ALEXANDRA WILSON - CANADA'S VALIANT CO-OPERATOR

From a teenager fighting rental conversion to CEO of a national agency

MONTREAL, June 14

In 1974, when Alexandra Wilson was still a teenager, she led her fellow tenants in a fight to protect their heritage apartment complex in the Riverdal neighbourhood of Toronto. The tenants stopped the Bain Apartments from being redeveloped by buying the complex and converting it to a non-profit housing co-operative that is still providing affordable rental housing today. That accomplishment and the many that followed are the reason Alexandra Wilson will be named Honorary Life Associate by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada.

The presentation will take place this evening during CHF Canada's annual general meeting at the Westin Harbour Castle Convention Centre.

Today, Alexandra is Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Co-operative Housing.

The Agency started in 2006 and administers federal co-operative housing programs in BC, Alberta, Ontario and PEI.She has given her time and expertise to many aspects of co-operative housing. After first working as Bain co-op's property manager, Alexandra joined the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.

During her time as managing director of CHFT, membership doubled and hundreds of new co-op units were developed. When the federal government planned to end funding for non-profit co-op housing development, Alexandra was part of a team that proposed a new co-op housing program more affordable for government. The government approved the new ILM program that pioneered the use of index-linked mortgages in Canada.

After three years working in the International Affairs department of the Canadian Co-operative Association, she joined CHF Canada as executive director in 1990 .

In 1995, the federal government announced its intention to devolve responsibility for its housing programs and the co-operatives developed under them. Recognizing that this would harm the national co-operative housing movement, CHF Canada presented a proposal to government for an innovative, arm's-length agency to administer co-operative housing programs.After a national lobbying campaign by co-op members across Canada, the federal government stopped the devolution of co-op housing programs in most provinces.

The Agency for Co-operative Housing took on the administration of federal co-op programs in 2006. Alexandra has been an active housing co-op member in both Toronto and Ottawa.

She has served as CHF Canada's representative to the International Co-operative Alliance's Housing Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of The Co-operators.