2025 BQNA Annual General Meeting Building Community wrap-up

Building Community was the theme of our 2025 AGM and our keynote speaker, former Mayor of Toronto, David Crombie, is a foremost proponent of doing just that. David Crombie was elected Mayor of Toronto in 1972 and with support of council ushered in an era of socially responsible urban development inspired by thinkers such as Jane Jacobs.

Crombie oversaw the creation of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, an area of mid-rise, mixed-use, mixed-income buildings that put the importance of community first and this model became the inspiration for other community design, such as the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood.

His time as mayor from 1972 to 1978 saw priority given to co-ops, affordable housing, schools and recreation centres while the city grew in population. After he left municipal politics David Crombie went on to become a federal MP; Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; and Secretary of State for Canada and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism.

Mr. Crombie who joined us virtually during our AGM, spoke of the ongoing importance of our waterfront as the backbone of the city and the need to combine’ economy, ecology and community’ in any new development proposals.

Below are a few photos of our community before it got developed with our current mix of affordable housing, co-ops and condos.

Celia Chandler, Deputy Executive Director, Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto – the BQNA is home to four co-ops.

The Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto is 51 years old and has a membership of 185 housing co-ops in Toronto, Durham, and York Region. 50,000 people live in CHFT member co-ops.

The CHFT Land Trust also administers the Bathurst Quay Community Land Co-operative Inc. that consist of the following Bathurst Quay Co-ops:

• Arcadia Co-op – 1985 - 110 units

• Harbour Channel – 1989 - 119 units

• Harbourside – 1989 - 55 units

• Windward – 1987 – 101 units

Some of the new co-ops CHFT is working on.

Mike Labbé, President & CEO of Home Opportunities Non-profit presented an alternative home-ownership model.

Home Opportunities Non-profit has developed a model that allows people with incomes as low as $35,000 to become homeowners. Using a non-profit model, Home Opportunities transfers all surplus/profits to Community Wealth – a co-operative whose purpose is to hold capital and re-invest it back into providing more cost-effective housing, job creation, and education.

Home Opportunities Non-profit developments.