Is Cohousing Right for You?
An honest, no-pressure conversation about a different way to live — one where community and close neighbours aren’t an afterthought.
What we cover
In about 90 minutes, we'll walk through the essentials — what cohousing actually is, how it works day-to-day, and what it asks of the people who choose it. There's plenty of time for questions.
The origins and principles of cohousing — and what sets it apart from condos, co-ops, and communes
What daily life actually looks like in a cohousing community
Shared spaces, community decision-making, and the social contract
Cohousing as a path to ownership — how it's financed and structured
Who cohousing tends to work for — and honest talk about where it doesn't
Live Q&A — bring every question you have
Who this is for
You don't need to be close to a decision. This session is for anyone at the "I keep hearing about cohousing and I'm curious" stage. It's especially resonant if you find yourself in any of these situations:
You're thinking about downsizing and wondering what comes next
You work from home and miss the organic social contact of an office
You'd like to age in a place where people look out for each other
You've always wanted real community but haven't found it in conventional housing
You're new or relocating to Victoria and looking for belonging as much as a home
You're just curious — that's more than enough reason to come
Your Host
Margaret Critchlow, PhD is one of the most experienced cohousing voices in Canada — and she doesn't just study it. She lives it.
A former professor of Social Anthropology at York University with 25 years in the field, Margaret's academic work took her from the villages of Vanuatu in the South Pacific to the frontlines of housing cooperative research. She has authored seven books and more than 50 academic articles on topics ranging from community-led housing to customary land tenure and international development.
Margaret is a founding member of Harbourside Cohousing, the first senior cohousing community in western Canada, where she has lived since it opened in 2016. She knows cohousing not as a theory but as a daily practice.
Since then, she has worked as a community-building facilitator, developed popular online courses including "Is Cohousing for You?" and "Planning for Aging in Community," and co-authored Community Led Housing: A Cohousing Development Approach — the framework that informs Township's work with Esquimalt Village Cohousing.
Save your seat
Register below and we'll send you the Zoom link and a short introduction to cohousing ahead of the session.
If you have questions, please email: info@evcohousing.ca