Coliving article in the Hamilton Spectator

10 Dec, 2024, No comments

Anne Bokma wrote a very good column about coliving for the Hamilton Spectator, in which she referenced what we are doing here at Oakview. Her topic was "Shared living could help with affordability, loneliness and climate change". It's a thoughtful and informative read.

The article is at this link, or you will find more about Anne Bokma and her bi-weekly column "The Other Side of Midlife" on her website.

Following is an excerpt from her article:

"Shared living is not only a solution to reduced expenses but also to the epidemic of loneliness, which has been amplified since the pandemic (35 per cent of women aged 45 and older who live alone report feeling lonely often or always, according to the AARP). Shacking up with others also helps fight climate change. Consider the typical 2,500-square-foot home creates about 28,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year while a 200-square-foot room only emits about 2,000 pounds. “The cumulative environmental impact of shared resources in co-living spaces is often underestimated,” said Emma Green, an environmental scientist, at UC Berkeley. “It’s not just about sharing electricity and heating — it’s about sharing everything from appliances to transportation, creating a multiplier effect on sustainability.”

We took the plunge!

4 May, 2024, No comments

May the 4th, time to chill.... Some things are better when done with friends.

It's gradually getting easier, as the water temp slowly rises.

A Busy February at Oakview Coliving!

24 Feb, 2024, No comments

We were pleased to host the Port Perry coliving group over three days this month. We compared notes and learned from each other’s approaches on matters such as standards for design in common areas, approaches to creating a reserve fund, and how far to go in practising “financial nudity” (not shown).

Our house concert with Taylor Abrahamse was a huge success. We had more than 30 people grooving to Taylor’s tunes and enjoying his humour.

We’ve been doing some work on articulating what we see as the key benefits of coliving. Some of these are particular to Oakview Coliving, some are more broadly applicable. What do you think? Are these attractive benefits? Are there any we’re missing?

Enjoy a healthy lifestyle in a supportive community of co-owners. Good food and dinner conversation
Own part of a lakeside property for a fraction of its cost and save on a host of monthly expenses. Have money left over for travel and other activities
Entertain family and friends in a lovely, private 2-bedroom, 4-season guest house.
Live in a recreational mecca. Hiking, canoeing, swimming, skiing and snowshoeing at your doorstep
Enjoy the benefits of ownership without being tied down
Participate in profits from marina operations
All of the above while reducing your environmental footprint

We’d be glad to hear any responses or suggestions for improvement.

[email protected]

By the way, Oakview Coliving currently has one vacancy.
More info at OakviewColiving.com

Next house concert April 11. Details to come.

Nice feature on Canoe FM

4 Dec, 2023, No comments

Our long-lost friend Carolyn Dartnell, with whom some of us worked a few decades ago, is a regular host and story producer with Canoe FM in Haliburton. She visited us a few weeks ago and put together this engaging feature. It gives quite a personal glimpse into several of the members and our motivations for being here.

Ho-hum, another weekday dinner

4 Jul, 2023, No comments

People often ask us how the cooking works out for us. What if the food isn't to our taste? Here are three dinners, from three different chefs du jour, all from the past week or so.

Ted and Hillary's lasagna with roasted beet salad

Mardi and Doug's grilled bok choy with strip loin or portabello mushroom

Grethe's creamy pasta and vegetables with tomato salad and fresh basil

Does this answer your question?

Why yes, yes we do eat like that every day, why do you ask?

Peter's in, deal is done

22 Jun, 2023, No comments

My goodness, is it now already?

Okay, it's officially summer and time to catch up on some of our news. In late May, Peter joined us. He's well known in the area as a trailblazer -- literally -- having helped to establish many of the region's favourite hiking trails.

Then in early June, less than a year after Mardi and Doug met Greg and Anna, we closed the deal and officially became Oakview Coliving.

Shoulda told you all before now, but that lake is just so darned inviting... gotta go.

A Star is Born

23 Mar, 2023, No comments

Anna did a fabulous job talking about Oakview Coliving on the After Nine show with Cathy Mcilmurray on Canoe-FM yesterday. Listen to the clip.

More publicity and some BIG news

2 Mar, 2023, No comments

We were featured in the Minden Times recently but the story hasn't made it online yet, so if you're not a subscriber yer outta luck. We expect Anna to be interviewed on Canoe FM in a couple weeks, Thursday March 23 at 9:30 am. You can listen live online. And we have a still-unscheduled feature coming up in Cottage Life magazine.

People who respond to any of those could find themselves in the running for the ONLY TWO remaining units.

(Yeah, I kinda buried the lede there.)

A fifth unit has been sold and we welcome Kim to our expanding company. Yay!

Big feature in the Toronto Star

27 Jan, 2023, No comments

As always, Tess Kalinowski did a great job sharing our story.

A productive week

22 Jan, 2023, No comments

Just finished a great week at Oakview Coliving with all of us in residence. (We won't all be living there full-time until June).

We covered a lot of ground. We developed a car sharing policy, planned the mesh network to extend high speed internet throughout the facility, figured out where the exercise room is going, and met some delightful people who may be interested in joining us.

Board members and staff from the Haliburton County Development Corporation (above) came for a visit to talk about affordable housing and how we can help. They seem like a great resource and we had a fabulous meeting with them.

We gave interviews to the Minden Times and Cottage Life, and we're looking forward to their articles.

Through it all we enjoyed great food and had a ot of fun.

Questions about co-ownership?

10 Jan, 2023, No comments

Our friends at GoCo are hosting are hosting a one-day conference, Saturday, February 4, in Toronto, to explore aspects of co-ownership, including financing, legal agreements, living arrangements and other topics. We've been contributors to such events in the past (couldn't make this time) and always found them valuable. More info at Co-ownership Toronto.

Look at us on the front page of The Highlander!

6 Jan, 2023, No comments

Very nice profile by Lisa Gervais

Oakview Coliving is a go!

4 Dec, 2022, No comments

With four of a possible seven units committed, we have determined that Oakview Coliving is a go.

Between now and June 1 we look forward to welcoming an additional three investors who would like to live in community on this glorious site.

Explore the pages of our website to get an idea of what we mean by coliving and what units are available. Then contact us if you'd like to explore further.

We can be reached at [email protected].

Come enjoy the view!