Description:

This panel connects the roots of the co-operative movement to the realities facing housing co-ops today by centering voices often overlooked in both history and practice. Drawing on women’s leadership in the Antigonish Movement, a contemporary member-driven research partnership between a housing co-op and the University of New Brunswick, and emerging research on healthy democracy in Canadian housing co-operatives, panelists explore how participation, education, and collective decision-making shape strong co-ops over time. Together, these perspectives examine what healthy governance looks like in practice and how member input, co-operative identity, and good decision-making support long-term viability and member satisfaction.