Richard Florida to headline CHRA Congress

TORONTO - The 41st Annual Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) Congress, Renewing our Communities, will open with Richard Florida, the best-selling author of The Rise of the Creative Class and the new Canadian edition of Who's Your City. Florida is one of the world's leading intellectuals and sought-after speakers on economics, global and demographic trends, and cultural innovation. There will be an exclusive Q & A opportunity with Richard Florida for media.

"The CHRA Congress is an opportunity for housing advocates from across the country to convene to share ideas and success stories on the creation and renewal of affordable housing, the elimination of homelessness, energy efficiency, and support for marginalized groups," says CHRA President Dave Eddy.

Following Mr. Florida's address Toronto Mayor David Miller will speak about a range of Toronto initiatives to end homelessness and renew communities, including the Mayor's Tower Renewal, which aims to combine energy efficiency, green jobs and community engagement as it rejuvenates many of Toronto's high-rise rental buildings.

Among many other noteworthy speakers, Uzma Shakir, Atkinson Economic Justice Fellow, at the University of Toronto, will speak to the experience of new immigrants to Canada and how their success can be better supported through housing.

A series of mobile workshops will feature exciting housing and community renewal initiatives in Toronto. These include the City of Toronto's acclaimed Streets to Homes program and Woodgreen Community Services' award-winning approach to building equitable services and sustainable communities. A visit to Regent Park will feature young residents speaking about how they are contributing to the neighbourhood's revitalization with Toronto Community Housing Corporation's support. At Wychwood Art Barns, a former transit bus barn that has been transformed into work, gallery, and event space and includes affordable housing, visitors will see a model of how affordable housing can underpin projects with positive social, environmental and economic outcomes.

"We in the host city are pleased to be sharing some of the great community renewal initiatives that are underway in Toronto with colleagues from across the country," says Phil Brown, CHRA board member and Chair of the 2009 Congress Steering Committee.