EVENTS
Ottawa Cohousing events published here are open to the public.
Some events may require a small cover charge or suggested donation. Some will require registration.
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CONTACT
Get on our email list and receive the most up to date details of upcoming events as they are planned.
UPCOMING
Sunday, May 4, 2:00 - 5:00 PM
Cohousing Community
OPEN HOUSE!
Terra Firma Cohousing Community
166B Drummond St. K1S 1K4
With a 3pm tour & presentation by Terra Firma
This free and family-friendly event will be held in the backyard, front parking area, and common spaces at Terra Firma, and is open to the public.
Cohousing community groups from around the National Capital area will be gathering to celebrate and go head to head in a cookie contest.
You are invited to join in the festivities!
Groups attending will be looking for judges for the cookie contest and musicians happy to join in their jam. Face painting and family friendly activities and games will be on site.
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Tues, March 11 - Online
Neighbours in the Netherlands
Countries like Denmark and the Netherlands have led the way in demonstrating how a modernized version of communal housing can fit into our Western individualistic lifestyles. Linda and Lo offered an online presentation about their recent research into how the Dutch have managed a tremendous growth of cohousing community building.
Sunday, February 2
Almonte Architecture & Cohousing Event​
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Architect-Historian Peter Mansfield showcased his work in adaptive re-use of older buildings into multi unit residential spaces in Almonte, alongside Fiddlehead Commons Cohousing Community, who showcased their vision of a community of supportive neighbours.
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Almonte Textile Museum. 3 Rosamond St. East, Almonte, On.
Saturday, Dec 14
CREATE A GINGERBREAD VILLAGE!!!
We created a very sweet gingerbread village with the help of a number of families and folks from Almonte, and the members of Fiddlehead Commons. It was a festive day of fun, and learning about cohousing. The Mississippi Mills Library was so kind to host us, and is displaying our winter scene for the holiday season!​
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Almonte Library, 155 High St. Almonte, ON.
Thursday, Dec 12
Fiddleheads Commons Online Info Session
Members from Fiddlehead Commons offered an hour long info session about their growing cohousing community to a group of new curious members in the Ontario Region.
December 2024 - SEASONAL SOCIAL
East India Company - Ottawa West
Wednesday Dec 04, 6-8pm
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We celebrated a year of heart warming community, hard work, and inspiring progress with Ottawa Cohousing and members of the Great Rivers and Fiddlehead cohousing groups in a private dining room, along with community minded others.​​
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Tuesday, Sept 24
Community Special * Info Session
Linda shared stories, photos and her cohousing learnings from her travels to BC cohousing communities this past summer, to Little Mountain Cohousing Village, Cranberry Commons, Vancouver Cohousing & WindSong CoHousing.
Sept 11, Fiddlehead Commons Table
Mississippi Mills Community Open House
Fiddlehead Commons and Ottawa Cohousing members hosted a table at the 2024 Mississippi Mills Fall Community Open House. We made great connections and became familiar with a wonderful diversity of initiatives in Almonte! ​
John Levi Community Centre - 182 Bridge Street, Almonte​
July 25, 2024 Meeting MARGARET!
... the co-author of Community-Led Housing: A Cohousing Development Approach
Margaret drew a healthy crowd to speak on lessons learned as an anthropologist and in her experience as a Cohousing community consultant. She highlighted her new book, co-authored with Ronaye Matthew, principle consultant with Cohousing Development Consulting, (CDC).​
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SATURDAY, May 11, 2024
Lo and Linda representing with the presentation: Cohousing Communities: making connections and reaping benefits
We made valuable connections with professionals involved in the Tiny Home community, drew inspiration from the ambiance tiny home residents can make with their small spaces, and were surprised by the extent to which modern toiletry seems to be taken for granted!
MAY 4, 2024 - Fiddlehead Commons INFORMATION AFTERNOON
Our forming cohousing group, Fiddlehead Commons, opened Almonte's town hall to welcome a room full of curious potential community members. With help from Ottawa Cohousing's directing manager, Linda Kruus, and architect, Rosaline Hill, we offered kind insight and information about what Cohousing is, and all the potential it offers for both community and home building.
We met varying levels of curiosity and involvement with the concept, and even began to imagine what our dream communities could be. There was talk of shared gardens, kitchens and art spaces!
march 2024 - BOOK LAUNCH
Loger à la Même Adresse
Independent Journalist and author, Gabrielle Anctil, presented to a packed room, introducing her research into intentional communities and introducing her newly published book. Written in accessible French, Gabrielle speaks to Intentional Community living, joining forces in the face of the housing crisis, isolation and poverty, based on research and personal experience.
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Great Rivers Cohousing MEET and GREET
Great Rivers Cohousing Group hosted a welcoming event for anyone interested in their group and cohousing in general. Springing forth from this very well attended event is a new cohort of Spring Explorers to the group!
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Saturday, December 2, 2023
Intake Holiday SOCIAL
Great Rivers Cohousing WELCOMING EVENT
Our Urban Walkable Multigenerational Group welcomed 9 new households as Explorers!
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This cohort of Explorers will participate in Group social get togethers and project meetings from September to December, 2023. By the end of this year they will individually decide if they are ready to become Core members.
Are you ready to explore Cohousing?
April, 2023 - SPRING SOCIAL
Looking for the photos for this very happening event. Fun was had by all.
