About

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision: Glassworks Co-op is shaping a future where people of all ages and different means can learn, work, and live with shared values and amenities in an attainable, net-zero community.

Mission: Owen Sound Glassworks Development Co-operative Inc. exists to facilitate an attainable mixed-income, net-zero community with a range of affordable housing models, economic development projects, and environmental programs.

Values: Sustainability, Affordability, Community

Glassworks property is located on 46 acres of land located on the eastern bluffs in Owen Sound. Our intention is to develop this land in accordance with Glassworks’ Mission, Values and Vision.

Dig into our 2021 Strategic Plan to learn more.

Defined by shared values.

Becoming a member of Glassworks Cooperative means sharing common values that guide decision-making and help idefine the future we will build, together.

  • Resiliency

  • Attainable Housing for All

  • Environmental Championing

  • Regenerative Agriculture

  • Mutual Respect

  • Multigenerational

  • Equity At the Centre

  • Accessible

  • Cooperative

  • Committed to Reconciliation & Decolonization

  • Collaborative Creation

“Glassworks is really well aligned. This project will cause us to stretch into a more innovative model. We are interested in this deep collaborative concept in process and results.”

—Derek Ballantyne, New Commons Development

We believe in a future where people of all ages and means can learn, work, live, and play in Owen Sound.

 

Glassworks fosters open dialogue, shared learning, and collective improvement with the community housing sector and broader co-op movement. Glassworks Village will be grounded in a shared responsibility for the community and each other.

  • Cooperative Housing Principles

    Glassworks is a proud member of the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada.

    Here’s a quick‐reference version of the co‐op principles that we’ve adapted for Glassworks Village.

  • Voluntary & Open Membership

    Membership in a housing co‐op is open to all who can use the co‐op’s services and accept the responsibilities of being a member, without discrimination. To learn more about about becoming a member of Glassworks, click here.

  • Democratic Member Control

    Housing co‐ops are controlled by their members. Each member has one vote. Housing co‐ops give members the information they need to make good decisions and take part in the life of the co op.

  • Economic Participation

    Members contribute financially to the co‐op and share in the benefits of membership. The co‐op does not pay a return on the members’ shares or deposits. Instead it sets aside reserves for the future and charges the members only what it needs to operate soundly.

  • Autonomy & Independence

    Housing co‐ops are independent associations. They follow the laws that apply to them and their agreements with governments or other organizations. But the members control the co‐op.

  • Education & Training

    Housing co‐ops offer education and training to the members, directors and staff so that everyone can play a full role in the life of the co‐op. Housing co‐ops find ways to tell the public what they are and what they do.

  • Cooperation Among Cooperatives

    By organizing together in federations, housing co‐ops grow stronger and help to build a healthy co op movement. Where they can, housing co‐ops use the services of co‐op businesses to meet their needs.

  • Concern for Community

    Housing co‐ops work to build strong communities inside and outside the co‐op. They help to improve the quality of life for others and they take care to protect the environment.

These principles have been inspired and informed by the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada.

They are a wonderful resource to learn more about cooperative design, history, and connect to other folks interested in living in a caring, collaborative way.