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What lies ahead for co-ops?
KUSHIRO CUP
Meet our top citizen Georgie Cole is the 2013 Citizen of the Year
Stefania Seccia staff reporter
Housing co-operatives in Burnaby have already started closing the door to lowerincome people looking for an affordable place to live. That’s just one of the realities co-operative housing complexes have faced in light of federal operating agreements coming to an end over the next seven years, and the rental subsidies for low-income tenants ending with them. Lil Cameron is president of the Halston Hills Housing Co-op, where its agreement with the federal government expires in 2020. She says her co-op no longer accepts lowincome applicants and hasn’t for the last five years. “We already have too many,” she said. “Our waiting list already has hundreds of people, but if we advertised for low-income subsidy, we’d have a waiting list in the thousands.” Cameron said she’s worried about seniors, who in her co-op are the ones who mostly rely on rental assistance, facing “economic evictions.” “People can barely afford what they’re paying now,” she added. “I feel sorry for them, because this affects the most vulnerable people.” Close to one-third of residents living in co-ops rely on federal subsidies through social housing agreements. Burnaby has 26 non-profit housing co-operatives, with 1,900 units. At least 400 of those households will be hit with a loss of federal assistance. “If we don’t find a solution, we’re going to have people who can’t afford to live here,” Cameron said. “But if they can’t afford to live here, they won’t be able to live anywhere Co-ops Page 8
Stefania Seccia staff reporter
For more on the campaign, scan with Layar
Jason Lang/burnaby now
The future: Lil Cameron, president of Burnaby’s Halston Hills Co-op, is worried
about what will happen to the most vulnerable residents as co-ops face the end of federal subsidies. The co-op is one of many working to get the province involved to keep rent subsidies available after operating agreements come to an end.
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Georgie Cole is being recognized for her 50 years of dedication to the city. Cole was selected as the 2013 Kushiro Cup winner, recognizing the Citizen of the Year, for her devotion to Burnaby and generosity in giving her time to the community, according to a city staff report. “I guess I was surprised, but I knew that the people had been working very hard on it,” she told the NOW. “Well, my mom used to say, ‘He who expects nothing is never disappointed.’ So, it was indeed a pleasant surprise. In the beginning, that’s not why you do it. I was just brought up that way.” One of Cole’s nominators described her as a passionate advocate for families, children and youth. “Communities don’t happen without the passion, heart and soul of the people within it,” the nominator said. “Georgie Cole personifies every one of those qualities. It is with passion that she advocates for the rights of families, children and youth in her neighbourhood, keeping their futures in mind. It is with her whole heart that she embraces people from every walk of life and helps them make connections with one another so that
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