February, 2023 - The Gathering v.2
Fantastic turn out!
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Fantastic panel
of cohousing residents and consultants who generously shared their knowledge and experiences in forming and living in a cohousing community.
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We all came out of this discussion richer in community and more focused on direction.
Contact Ottawa Cohousing for the recording of the event!
January, 2023 - IKEA Dine and Design
Rosaline Hill, is a master of downsizing and Ikea provides an opportune setting to see how we can all manager in smaller than we think spaces. Discover the pre set rooms they have arranged.
December, 2022 - Intake SOCIAL
🎶 OH what fun, we had tonight, in a one room open space. 🎶
The cohousing curious and afficionados came out in numbers and packed our event with questions and great conversations.
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The Great Rivers Cohousing group REPRESENTED their vision, their thoughtfulness and their new name! (Group A is no longer....)
Some things we discovered....
Katherine can 'work' a room!
The Clocktower has delicious Korean cauliflower!
Linda likes trivia!
People have super and similar ideas of what they want to share in community!
Rosaline rocks a Q and A session!
October/November, 2022 - Do It Like the Danes!
Here is what our attendees said of our conversation with the Danish cohousing community....
"Thank you all; it was very informative." P.E.
"It was so informational, interesting and encouraging for cohousing in Ottawa... we could have had another hour of discussions with our Danish friends, and with everyone who participated."
K.C..
"I appreciate now that it is also very difficult to get things going even in a forward thinking society like Denmark"
J.Y.
"So glad you are having all these events." S.M..
"Thank you to everyone for their involvement and learning!!" S.Y.
"Thank you to all panelists and to Ottawa Cohousing for organizing."
J.
SEPTEMBER, 2022 - Sustainability Showcase & Electric Vehicle Exhibition
What a super turn out! It was so great to see new and familiar faces at the Ottawa Cohousing table at the Sustainability Showcase, organized by the SMARTNet Alliance.
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You certainly kept us busy at this one of a kind Ottawa event featuring business' and organizations focused on offering sustainability solutions in the region.
Ottawa Cohousing was on hand to explain how Cohousing communities, as a housing choice, aligns with those seeking to reduce their negative environmental impact.
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For further information on cohousing as a sustainable housing option, you can listen to the Green Drinks event on Sustainable Housing that we were part of in August 2022.
AUGUST, 2022 - Getting your Ducks in a Row
LYSA DIXON mortgage specialist and resident of Little Mountain Cohousing led attendees through the intimidating process of financing required to create cohousing communities.
An invaluable source of information, Lysa may be consulted by those seeking guidance on how to approach personal financing in the process of creating a cohousing community.
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Mortgage Professional, TMG Averbach Mortgages
604 817 1751
lysadixon.com
Lysa is a BC licensed Mortgage Professional
JULY, 2022 - Soul Sister under construction Tour
July, 2022, participants in the tour gathered together and were split into 4 groups to get personalized tours of the site by the Soul Sisters.
Enormous thanks to the Soul Sisters and their construction workers who assisted with the tour to answer all the curious questions. This event was a pivotal inspiration to many who attended.
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Photos from the tour can be found on the Examples of Cohousing page.
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Article in All Things Home
JUNE, 2022 .... Building Better Solstice BBQ
​Ottawa Cohousing and our interested clients paid homage to the longest day of the year, as we joined with three leading Green Builders in our region for dinner and chatter on sustainability.
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A big THANK YOU to all who braved the soggy weather to make our cozy and informative event.
MAY, 2022 - "MAKING IT WORK" Insights into Group Dynamics
WOW! Our speakers delivered as promised a thorough and clear discussion on Group Dynamics involved in cohousing!
For those continuing on with us into Affinity groups, you will find much of this valuable shared insight and information incorporated into our Group lessons. A big thank you to Suzanne and Kathy and all who attended this very civil and engaging event.
Contacts for our guest speakers:
Kathy McGrenera
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Suzanne Gagnon
APRIL, 2022 - PUB Party Room PLAY Social
We were very happy to engage with our small group during Happy Hour at the Barley Mow!
While a larger crowd had been anticipated, the intimacy of a small group allowed for cross connecting together, deep learning about cohousing in general, and who Ottawa Cohousing is specifically.
We are already looking forward to our next opportunity to share Cohousing Trivia with all of our friends in cohousing! Such an entertaining way to learn about cohousing and related items.
MARCH, 2022 : The Architecture of Community
Thank you to all our lovely guests who joined us for an active and participatory session on design for community!
Rosaline engaged our group of communitarians in identifying what architectural features make for a cohousing community, what constraints tend to be a challenge and how design decisions can impact costs.
It was a real delight to see everyone in person to share thoughts and appetites, (creative and actual), together.
FEBRUARY, 2022 : The Gathering
We asked and they came!
Our panel of cohousing residents joined us from their various homes across the country.
For the attending Ottawa resident cohousing Wanna-be's or cohousing Not-so-sure's, our panelists dropped pearls of wisdom and lived lessons into our ears. We are so grateful to have spent this valuable time with them.
The after panel show continued with the learning and discussions and comparisons.
JANUARY, 2022 INTRO LAUNCH !
Our opening event was a great success.
Thank you to everyone who participated. We really appreciate the healthy turn out of interested attendees. For those that missed the event, or if you need a recap, see here for a link to the recording.
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