In this issue:
- 2024 in Review
- New Performance Updates
- Printed Statements and the Canada Post Strike
- Officer Closure Dates
- Upcoming Webinar: Navigating Asset Management From Concept to Completion
- Contest Winner
2024 in Review
2024 was a big year for us. At the start of the year, Encasa’s ownership changed with Housing Services Corporation (HSC) and the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF-C) becoming its sole shareholders. Howie Wong, who led the re-structuring of HSC’s Group Insurance Program, took the helm as CEO. In March, Encasa brought Jody DeGagne, a former York Region Service Manager and community housing veteran, to implement a new business plan as COO.
Our activities in 2024 have focused on laying the foundation for delivering greater value to our clients and stakeholders – finding out what matters to them as organizations focused on community housing; identifying opportunities to streamline the business to drive down costs and improve customer service; and re-tooling our communications and outreach. Our goal is to distinguish ourselves from the banks and large private investment companies by being more tailored to the needs of non-profit and cooperative housing providers.
Much of our work this year involved reaching out to our clients. In addition to re-constituting our advisory group and listening carefully to our clients, we embarked on an aggressive outreach plan — participating in a range of sector events and delivering one-on-one support. We also sought to make our communications more relevant by putting housing provider concerns (capital planning, case studies and investment basics) at the centre of our communications and webinars – endeavouring to deliver regular, plain-language communications. And to help keep Service Managers informed about the state of capital reserves in their area, we worked with HSC to launch easy-to-understand, data-driven dashboards.
Finally, while we cannot control the market, we do have the power to drive down costs and evolve our product offerings. With investments, the Power of the Group matters – the more organizations investing, the lower the management fees. To this end, we have also been working on growing the number of housing providers we serve – both in Ontario and across Canada. And we have been exploring new products, updates to our responsible investing policies and the way we work with our sub-advisers – to ensure our clients get the most cost-effective investment products and services we can deliver.
But the work has just started. In 2025, we will continue to build on our efforts. We look forward to working with you in the future. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, questions or comments about our work, and how we can make our program work better for you, we encourage you to contact us!
New Performance Updates
As part of our commitment to better customer service, we will now be providing a quarterly snapshot on compound returns in Capital Ideas.
Here is how the three Encasa Funds looked as at October 31 (click on the table to enlarge):
Providers will be happy to note that the recent gains in the overall capital markets is reflected in the performance of the Encasa Funds.
Need help in understanding this chart? Have any questions about your individual investments or developing a tailored investment strategy that aligns with your capital plan? We can help.
Printed Statements and the Canada Post Strike
The ongoing labour disruption at Canada Post may affect the distribution of printed investment statements that would normally be issued in January.
If you receive printed statements or trade confirmations for your account(s) in the mail, they will not be delivered until the postal disruption is over. We encourage your consider moving to electronic statements. It’s a simple and quick process that allows you to access your statements whenever you need them. Plus it enables you to ensure that your paperwork is uninterrupted. To set this up, contact an investment advisor by email or by phone at 1-888-791-6671.
Please note that if you require a redemption payment and have previously received these in the mail, you will need to make alternate arrangements with an Encasa advisor.
Office Closure Dates
Please be advised that the Encasa offices in both Ontario and British Columbia will have reduced coverage from Monday, December 23, 2024 to Wednesday January 1, 2025 with Markets closed on the following days:
- Monday, December 25, 2024
- Tuesday, December 26, 2024
- Monday, January 1, 2025
Should you have any urgent business during this time, please email information@encasa.ca. We will have team members available to support you. However, we recommend that you contact us by Friday, December 20 if you need anything processed before year end.
The Encasa office and markets will re-open on Thursday, January 2, 2024.
Upcoming Webinar: Navigating Asset Management from Concept to Completion
Under the new Ontario service agreement framework, the community housing landscape is changing. With new regulations and aging buildings, capital planning has never been more important.
This webinar offers housing providers practical knowledge and tools to develop sound asset management plans and budgets to keep their properties safe and affordable over the long term. We’ll delve into how to effectively:
- Use your building condition audit to inform routine maintenance and capital repair plans.
- Leverage technology for planning and decision making.
- Prioritize repairs and replacements that increase property values and minimize impact on residents.
- Identify hidden and surprise project costs.
- Build a capital budget that leverages funding opportunities and maximizes capital reserve investments.
Speakers:
- Jim Kroesen – Director, Technical Services, HSC
- Rebecca Carman – Associate Director, Housing and Homelessness, Northumberland County
- Jody DeGagne – Chief Operating Officer, Encasa Financial
Contest Winner
Thank you to those that were able to come by our booth at last month’s ONPHA conference! We enjoyed chatting with providers that dropped by, putting faces to names and discussing investment priorities and goals related to capital plans.
Visitors to the booth had an opportunity to sign up for our email updates and enter a draw to win a ticket to attend HSC’s 2025 Regeneration Forum (valued at $984). The Forum will be taking place on February 27 and 28 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
Congratulations our winner, Jill Sheppard. Jill is the property manager of Kanata Baptist Place in Ottawa and has experience in working with Encasa: “We just recently completed an acquisition and Encasa was a great help! Steve and Sean made the process easy and seamless. I really appreciate their efficiency and expertise. Thanks to the Encasa Team for making things easy!”