The Linden Housing Co-Operative in Perth, Ont. is reviving a housing model that once flourished in Canada before being phased out.
Steven Welchner, chair of Linden, Lindsay Blair, owner of 2B, and Stephanie Corrin, vice chair of Linden.
The non-profit group is building 36 new units and four renovated homes in the town, just southwest of Ottawa, by December 2026, with the mission of having affordability at its core.
Lindsay Blair, owner of 2B Developments, who acted as a consultant on the project, said one of the biggest strengths of co-ops is the protection of long-term affordability.
“I’m not aware of any co-ops that were once established that no longer exist,” she said.
For Blair, Linden proves new co-ops can still be built in today’s housing climate.
“I certainly believe…that municipalities are very much so in favour of more co-ops being built across Canada, and would welcome them in their communities,” she said.
The sprint to funding
When the volunteer-led Linden board approached Blair in late 2023, they didn’t own land. 2B Developments began with a feasibility analysis, then guided the group through property selection, rezoning, design, consultant reports, and cost estimating to meet all requirements for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Co-op Housing Development Program.
The timeline was tight since CMHC announced the fund in June 2024, with a September deadline for shovel-ready applications.
“We basically are herding cats non-stop in a direction,” Blair said.
By February 2025, Linden had secured $12.3 million from CMHC, including a $3-million forgivable loan.
How can real estate professionals support the co-op model?
Blair said Realtors also have a role to play.
In Linden’s case, a private seller agreed to hold the property for eight months while financing was secured.
She believes agents can help more projects succeed by encouraging sellers to consider extended closing timelines, which could open the door for additional co-ops and affordable housing developments.
Built to last
Co-ops are self-governed by their members, with an elected board that makes decisions about budgets, maintenance and policies.
Linden’s one-bedroom units will be capped at $1,331 a month, with 10 allocated to Lanark County’s rent-geared-to-income list.
Blair says the model creates connection and a sense of agency to its members.
“The co-op model really is one that promotes community within the membership of the building,” she said. “Co-ops really empower members to feel like they’re in control.”
But self-governance also brings risk. A poorly managed board can lead to financial missteps or operational issues.
“You do want to make sure that there’s good financial oversight,” Blair said, adding that member engagement and management are critical to a co-op’s success.
Blair said there’s strong interest in the co-op model beyond Perth, with more than 100 across Canada, and several more with projects ready to go.
They can be attractive to municipalities because they create affordable units without the need for operational subsidies.
“Co-ops are really meant to be a self-sufficient model providing deeply affordable housing that addresses isolation, creates community, and has positive ripple impacts.”
For most non-profits, the toughest hurdle is reaching the stage where they can even apply for capital funding since it requires zoning approvals, a full project team, and detailed budgets, often without any guaranteed financing.
The Linden Co-op has now hit that inflection point, unlocking access to federal programs like CMHC that can make the build possible. It creates the shift from years of planning and scraping together resources to finally having capital to bring the project to life.
Motivation rooted in home
Blair said her commitment to the non-profit housing sector is shaped by what she’s seen in her own community.
“I come from Perth, and five years ago, as a result of COVID-19, I started to see homelessness in the town of Perth. I never saw homelessness growing up,” she said.
She said she watched seniors on fixed incomes lose long-time rentals and face limited options. “They’re so vulnerable … and it really is what drives me.”
Samantha Long is a contributing writer for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has over a decade of experience covering business and politics across digital, print and broadcast media.