The Habitat for Humanity movement spread to Canada in 1985, with the first Canadian build taking place in Winkler, Manitoba.[3][4] HFHC has since grown to 46 affiliates[5] in all 13 provinces.[2] HFHC has been in all ten provinces since 1998 (the final province being Quebec),[6] and all three territories since 2014.[7]
Since its founding, HFHC has successfully provided over 3,800 families with safe, decent, and affordable housing.
History
Habitat for Humanity Canada was founded in 1985, with the inaugural meeting and first home built in Winkler, Manitoba. This marked the first national Habitat organization to be established outside of the United States.[2] That house would go to Ernie and Gloria Penner, who were chosen as Habitat for Humanity’s first home recipients in Canada after a six-month application process. Ernie and Gloria were chosen as they were raising their children in a two-bedroom apartment in Winkler, and homeownership seemed beyond their reach.[8]
On June 22, 1987, Winnipeg became home to the first local Habitat in Canada, Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg (later renamed Habitat for Humanity Manitoba).[9] In early 1988, the Habitat for Humanity Canada national office was established in Waterloo, Ontario.[10]
In April 1991, the world’s first ReStore was opened by Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg.[11] It operated in a small building located at Palliser Furniture, and mostly sold used lumber in its nascent years.[9]
Prairies and Pacific
Manitoba
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba
National Leasing employees volunteering at the Habitat For Humanity Winnipeg build.
Habitat for Humanity Canada was founded and built its first ever home in Winkler, Manitoba, in 1985.[12][6]
On June 22, 1987, Winnipeg became home to the first local Habitat for Humanity in Canada, as Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg.[9][12][6]
Four years later, in 1991, the world’s first ReStore was opened by Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg, with the help of five volunteers.[11]
In 1993, Winnipeg, along with Waterloo, Ontario, hosted the first international Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Canada.[2] Planning for this event began in 1991, when Winnipeg was formally invited to host. In 1992, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter personally asked Winnipeg Mayor Bill Norrie to create the Winnipeg Habitat Foundation, an advisory group of corporate and community leaders overseeing the project. 1993 marked Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's very first time venturing outside of the United States on behalf of Habitat for Humanity International.[9]
In 2012, Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg was renamed to Habitat for Humanity Manitoba.[9]
Alberta
There are five Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Alberta:[13]
Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island (formerly Humanity Nanaimo until 2007), based in Nanaimo, has served the central Vancouver Island area since 1994.[19]
Habitat for Humanity SEBC was formerly Habitat for Humanity Boundary and Habitat for Humanity West Kootenay, which merged in March 2014. Habitat for Humanity has served the Southeast BC region since 1999.[21]
Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast, based in Sechelt, has served the Sunshine Coast since 2004.[22]
Sunshine Coast was the smallest community to have a Habitat chapter when it was formed.[22]
Habitat GTA was established in 2014 upon the merging of Habitat Toronto, Habitat Brampton, and Habitat York, focused on building homes throughout the Greater Toronto Area.[25][26]
Habitat for Humanity Toronto was established in 1988, being a local grassroots organization from its founding to 2001.
In 2001, Habitat Toronto attempted to build seven homes at once. In 2009, over 80 homes were built at three different build sites.[27]
Each year, Habitat Toronto holds a "blitz build" that targets a specific group and tries to get a large portion of that group out to build. In 2009, the organization held a Women Build event where 300 female volunteers helped build 16 homes in Scarborough.[28]
In 2009, Habitat Toronto CEO Neil Hetherington was named as one of the Top 40 under 40 by The Caldwell Partners International.[29]
HFHHO was established in 1993 as Habitat for Humanity London, renamed to Habitat for Humanity Oxford Middlesex Elgin in 2012 after expanding into those counties, and finally becoming Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario upon its acquisition of the StratfordPerth affiliate in 2014. In 2021, the organization would also expand into Brant-Norfolk.[30]
As of January 2021, Heartland merged with Habitat for Humanity Brant-Norfolk, adding another 2 already established stores to their network located in Brantford and Simcoe respectively.[30]
Quebec
Habitat for Humanity Quebec (French: Habitat pour l'humanité Québec) was founded in January 1998 as Habitat for Humanity Montréal in Montreal, marking Habitat's presence in all 10 provinces of Canada.[10] Stephen Rotman became president of Habitat for Humanity Montreal on August 21, 1998.
