A housing co-operative in Saint John is reaching an exciting milestone as it shifts to being run by the residents.
At the same time, it’s working to make sure more people have access to safe and affordable housing.
The Range Housing Co-operative consists of 180 preserved homes and four newly built barrier-free units on Visart Street, which were completed earlier this summer.
The co-operative started in 2022 as a partnership between the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) and Housing Alternatives.
It received support from the federal government’s Federal Lands Initiative.
The site, formerly known as the Rifle Range, was federally owned and provincially managed before its transition.
Kit Hickey, executive director of Housing Alternatives, said the goal was to prevent the loss of affordable housing in Saint John.
“We wanted to ensure that this affordable housing remained in perpetuity,” Hickey said. “We knew this community would be ideal to convert to a housing co-op.”
A resident-led model
The Range now operates as a co-operative, meaning residents collectively govern the community and make decisions about its future.
A hybrid board structure was introduced, starting with five non-resident directors.
In January 2025, the co-op welcomed its first two resident board members.
Dale Smith, president of the board and a resident of The Range, said residents are still adjusting to the model, but the feedback has been positive.
“I’ve had some conversations with people, and they seem happy with it,” Smith said. “It’s been a learning curve for me too, but I try to answer questions the best I can.”
Smith and his wife live in a three-bedroom unit. He said they were initially concerned when they heard the property was changing ownership.
“We were worried it was being sold to a private owner and that our rent would go up,” he said. “But once we got more information, we were a lot more at ease.”
Affordability and upgrades
Monthly housing charges range from about $750 to $1,100 a month, depending on unit size, according to Hickey.
The existing homes are mostly three- and four-bedroom units for families. The new one-bedroom units are fully accessible and currently occupied.
All homes now have central heat pumps, replacing oil-fired furnaces.
Hickey said the upgrades have lowered heating costs by an estimated $300 a month on average.
“We went from a $170 monthly oil bill to a total power bill of about $130,” Dale Smith, president of the board and a resident of The Range, said.
“It’s a better source of heat, more consistent, and having air conditioning has been a huge bonus.”
Renovations are ongoing across the site, including bathroom upgrades, ventilation improvements, new flooring and optional open-concept layouts.
Families are temporarily relocated to furnished units while work is completed.
Karen Brodeur, director of development with CHF Canada, said co-operative housing is more affordable than market housing because it operates at cost.
Some units receive deeper subsidies, and residents may qualify for direct-to-tenant rental benefits.
“All of the units are more affordable than what you would see on the private speculative market,” Brodeur said.
“You only have to have enough money to take care of the units. You don’t have anybody making a profit.”
She said the co-operative model also offers long-term security.
Building community
The co-op has partnered with L’Arche Saint John to help fill some of the homes and support inclusive living arrangements.
Brodeur said most residents stayed through the transition, and a vacant unit was kept available during renovations to provide access to bathrooms and fridges for those temporarily displaced.
New Brunswick Health Minister Dr. John Dornan attended the recent celebration and brought greetings on behalf of Premier Holt and Minister Hickey.
He emphasized the connection between housing and health outcomes.
“If you can give people housing, it helps their health, helps their education, helps their income,” Dornan said. “And the key is that it has to be affordable and it has to be public.”
The Range is one of two housing co-operatives now operating in Saint John.
The other, Unified Saint John, was formed through the amalgamation of nine smaller co-operatives.
Brodeur said that the model helped raise awareness of co-operative housing in the city.
Brodeur and Hickey said their organizations continue to seek opportunities to expand co-operative housing across New Brunswick, including partnerships on provincial, municipal, and federal land.
