My Mom's Co-op

“I’ve wanted to take a look at the cooperative housing model for a while,” explains director Eve Lamont, who has tackled many social justice issues during her 30-year career making documentaries. “When I focused my camera on the St-Louis co-op, where my mother lives, I saw a particular kind of multicultural, multigenerational melting pot – a better way of living together.”

At a time when Canada is facing escalating housing prices, co-operative housing offers a viable, democratic and sustainable solution to the affordability crisis. In the Ottawa region alone, there are 65 housing co-operatives providing 3,600 homes for people with low and moderate incomes, including seniors, families, newcomers and those living with a disability.

Founded in 1984, the Sandy Hill Housing Co-op (SHHC) is made up of approximately 150 people in 63 units near uOttawa. Gillian Graham is on its board of directors and has lived and raised her family here for 12 years. “Our co-op not only provides stability in the neighbourhood, it also supports local businesses through partnerships like this one with the Bytowne,” she explains.

My Mom’s Co-op (La coop de ma mère) is screened in French with English subtitles.