Atkinson Co-op

From Rap Dictionary

Atkinson Co-op is a geared to income community in Toronto and has the distinction of being the first public housing conversion in Canada. The residents of Alexandra Park converted their community from a government housing project into a non-profit housing co-operative. The conversion of the Alexandra Park public housing project into the Atkinson Housing Co-operative took place from 1992 to 2003. The new co-operative represents an attempt to increase resident participation in the management of their housing community. The co-op came was named after Sonny Atkinson, a long time president of the Alexandra Park Residents’ Association (APRA). It was Sonny Atkinson who led the Alexandra Park residents as they began the process of converting from public housing to co-op housing. There are 147 apartments in two buildings and 263 town homes covering an 18 acres site.