Housing co-op members packed another Vancouver Island Council meeting on Thursday night, May 21, and they were treated to a panel discussion on life after the end of co-op operating agreements with CMHC.

On the panel were Joanne Mick (The Agency for Co-operative Housing), Michael Rodgers (CHF BC) and Margaret Crossley, who provides bookkeeping services to many Island co-ops.The panelists were asked to share their views on the challenges facing housing co-ops after their operating agreements expire and to offer their best advice on how co-ops might thrive and prosper in the post-agreement environment.The panel and co-op delegates generated many ideas in the course of the presentations and discussion, but one theme dominated the evening: co-ops need to start planning for the end of their operating agreements YESTERDAY!If co-op members want to live in safe, secure, affordable homes in thriving co-operative communities, they will need to invest in long-term plans that start by assessing the condition of their buildings and using that information to develop realistic financial forecasts.Fortunately, CHF BC offers just such a service.  Find out more about our asset management planning and renewal service [here].The next meeting of the Vancouver Island Council will be held on October 14, 2015.