Governance

Encasa’s board of directors is comprised of representatives from the four shareholder groups:

Thom Armstrong has more than 30 years of experience in the co-operative housing movement, holding leadership positions in Saskatchewan, Ontario and B.C. His career includes a decade spent as Director of Corporate Affairs with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. In that capacity, he was responsible for member and corporate relations across a portfolio of more than 60,000 co-op homes spanning the country. Since September 2000, Armstrong has been the Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C and became Chief Executive Officer in 2020. He is also currently the Executive Director of COHO Management Services Society and three community land trust foundations, all headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.

Jill Atkey is the Chief Executive Officer of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA). She has worked in the not-for-profit sector for 20 years and currently oversees the development of major research projects and partnerships and five education events annually for non-profit housing providers. Most recently, Jill led the development of the Canadian Rental Housing Index, 25-year projections of rental demand and core housing needs, and she co-led the creation of an award-winning planning guide for non-profit housing providers facing expiring operating agreements. She has an M.A. from UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning.

Tim Ross is the Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada). Tim brings years of leadership experience in housing and homelessness focused membership organizations. He joined CHF Canada’s government relations team in 2016 and has served as CHF Canada’s Director of Strategic Affairs, where he led a team focused on government relations, stakeholder relations, membership engagement, and the organization’s annual business meeting. Previously, Tim worked as the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association and as the Interim Executive Director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.

Howie Wong has been Chief Executive Officer of Housing Services Corporation (HSC) since 2013. Previously, Howie has served as HSC’s Chief Operating Officer and as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), Canada’s largest landlord with over 165,000 tenants and a $6 billion housing portfolio. At TCHC, Howie provided oversight to TCHC’s $450 million public bond offering program and $350 million corporate debt program; and the establishment of several high-impact joint ventures and public-private partnerships.

Prior to joining TCHC, Howie practiced business law at a predecessor of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP for over 18 years. He also serves on the board of HSC Insurance.