“It would be a first in Quebec, a project of this scale. […] The project could increase the population of Frelighsburg by 10 to 15 %, “said Stéphanie Hinton, president of the organization behind the initiative.
However, after five years of work and more than a million dollars invested by citizens, the project is struggling to materialize.
Located on a 46 -acres plot north of the village, Nidazo offers a bold vision of a housing cooperative where private housing and shared spaces mix.
Presented as a concrete response to the housing crisis, the project relies on accessible units, financially affordable and integrated into an eco -responsible living environment.
According to his instigators, Nidazo wants to be more than a real estate project: a social innovation carried by the community, funded by the future residents themselves.
Today, the project is carried by a small team made up of the future inhabitants themselves, called the “members”. They are the ones who carry the project at arm’s length – and portfolio – in the hope of giving it life.
An alternative format, but exactly?
The Nidazo project proposes to build 79 dwellings of various types, grouped into small districts inside the site. These units – for rental or property – will all be offered at an affordable and affordable price, an essential criterion for the organization.
The whole will be managed under a cooperative model, with governance self -managed by future residents.
According to the description of the project, there will be multifamilial rental housing, common buildings, local shops, as well as seasonal dwellings intended for agricultural workers.
The objective is to create a living environment open to all generations – from young adults to families, up to retirees.
A multigenic community
For Hélène Mineau, member of the project with her spouse and close to retirement, Nidazo represents a unique opportunity to live differently. “The idea is to build a multigenerational community based on proximity and meetings,” she explains.
Shared spaces – such as a natural swimming pool, collective gardens or common kitchens – will be made available to all residents.
Kostantin, a young future resident accompanied by his spouse, who is currently waiting for his first child, shares this vision.
“It is also an opportunity to rethink our needs. For example, a single shared mailbox, that forces us to go out, to cross our neighbors, to create a link. It is this kind of small gestures that promote meetings. ”
— Constantine, Membre de Nidazo
Financial difficulties
Currently, there are even more than five million dollars missing to carry out the project in the long term, according to the organization.
The initial assessment of the cost of infrastructure was four million dollars, but was finally reduced to 2.2 million by refocusing the project on the essentials, such as wood and asphalt. The latter is included in total funding that remains to be obtained in order to be able to move forward.
“So we have to turn to other types of funding. This is why we are actively looking for new members as well as guarantors to be able to obtain bank loans, for example, ”adds Stéphanie Hinton.
Major steps have already been crossed. The land was notably acquired in two stages: $ 800,000 for the portion to be developed as a priority, and $ 400,000 for the rest, for a total of $ 1.2 million.
This amount was financed almost entirely by the members of the project, each contributing according to their means. “If a member has greater resources, he can choose to invest more. The objective is that everyone brings what they can, when they can, ”explains one of the managers.
Municipal support, provincial obstacles
One of the main challenges lies in the lack of subsidies, or more precisely in the criteria that govern them.
The mayor, Lucie Dagenais, supports the initiative, which she describes as “carrier for Frelighsburg”. But on the public programs side, the project is struggling to find its place. None of the current financing executives applies.
“Our hybrid model, which combines rental and property units, does not correspond to any existing program,” deplores Stéphanie Hinton.
“The federal government shows a certain interest, but it is at the provincial level that blockages persist.”
— Stéphanie Hinton, Chairman of the Board of Directors
The deputy for Brome-Missisquoi and Minister responsible for sport, leisure and outdoors, Isabelle Charest, closely follows the Nidazo initiative. If it recognizes the innovative nature of the project and its potential for the community, it wishes to explain the lack of financial support from the provincial government.
“In the difficult context of public finances, we make the choice to help the poorest priority to quickly access affordable housing, before subsidizing projects related to access to property,” she specifies.
A new way of living in Canada in Canada
Popularized for decades in several countries in northern Europe, notably in Denmark, cohabitation is based on a simple idea: living together differently, sharing certain spaces and resources – kitchens, gardens, workshops – while having the possibility of having private accommodation.
A model of housing which, although marginal in Canada, arouses growing interest at a time when the crises of housing and the environment shake up the traditional ways of living.
The Estrie region has seen several initiatives emerge in recent years similar to that of Nidazo. We find in particular Cohabitat Compton, the solidarity land Brome-Missisquoi, as well as other projects focusing on solidarity, diversity and collective management.