The first build project was dedicated on October 31, 1999, in the Saint-Henri district of Montreal. The project consisted of building two adjacent houses to provide homes for two families. Habitat Montreal built its 3rd house in 2002.[31]
The McGill University Campus Chapter of Habitat Quebec, formed in February 1998, is one of twelve Habitat for Humanity campus chapters in Canada.
On October 17, 2006, Montreal's ReStore was opened at 7177 Newman Boulevard in LaSalle,[32] becoming the 50th ReStore opened in Canada and the 1st in the province of Quebec.[33] Initially, unlike the ReStore shops in the rest of Canada, the Montreal outlet did not accept donations from the general public. "We want to sell quality goods to people, so, for now, we're relying on corporate donations," Rotman explained for The Gazette.[34]
Also that month, Habitat Montreal had built three homes. "It costs about $75,000 to build a house, plus all the donated labour and materials," Rotman said. Rotman was optimistic that the new ReStore will generate "a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year" allowing the local Habitat group to step up the pace of construction to two houses a year.[34]
On May 15, 2007, a new house building project was unveiled, which provide a home for a family in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough of East-end Montreal.[35]
ReStore Montreal was closed on August 24, 2009, and reopened at 4399 Notre-Dame Street W, three times the size, on September 8.[36]
In August 2010, for a fourth consecutive year, TD participated in a Habitat for Humanity Montreal project by donating $10,000. On August 11 and 12, approximately 30 TD employees helped build a duplex on 5096-5098, Sainte-Clotilde in Saint-Henri district.[37]
On September 25, 2010, Habitat for Humanity Montreal held its first ever Party in the Park event, at Parc Gadbois in the Saint-Henri district.[38]
In November 2010, Isabel St Germain Singh became CEO of Habitat for Humanity Montreal.
Charles Lafortune was named as its new spokesperson, in a ceremony held at ReStore, on July 7, 2011.[39]
On November 15, 2011, two renovations projects in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve began.
Habitat Montreal organized the first annual fundraising gala on May 17, 2012, at the Montreal Delta Centre-Ville. The second fundraising gala was organized at Windsor Hotel (Montreal) on May 1, 2014.[40] The fashion gala was given at the Windsor by the Maison Marie Saint Pierre for the profit of Habitat of Humanity.[41]
On January 24, 2013, Habitat Montreal ReStore was re-launched.[42]
Atlantic Canada
Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Island, based in Charlottetown, was founded in 1996. Habitat PEI had built 35 houses from 2001 to 2011 in the province, but never west of Summerside at the time.[43]
In 1996, Canada’s 200th Habitat for Humanity home was built in Moncton.[10]
Nova Scotia
Habitat reached Nova Scotia in 1992 with the establishment of Habitat for Humanity Halifax-Dartmouth in Dartmouth.
In 2003, a chapter was established on the South Shore, which dedicated its first home in Bridgewater in 2006. Also in 2006, the affiliate opened a ReStore in the Burnside neighbourhood.
Habitat Halifax-Dartmouth hosted its first Women Build in 2007. Habitat HRM dedicated its 25th home in Sackville in 2008.[48]
In 2011, the organization became Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia, a provincial affiliate of Habitat for Humanity Canada.
Northern Canada
Construction of the first Habitat for Humanity homes in the Northwest Territories began in June 2014, marking HFHC's presence in all 3 Canadian territories.[7]
Nunavut
Habitat for Humanity Iqaluit became an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity Canada in 2005. Iqaluit was the first Canadian affiliate to benefit from Global Village support, in 2007. That year, they built the first home with the assistance of two teams of Global Village volunteers.[49] The second home was built in 2009 with the assistance of 3 more Global Village teams.
Yukon
Habitat for Humanity Yukon (HFHY) was given official affiliate status in September 2004, with Todd Hardy as a founding member and the first President.[50]
The first projects of Habitat for Humanity Yukon were homes at the following Whitehorse, Yukon, locations: Kodiak Place (1 unit, completed November 2006); Keewenaw Drive (2 units, completed July 2010); Wheeler Street (3 units, completed February 2011), and Pintail Place (3 units, completed February 2013).[50]
