Saturday, June 14, 2008

Good morning.

On behalf of Mayor David Miller and the Members of Toronto City Council, I am very pleased to welcome you to Toronto for your Annual General Meeting.

As you know, I am a Toronto City Councillor, but you may not know that my ward has 16 co-ops – more than any other ward in Toronto.  And as well as being a past President of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto, I have been a proud resident of Spruce Court Co-op since its inception almost 40 years ago.

Councillor Pam McConnell welcomes delegates to the CHFC Convention.

I have always been active in my co-op, my husband sits on the co-op’s finance committee, and my children were born and raised in my co-op.  So I come to you as a committed member of our co-op family.

It is very fitting that you have come to Toronto during your 40th anniversary.

You have come to a City that has an exciting and vibrant co-op community, with 97 housing co-ops supplying secure, affordable housing for over 10,043 households.

You have come to a City that actively supports co-op housing.

You have come to a City that embraces the principles of diversity and community, which are cornerstones of the co-op movement.  I hope that during your time here you get to enjoy Toronto’s variety and cultural diversity in our neighbourhoods.  Truly, you can travel the world right here in our city.

The strength of our co-op community is thanks, in large part, to the excellent work done by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.  CHFT works closely with the City and our Social Housing staff, and we have built a strong, partnership.

Councillor Pam McConnell, with CHFT delegates, after receiving an award recognizing her contributions to co-operative movement.

And the co-op movement has many friends on our City Council. As an example of the level of appreciation and commitment, at the recent CHFT scholarship awards night, seven City Councillors and the Mayor were in attendance, to honour and congratulate the recipients.

Just last weekend, as the local Councillor, I was at New Hibret Co-op which, along with its sister co-op, the Older Women’s Network celebrated its 10th anniversary.  This co-op has become an essential component to the vitality and diversity of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood.  It is unfortunate that, due to policies of other orders of government, this was the last co-op built in Toronto in the past decade.

The short-sighted policies of the provincial and federal governments in that time caused incredible damage to the fabric of our city and our province.  While the need for safe, secure, and affordable housing continued to grow, our ability to meet these needs was taken away.

Your presence here is testament to these needs .Your convention shows that our movement is of national importance.  Co-ops build strong neighbourhoods.  They build safe neighbourhoods.  They build diverse neighbourhoods.  And having all of you here reaffirms that this country needs a national housing strategy, based on the successes and foundations of our co-op movement.

And despite the set-backs of the last 10 years, the co-op movement in Toronto is alive and vibrant.  And we are beginning to bring about change.  Thanks to the efforts of CHFT, Toronto Community Housing, City staff, and UNITE HERE Local 75, representing hotel workers, we are moving forward on a new co-op in my ward, at 60 Richmond Street.  This co-op will provide affordable housing for hotel workers, close to where they work, and it will feature a training facility, to allow opportunities for promotion in the hotel industry.

Councillor McConnell tours the construction site for the Local 75 Hospitality Workers Co-op at 60 Richmond Street East, on December 11, 2008.

Just as important, we are working to make this the first of a new wave of co-op housing in Toronto.  Having your AGM here sends the message that the co-op movement is alive and strong and growing.

On behalf of the City of Toronto, I would like to congratulate CHF on its 40 years of commitment to growth, stability, diversity, and community building.  And I would like to thank the staff, volunteers and supporters from coast to coast to coast for your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication to making the co-op movement a vital part of Canadian society.

Toronto’s motto is “Diversity Our Strength”.  With diversity, we have equity.  With that equity comes respect for each other.  Respect brings harmony.  And harmony brings success.  And isn’t this is exactly what co-ops are all about.

Thank you.