Study trip to Canada, October 2003

In October 2003, 25 delegates joined the CIH study visit to Canada. The group included a cross section of housing professionals working in the field of providing affordable housing.

The visit to Canada was the latest in an ongoing programme going back to 1988 of the CIH South East Region organising study visits overseas. We visited and established long standing relationships housing providers in Holland, Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark and Sweden. This has led to interesting exchanges, visits and joint working. Most study tours have the benefit of a report which is published and made available on our website.

So that sets the scene, but how did we come to visit Canada?

In April 2003 myself and colleague, Alistair Queen, were asked to represent the CIH at the CHRA-ACHRU Annual Congress in Toronto. We found the programme and mobile tours extremely interesting, and with the great push for off-site manufacturing of housing in the UK, we felt that there was the ideal basis for putting a study visit together. We approached CHRA and CMHC, and they were very keen to help put a week's programme together for us, and so we were able to encourage our members to enrol.

So what did we hope to achieve, and did we succeed?

Well, we had an exhaustive five day programme which kept the group on their toes.

Flying out from Gatwick at a very civilised time of 11.30am certainly appealed. We arrived in Ottawa to be greeted by a rainy, overcast afternoon, not what we had been used to - it was quite a shock to see rain.

Later that afternoon, having successfully booked into our hotel, we all gathered to meet our hosts from CHRA for a 'setting the scene session' (or in Canadian terms 'a familiarisation meeting'). Our hosts Michelle Rypstra, Sharon Chisholm and Lisa Barber provided us with a comprehensive delegate pack and most importantly, gave us an introduction to the housing scene in Canada, no money, high rents, not enough homes, homes available but in the wrong place, street homeless, affordability and so on. We all felt quite at home!!

On our first full day, it was raining again. But we were undaunted and arrived in good time at the headquarters of CMHC. Many of our delegates were especially interested in this part of our programme - the opportunity to hear about Canadian off-site manufacturing techniques from Oliver Drerup. We were not disappointed by the quality of the presentations and discussions which followed over lunch and after. One of the big issues in the UK is the demand by Central Government for off-site manufacturing which is believed to provide a better, cost and energy efficient product which is quick, easy and reliable to erect. Certainly nothing we saw in Canada proved that claim false. However, social housing providers in the UK are looking for sources of volume. In the next 10 to 15 years we are expected to provide up to 200,000 plus new homes in London and the South East. We need all the help we can get to provide these sustainable communities!

Certainly the group were most impressed the whole CMHC operation and the quality of its work, and its ability to market for a consortium of manufacturers. The commitment was clearly illustrated by our visit to the research centre and to a couple of the manufacturers - Guildcrest Homes and DAC International Inc. I am sure there will be many ongoing links and new business which will flow from this initial meeting.

On Wednesday 22nd, we travelled by bus from Ottawa to Toronto which I think all our group enjoyed. On route we had a charity quiz to pass the time and, in the true spirit of UK/Canadian entente cordiale, a team of UK and Canadian players won. Well done Michelle Rypstra and her UK colleagues! The entry fees were duly collected and handed over to Derek Ballantyne of TCH to be used by Rooftops International.

On Thursday morning we all met at the CRC Self Help Community Centre in the Regent Park Regeneration Scheme in the heart of Toronto. Here we were given information about the major regeneration scheme and about homelessness in Toronto. We learnt about the steps and partnerships which have been formed to meet this most challenging of areas that concern all major cities on whatever continent. The number of street homeless in Toronto was noticeably higher than the UK. We were quite surprised by given the extreme Canadian temperatures � it was clearly an area we needed to understand better.

Following on from this, Derek Ballantyne gave an overview of Toronto Community Housing, and of its Regent Park revitalisation of the community and the infrastructure. Derek and his team's commitment was clear. There are no housing associations in the UK that come close to owning and managing the number of homes TCH look after. Getting the regeneration of Regent Park right is absolutely vital for TCH and its residents. Many of our group have been or are currently involved in similar schemes in the UK, particularly in London. We were very interested in Regent Park - the commitment and involvement of tenants, and the strategy for mixing tenants. We could have spent a lot longer here. We spent the afternoon being guided around a number of schemes by Peter Zimerman of the Let's Build program with the City of Toronto. It was very encouraging to see that since my visit in April 2003 he had lost none of his enthusiasm or commitment to providing housing for people in need.

In the evening we spent time with our hosts from TCH and CHRA. It was a lively evening with much debating and discussion of housing (mostly) and golf (a little). Short speeches were made and gifts presented. The evening closed with a brisk walk back to the hotel, bed for some, and the Irish bar for others.

Friday, the final day of our programme, started with a City Summit Presentation. Unfortunately, a major fire alarm in the middle meant the hotel to be evacuated. So we jumped on our bus and proceeded, a little early, to the St Lawrence and Distillery districts for a walking tour of this regenerated part of Toronto. Many comparisons were drawn with London's Covent Garden area � we got a good impression.

In the afternoon we went to meet Michel Labb� who gave us a very useful presentation on affordable housing solutions. We liked this initiative. Similar schemes have been tried in the UK and failed. However, Michel seems to have been able to eliminate some of the areas on ownership, security and funding which plagued UK schemes.

We ended the programme with an open discussion led by John Metson, President of CHRA. This wrapped up the work element of the visit and gave people the opportunity to ask the burning questions they had meant to put to speakers. John and Michel's openness and honesty were refreshing.

So, was the visit a success, what did we learn, what were the benefits, will we come again?

When we were arranging the visit and the programme, we had a number of objectives which we wished to achieve:-

The visit should ensure that we all came away with a better understanding of the Canadian social housing sector, particularly the funding and district, regional and Central Government role:

The group would have plenty of opportunity to network with practitioners and to experience at first hand examples of good practise.
To look at innovative housing solutions and opportunities which could have a future in the UK.
Affordability and homelessness issues and lessons to be learned.
Regent Park Regeneration Scheme.
To look at off-site house manufacturing and new ideas.
To establish good relationships with our Canadian host organisation and individuals with a view to building upon these meetings into a meaningful partnership between similar people and organisations, people at the coalface so to speak.

The CIH South East hope that from this first visit we can develop strong and lasting relationships with our colleagues in Canada, CHRA, CMHC and TCH.

Chris Moquet