Importance of Co-op’s in Agriculture

Governance, investment for growth and development, accessing institutional markets, and land management were among the topics covered at the inaugural BC Agriculture and Food Co-op Conference in Kamloops, March 24-25. Hosted by the BC Co-operative Association, the event attracted about 120 growers, processors, retailers, academics, government representatives, policymakers and others came together to raise awareness…

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Creating Community: Affordable Housing on the San Juan Islands

Creating community is a phrase that can describe and include many things — including ensuring everyone has access to a home. Community Land Trusts are uniquely positioned to provide affordable housing appropriate to the places where they are based. This report describes three successful Community Land Trusts (CLTs) operating on the San Juan Islands of…

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Land Leases & Affordable Housing — an Animated Tale!

Land leases can help address the need for affordable housing

“In conclusion, middle-income housing affordability in Canada has become a profound social and economic crisis worthy of serious and concentrated public policy attention.” — Canada’s Middle-Income Housing Affordability Crisis, Frontier Centre for Public Policy, June 2016     When it comes to tackling the need for affordable housing, the current focus for most government and…

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Affordable Home Ownership Expert Coming to Kelowna

  The BC Rural Centre invites you to a free public lecture featuring Lisa Byers, Executive Director of the OPAL (“Of People And Land”) Community Land Trust on Orcas Island, Washington State.  Lisa will discuss how the OPAL CLT has created over 130 affordable housing units on Orcas Island over the past 25 years.  Creating Affordable…

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Affordable Housing in Rural Communities

Affordable housing is a pressing issue in many small rural communities, this webinar features Lisa Byers, Executive Director of OPAL (“Of People And Land”) Community Land Trust on Washing State’s Orcas Island. Providing affordable housing that’s place-appropriate is the real challenge facing many rural and remote communities across North America. There are different approaches that…

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Affordable Rural Housing: OPAL’s April’s Grove, San Juan Islands

Affordable rural housing — providing it is a challenge across North America. An organization located just south of BC’s Gulf Islands has shown it’s a challenge that can be met. From a small group of idealistic volunteers with a vision of sustaining a healthy community on Washington State’s Orcas Island (pop. 4,500), OPAL (‘Of People…

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Affordable Rural Housing & Community Land Trusts

  Affordable rural housing is an issue in many small, remote communities. Community Land Trusts can be an effective approach to tackling this challenge, providing affordable, appropriate housing for rural residents unable to crack the commercial housing market. Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain (Vermont) Housing Trust, discusses her approach to stewarding land for the…

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Some Canadian Towns Give Away Land to Attract New Residents

Large parts of Canada were settled thanks to government policies of giving out free land to anyone willing to show up and farm it. And although the federal government largely stopped giving out Crown land in the 1930s, some small towns are continuing the tradition by giving their land away for free. Morgan Lowrie of the…

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