Meet the members of our intentional community.
Jack
In Moldavia, where I grew up, the house had a thatched roof, no running water and sporadic electricity. We grew our own vegetables and raised our own chickens and pigs. My parents worked very hard and I had a deep connection with my grandfather and my grandmother. During my university years in Canada, I spent 6 weeks working on a kibbutz and for the first time experienced communal living in a fully functional community. I loved it.
After retiring from a rewarding career as a veterinarian, I traveled for several years. Recently, a good friend introduced me to cohousing. I did my research and waited for the right opportunity.
I joined LMC because I like the location and the surrounding facilities. I want to live in an inter-generational community. I believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and that kids, and kids with wrinkles, have a natural affinity for each other. Young parents lead busy lives with little time to spare. I am a grandpa with a lifetime of wisdom to share. I can see myself playing board games, reading books, and improving math and reading skills of the children in our community. I have time.
I look forward to living in a wonderful space specifically designed by us. I believe that life is better living together.
Pansy
I love the idea of living in community. I’ve owned a home for years but realize the time is coming when I will no longer want to care for it. When I heard about cohousing, I thought, “This is perfect!” I’m very detail-oriented and spent a lot of time reviewing the financial and legal documents of the project. Once I satisfied myself, though, I committed to being one of the very first founding members. I can’t imagine that we can find a better site or a more experienced management team. I have complete faith that Little Mountain Cohousing will be a community that will grow and thrive. I love to read, travel extensively and share times with friends, family and godchildren around the world.
Eve 
I grew up in a small, loving family of four and from my earliest memories I remember always wanting a larger family. Most of my friends came from larger families and I found myself dreaming of a time when my family would grow. Unfortunately, that did not happen until I had my son-Gabe who is now 21 years old. Now that my parents have passed away and my brother has moved away, I feel my family shrinking and I wish to start a ‘new family’, a family by design.
When I first learned of cohousing, what appealed to me most was the inherent sense of community, a sense of a ‘family’. I was immediately drawn to the idea of living in a multi-generational environment where people share common values, want to live together as part of a family by design, yet can maintain a sense of privacy whenever they choose. I am enthralled with the knowledge that cohousing is a community that is owned, designed and managed by its members. Being able to share in the cooking, eating, gardening, child-care and governance is exactly what I am looking for – knowing that I can participate in as much or as little as I am able is an added bonus.
As an educator in a high school setting, I am acutely aware of the importance of inclusion, compromise and flexibility. We all have strengths we bring to our cohousing community and I am grateful my talents will be utilized as I help forge our future.
I now have an opportunity to expand my life, my world, my family.
I look forward to seeing the countless gifts that will come our way. I know we will be living in abundance.
Roger
Roger was born in England, and schooled in Los Angeles, The University of California, Davis (Medieval English lit) and The University of British Columbia (Film Studies). He taught English in Pennsylvania, English + Film Studies in Vancouver at Langara College, and Film Studies at Douglas College. He plays in a topical folk band called Fraser Union with six recorded albums (including original songs), performed at Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Wells ArtsFest, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Northwest Folklife in Seattle and hundreds of other venues, especially for benefits. Roger currently serves on the Boards of DOXA Documentary Film Festival, 110 Arts Co-operative (PUSH Festival, Music on Main, Touchstone Theatre, DOXA), and on the organizing committees of Jericho Folk Club and Tipper Supper Concert Series. Ildi and Roger have two daughters and a grandson, all of whom ride bikes. They enjoy travel that includes cycling.
Ildi 
I was born near Cape Cod to Hungarian immigrant parents. I’ve lived in Massachusetts, California, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. After so much moving around, I’m happy to have settled in Vancouver (since 1974), and consider the whole city to be my home.
I retired from the Vancouver School Board almost 9 years ago, but still feel passionate about helping kids who need support learning to read. I’m involved the the Scottish Rite Learning Centre which provides free tutoring for dyslexic children, and with the Teachers’ Tutoring Service (which my friends and I established) and its charitable arm, the Tutoring Aid Society. It’s important for me to be around children because they help me retain optimism in this sometimes crazy world.
I also do lots of tai chi, am a member of the Welisa Gogos who raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and I love to take walks, knit, and hang out with my friends. I’m really excited about the Little Mountain Co-Housing Project…I’ve been interested in the concept of co-housing for a long time and I look forward to moving back to my old neighborhood!
Megan, Paul, & Margot
We are so excited to be part of building this community from the ground up. It’s rare to be able to help create your own living space alongside a group of people who realize that by working together we can fill our lives with more than we could achieve alone.
Having just had our first child, we see many benefits to cohousing for families. We want our daughter to grow up with a strong sense of the value of cooperation and to have the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people. At Little Mountain, these things will be an integral part of her life and ours. The group recently made children’s play spaces one of the highest priorities for outdoor spaces, so we know there will be a great, safe outdoor area for her – and in one of our favourite neighbourhoods with so many walkable amenities!
