Cameo Co-op’s operating agreement ended July 2015. The end of an operating agreement is a major occasion in the life of a co-op. The first mortgage may be paid off, but there’s a lot still do do. Planning around subsidy loss, renewing buildings and ensuring the health and sustainability of the co-op are all big projects. Cameo has spent a lot of time on those issues and passes on a bit of advice to its fellow co-ops: “don’t leave things until the last minute”. Start soon — yesterday if possible. But Cameo’s members can also tell you that the end of a mortgage is cause for celebration, and they definitely made the most of the opportunity. Many of the co-op’s 63 households turned out for Cameo’s mortgage burning party this past Saturday. It was a fun day with inflatable bouncing houses, fine food, excellent company, and an incinerated CMHC mortgage agreement!

You can find more pictures from the party on CHF BC’s Flickr pages.