Mission

The purpose of FECHIMM

The Fédération des coopératives d'habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain (FECHIMM) is an amalgamation of self-governed collective businesses working in the real-estate sector. Its members are self-governed collective businesses. With its services and training workshops, the Federation participates in the consolidation of housing co-operatives in promoting the development of essential self-management skills of co-op's members.

THE ROLE OF THE FEDERATION

The Federation offers housing cooperatives services specially adapted to the housing cooperative sector in four different and complementary ways:

education and management services
products resulting from group buying plans
defence, promotion and political representation
development and support services for cooperative entrepreneurship

30 years of history

Founded in April 1983, FECHIMM celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013. At the beginning, the name was Fédération des coopératives d'habitation de l'Île de Montréal. Around twenty housing cooperatives in Montréal wanted a collective tool to develop services for their particular needs, to defend their interests and to see that new housing cooperatives would see the light of day.

In 2002, the Federation extended its action to Laval and to the MRC de Deux-Montagnes, Mirabel and Thérèse-de-Blainville and changed its name to Fédération des coopératives d'habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain. Today, more than 460 cooperatives are a member of FECHIMM with some 11000 co-operative households. It represents about 2/3 of the cooperatives on its territory for a real-estate value of around 1 billion dollars.

A democratic organization

Created by its members, its rationale is to serve them and it is fully accountable to them. The annual general assembly of the members elects the administrators, all from member cooperatives.For details on the democratic functioning of the Federation, see the Democratic functioning.

Mission and values

Our mission, the rationale of our organization, is determined as follows :

SUPPORT the individuals and the incorporated housing cooperatives, in their desire to consolidate and to expand, here and abroad, the cooperative movement : collective property, democratic way of life and of citizen participation.
ADVISE the cooperatives and their members, in order to allow them the greatest autonomy possible and to make choices in their image.
CONTRIBUTE to the development, by collective entrepreneurship and putting together all available resources, of an exemplary level of solidarity with all the sectors of the cooperative movement, in Québec and in the World.
DEFEND the right to housing, particularly through the development of cooperative and social housing, so that the entire population has access to quality housing adapted to their needs.

Our vision : the Federation is an association at the service of its members.

To this end, it must be :

A LEADER able to bring together and to mobilize all the concerned parties with a view to reinforcing and expanding the housing cooperative movement.
A MODEL in the society as regards to setting up permanent development policies seeking the best quality of life for its members and all the citizens, on all economic, social and environmental levels, in Québec and in the World.
A REFERENCE as regards the quality of the economic services and the advice it offers its members and the whole community housing sector.

DECLARATION OF FECHIMM'S MISSION

The elements that guide us form a whole and are indissociable from each other. They are :

intercooperation by which cooperatives put their resources together, value cooperation and reinforce the cooperative movement body;
membership that is voluntary and available to all, favouring cooperative action in respecting its values and principles;
democratic authority guaranteeing that the members decide together according to the rule of one person, one vote;
_economic participation by the members contributing to the registered capital which is a shared property;
autonomy allowing relations with society’s other partners while respecting the cooperatives’ independence;
education by which cooperatives contribute to the development of society, training its members and keeping the people informed;
social solidarity by which cooperatives actively promote social progress and permanent development.

The values which inspire our orientation are :

democracy: promote everyone’s participation in the decision-making, complete access to information and collective responsibility;
equality: not allowing any discrimination on the basis of the person's identity and status;
equity : treat differences clearly and rightly;
solidarity : endeavour to share all available resources in view of a permanent development of society and expose, wherever they are, all unfair situations.

For more information

Louise Constantin
Mobilization and associative life coordinator
514-843-6929, ext. 223