The event was a national gathering of housing sector professionals with an interest in development, bringing together delegates and speakers from all across the country. Titled “A Roadmap to Development,” the conference sessions were focused into three streams, looking at topics related to the planning, design, and execution of affordable housing development. It was a great opportunity to meet and share experiences with housing sector colleagues and to hear about many of the exciting projects happening across Canada. Some of the highlights included discussion of innovative financing models and land trusts, examples of successful sustainable and energy efficient building techniques, and discussion around partnerships and capacity building within the sector.

Cynthia Jacques and Graeme Hussey from Cahdco both presented as panelists, ensuring that Cahdco’s experiences and perspectives were at the table.

Cynthia presented on the panel discussing BEYOND JUST HOUSING: DESIGN FOR TARGETED POPULATIONS. She shared experiences from the MHI Veteran’s House project, a supportive housing project targeted to formerly homeless veterans, which will be located on the former Rockcliffe Air Base in Ottawa. Cynthia discussed some of the technical considerations, challenges and lessons learned through the design process, as well as the process of working with the community.

Graeme was a panelist for a session titled WEARING TWO HATS: CAN NON-PROFIT HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS ACT AS DEVELOPERS? This session included panelists from New Commons Development, WoodGreen Community, and from Peterborough Housing Corporation, to share different perspectives on what it takes to position an organization to develop housing.

These were only two of many very interesting sessions. Luckily, for anyone who is interested in learning more, HSC has made the PowerPoints and presentation materials available on their Share website, at the link below. Full audio and video of the conference sessions will be uploaded as they become available.

Regeneration Forum 2019