouTube. We will also reference the recent “Mapping Displacement Report”, developed by the Social Development Centre - the issues are local!
This will be an in-person event at Seven Shores Café.
All resources for this event can be found here.
Register for this Study Circle. Join in and contribute to this really important conversation - and meet other members!
Master Class: Efficiency Retrofits for Multi-Family Housing (External Link)
Efficiency Capital, in partnership with Durham Region and WR Community Energy, is hosting a series of educational and practical workshops as part of its Social Housing Readiness Initiative program, designed to make efficiency and infrastructure upgrades easier and more accessible to multi-family housing providers.
The program helps multi-family housing providers prepare for efficiency retrofits by sharing industry insights into building the business case, the process, funding, choosing partners and solutions, and implementation options that will enable operators to maximize their long-term financial sustainability.
Learn more about this event, including how to register, at this link.
Please note that this event is not hosted by Union Co-operative but may be of interest to our members.
Conversation Café
NEW DATE! Please join us on March 30th.
An energy audit can shape our priorities for development. Union Co-operative member Tim Alamenciak (and Communications Manager at Reep Green Solutions) will lead the conversation about the energy audit process, what the report will look like, and what some of the suggestions may be for us. Joining Tim will be Heather McDiarmid, Union Co-operative member and climate change consultant, and Shane Mulligan, GM at Life Co-op, a member-owned co-operative building community renewable energy projects in Southern Ontario.
Register for this online event, here.
Study Circle (Serious Lego Play Workshop)
New location! In order to stay dry and also offer good ventilation, we have moved our event to the Waterloo Campus of Conestoga College. We will meet in room 2G26. See this link for room location. Join the Study Circle, experience some serious play, and we’ll have some snacks and drinks to share.
FOCUS: “What does it mean to be a good housing provider?” This will be a Lego Serious Play Workshop designed for us by a Conestoga College class - thanks to Anthony Piscitelli. This first Study Circle will use play to tap into our creative minds, engage our imaginations and begin to answer this key question for Union Co-operative.
Register for this in-person event, here.
Read the follow-up report by Conestoga students and event leads Mykayla and Thomas.
Audits Done Right! (External Link)
The following event is not hosted by Union Co-operative but may be of interest to our members.
Event description: Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT) is hosting an audit training by experts from Jones, Maresca & McElwaney (JM&M), Audits Done Right! for Limited Equity Housing Co-ops & Condos on Wednesday, March 16 at 6PM on Zoom.
This will cover how to prepare your Condo or Co-op documentation, what signs to look for so the auditing firm you engage is competent and efficient, and how to use the finished audit report to improve your property.
This will be particularly relevant to board members of housing cooperatives or condominium associations, management companies and other people who are involved in operating multifamily buildings.