We Stand

We Stand against bullying and harassment.

We Stand together as a co-operative.

We Stand on our commitment to safe co-op spaces.

We Stand up for our fellow co-op members.

We Stand behind our belief in equity.

We Stand beside each other in unity.

The We Stand project addresses harassment and violent behaviour in co-op housing spaces.

About the Project

Across Canada, we are seeing an increase in conflict and aggressive behaviour, a trend that is also emerging in our housing co-ops, affecting interactions among neighbours, directors, staff, and other stakeholders. These issues have led to higher staff turnover, limited access to co-op offices and to staff, weakened governance structures, and unhealthy community relationships. This trend is not sustainable.

The We Stand project is committed to ensuring that housing co-ops remain healthy, safe, and respectful environments for everyone — both in the community and in the workplace. The project offers practical tools, training, and support to help co-ops recognize, address, and prevent harassment and aggressive behaviour.

Our Future

This project is still in its development stages, as we outline a strong framework for a future program.

Our immediate goals are to:

Review current policies, training models, and sector challenges.
Draft a harassment prevention framework tailored for co-ops.
Develop a toolkit for boards, staff, and members.
Design training modules on bystander intervention, trauma-informed response, and governance oversight.
Present a rollout timeline for pilot co-ops and sector implementation.

Development and Implementation Schedule

December 2025–January 2026

The core group finalizes the toolkit, training modules, reporting pathways, and implementation suppports.

January–March 2026

The final draft is vetted; early adopters are confirmed, and the program undergoes beta testing at select co-ops.

April–May 2026

Introduce at the Ontario staff associations’ annual event, onboard early adopters, start training schedules and distribute the toolkit.

CHF Canada’s June 2026 AGM

National launch of the “We Stand” program and campaign materials.

Summer–Fall 2026

Conduct pilot evaluation followed by a wider sector rollout.

Your organization’s viewpoint—whether as a member of the Core Team or an Early Adopter—will be instrumental in ensuring this program meets legal requirements and the real-world needs of the co-op housing community.

Our Team

The We Stand team is comprised of local co-operative housing federations, CHF Canada, and other sector-related partners and service providers.

Founding Partner

Partner

Champion

Supporter

Early Adopter

Get Involved!

1. Become a Project Supporter

We welcome your contribution to the project and would be happy to share our sponsorship package with you. Benefits include recognition and exposure on the We Stand website and at sector events, both local and national.

2. Support Us as an Early Adopter

You can also sign up as an Early Adopter to have advance access to the final toolkit, training modules and implementation supports. Your participation and feedback will help validate the project during its initial rollout stage.