CHAC Sustainable Sector Series Summary

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation sponsors the monthly Sustainable Sector Workshop Series hosted by the Community Housing Affordability Collective (CHAC). The events feature networking opportunities and presentations from various expert speakers related to the housing affordability sector.

The networking portion is a huge benefit for attendees who can lean on a dynamic mix of industry experts at each event. Efficiencies are created when organizations can talk to each other and find innovative ways to collaborate and elevate work underway in Calgary.

Below is a summary of the Sustainable Sector Workshop Series and the speaker presentation slides. With continued support from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, the series will continue in Fall 2019 for another year. Thank you to all workshop attendees, speakers, volunteers and of course, our generous sponsor The Alberta Real Estate Foundation.

September 2018: Inaugural Event

Graham Sherman, Co-founder of Tool Shed Brewing Company shared his inspiring story about the results of his innovative drive for change in the brewery industry in Alberta, a highly-relevant feat to CHAC’s common housing affordability goals. Lobbying for policy reform, outside-the-box thinking, and collaborating with 'competition' on achieving collective goals led to the rapid growth of Tool Shed Brewing Company and also to our Alberta brewery sector becoming a model for other parts of Canada and the world.

December 2018: Telling Your Story

The panelists shared tangible guidance for good storytelling to engage people’s hearts and our minds. Some highlights include:

  • When it comes to storytelling, preparation is 80% of success.

  • Conversations always seem to flow better when you get people to ask you questions, rather than selling to them in monologues.

  • Remember to have a clear ask for how your target audience can be part of the solution, otherwise your storytelling may not generate the desired outcome.

  • It’s important to find the right balance in instilling a sense of the scope and urgency of the problem, without making it seem so insurmountable that people feel nothing can be done.

Panel Speakers:

January 2019: Innovative Funding Options for New Development

Panel Speakers and Presentations:

February 2019: Repair and Renew - Planning for Capital Upgrades

Panel Speakers and Presentations:

 

March 2019: Planning Your Affordable Housing Development

Panel Speakers:

 

April 2019: City of Calgary’s Housing Needs Assessment + Housing in Canada’s Big Cities Report

Panel Speakers and Presentations:

June 2019: Fostering a Future-Oriented Board

Darlene Cook, CEO of Peterborough Housing Corporation shared her valuable experience and advice for long-term sustainability, including refreshing the Board matrix to create a diverse and highly-skilled group of leaders, backing decisions and getting Board buy-in with expert research, evaluating opportunities for the future instead of jumping at every opportunity, and commencing an in-depth housing portfolio study to truly become the Captain of Your Own Ship in the face of changing governments, funding and communities.

 

June 2019: Series Wrap Up Wine + Cheese

CHAC celebrated the success of the Sustainable Sector Workshop series with a networking reception and a meeting with updates from the City of Calgary from Sarah Woodgate and an introduction to Bruce Irvine, the new manager of Affordable Housing with the City of Calgary and the new coordinator Tanya Williams.

The Sustainable Sector Workshop Series was made possible with the support of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.

The Sustainable Sector Workshop Series was made possible with the support of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.

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