In addition to the many social benefits of cohousing, we are also looking forward to collaborating with our fellow members to participate in the design of our future living space. We believe that vibrant shared space is fundamental to the fostering of community ties, and we are also strongly committed to sustainable building practices. We consider it to be an exciting challenge to find creative ways to adhere to these values while also maintaining the equally important commitment to unit affordability.
Barbara
I am very community oriented, and I have been known as the “social director” by my friends. In years past I was involved in initiating many social events for family, friends and school functions when my children were younger. As a member of a large family growing up and the mother of four sons, I enjoy interacting with people of all ages and look forward to living in a community atmosphere.
I am retired from working at the Burnaby Family Life Institute and the City of New Westminster. I enjoy travelling, visiting family in Canada and abroad and attending theatre opera, symphony and stage productions with friends. I also enjoy china painting and other crafts. I am a Reiki Master, and like to share my skills with friends and family, when asked.
I look forward to living in co-housing for many reasons. Environmentally, we can benefit from reduced use of cars, cutting down on consumption and living in a more conscious way. I am also very enthusiastic about living in Vancouver and forming strong relationships with my neighbours. I believe people have so much to offer each other and co-housing will be a safe and friendly environment for sharing our skills, talents and stories, which is good for both body and soul!
Brenda & Robin 
We are drawn to co-housing because we like socializing without having to get in the car, or plan six weeks in advance. We also like the idea that not every household needs a washing machine, a set of power tools, a daily newspaper—these things can be shared. We believe the richest life is one centred on human relationships. Co-housing, (for some), is a path to the good life with a smaller environmental footprint.
We love the Little Mountain neighbourhood, where we have lived for the last several years. Robin’s childhood was in Indonesia, but he is by now embedded in Vancouver. He is a free-lance translator and a math teacher—who writes poetry “when things don’t add up.” Brenda is a third-generation Vancouverite and a graduate student in anthropology. We are both happiest near the ocean.
Jimmy & Dave
We currently live in the Riley Park area just north of Little Mountain. Dave is from Toronto. Jimmy hails from Vancouver, and has deep roots in the Little Mountain and Cedar Cottage area.
Dave loves the outdoors and is always up to climb a mountain. Dave works as a public high school teacher in the city. Jimmy is a current affairs junkie and avidly listens to public radio. He is passionate about playing sports, especially tennis and water polo. Jimmy works for the federal public service.
Our values and commitment to community and education make us excellent neighbours and friends. We believe cohousing is the ideal way to provide a safe, stable, and enriching life for our family.
Daisie 
Daisie moved to Vancouver in 2012 and feels that she has found her true home. Although she grew up in the US, mostly in California, she has been slowly moving north into the Great White North. She is a botanist, bioinformatician, and software engineer, working primarily in academia. She loves exploring the natural surroundings of Vancouver in all seasons, foraging for berries in the summer, snowshoeing and skiing in the winter, and botanizing at all times of year. She has two English Setters who enjoy exploring the outdoors with her. She is excited about joining cohousing because she enjoys crafting, cooking, and gardening with friends and is looking forward to having a community to share those interests with.
Lois, Matthew, R, & O
The Chedleys, as their friends call them, are a family of four plus one. Lois, Matthew, R, O, and their terrier mix GIR currently call Grandview-Woodland their home. By day, Matt is an engineer at BC Hydro and Lois is an IT consultant. They are also active on non-profit boards and are avid community builders. In whatever spare time they have, they also enjoy carpentry, fibre crafting, hiking, and making lots and lots of food. They are excited by the prospect of baking a big batch of cookies and having other people help eat them (well, Matt and Lois are – R and O not so much).
Jennifer, Brian, X, & M 
Jennifer and Brian have called Vancouver home since 1999. They moved to BC from Alberta, where they had large, extended families and communities. Jennifer works as a lawyer and Brian works as a news librarian for a local television station. Together they had X and M (twins born in 2008). You can usually find X playing on a soccer field or trying some athletic endeavour. M is often working on her latest art creation, or swinging from the monkey bars. In her spare time Jennifer teaches yoga, sings with a gospel choir and loves creating new dishes with her “dinner club” friends. Brian enjoys disc golf, watching movies and riding his bike.
Brian and Jennifer look forward to living in a co-housing community where their children are free to roam and interact with their neighbours, where they can lead a helping hand and know they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Charles
Charles is a long-time resident of East Vancouver. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design. He is convinced that the Little Mountain Cohousing Model can be a powerful force for building a strong, supportive community, both within the development and in the surrounding neighbourhood. When he’s not helping cities around the world create healthier, happier places, Charles spends his time biking around East Van or hiking and climbing in the Coast Range. He also makes a mean kale salad! Charles is thrilled by the diverse mix of people he has met during his Little Mountain journey.
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