Island members filled the room on February 15 for the Vancouver Island Council meeting in Victoria, networking with new and familiar faces, delegates and co-op members.Vancouver Island Directors Art Farquharson, Dave Maier and Patty Shaw (CHF BC’s president), presented the board report and reviewed highlights from the federation including the recent AGM in November where CHF BC unveiled their new look in a new venue. The AGM will now be a part of a larger Housing Central conference in partnership with BCNPHA. The directors also spoke of the scholarship fund, the century of co-operation awards and the $2M received from the provincial government for subsidy assistance.Member Services Director, Kerry Panter, outlined CHF BC’s group buying opportunities and reported on the success of our new Co-op Telecom Program with Telus . The Telecom program is the fastest growing group buying program which has 98 co-ops and 1,500 members now using the heavily discounted HD television, high-speed internet and home telephone services. Kerry advised delegates of upcoming events such as the Spring Education Conference on April 1, the Island Member Appreciation on April 26, 2017, and the application deadline for CHF BC’s Scholarship fund.During the meeting, the Vancouver Island Council members welcomed guest speaker Dawn Bowles from Encasa Financial and Ashleigh Kolla ECAP Fortis BC. CHF Canada director at large Pat McClain delivered the CHF Canada report. She spoke about the national You Hold the Key campaign and encouraged members to stay involved by participating in the ‘Voicing our vision’ campaign and the upcoming CHF Canada AGM.