Coworking Canada
About US
Coworking Canada is a membership-based nonprofit organization, providing guidance, programming, research, resources, and support for collaborative organizations, spaces, and co-operative communities who are working together to make work – and the world – a better place.
Our members are coworking operators, and community leaders from across Canada, who are operating spaces and making a difference in their own communities. Our (non-voting) supporting members are research partners, academic institutions, and coworking partners from around the world, who share our vision and values.
Coworking isn’t just about shared space.
We believe coworking is a verb – an action, a model, and a global movement.
Want to learn more?
Our work
Coworking Canada offers membership for collaborative space operators, and we support a number of events and programs intended for everyone to access.
Our projects are managed by Coworking Canada staff, with support from our regional chapters, member working groups, dedicated volunteers, coworking partners, and alliances from around the world.
Many of our collective initiatives are now available to the public, such as COHIP and the Upcoming Coworking Canada Unconference, in Toronto, ON.
OUR Vision & Values
Coworking Canada is rooted in the shared values of community, collaboration, connection. We are better, together.
As an organization;
We recognize all the work done before us, and for us, across the lands of so-called ‘Canada’ – particularly the essential work and knowledge shared by Indigenous people – First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.
We are committed to Reconciliation, and we strive to become better stewards of the land, the resources, the relationships, and the knowledge we have access to.
We believe in cooperation and collaboration, over competition.
We strive to achieve the global core values of coworking, and to improve Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility in the coworking movement.
Our vision is a thriving network of coworking communities across Canada – creating a cycle of resilient local businesses, workers, families, and communities.
We believe a thriving coworking ecosystem provides valuable social infrastructure, resources, and the essential tools to empower workers and activate communities across Canada.
Together, we are shaping the way we work in Canada.
2025 projects
Coworking Canada Membership
Creative, community, and coworking space operators are invited to join the Coworking Canada Collective. We are working together nationally – and through our regional chapters – to shape the future of work across Canada.
We provide members with funding, media, and educational opportunities, helpful resources, regional chapters, monthly meetups, COHIP, educational programming, space tours, an amazing network of coworking peers, and a whole lot of perks.
Are you holding space for a community of members? We are holding space for you.
Coworking Canada Unconference & Tours
At the annual Coworking Canada Unconference, we invite the world to join us as we gather to exchange resources, ideas, and expertise.
Over three days, we explore coworking operations, community building, placemaking strategies, partnerships and alliances, inclusive design, collaborative technology, fundraising, and the future of work.
Together we tour collaborative spaces across our host city, meeting local leaders and global experts along the way. All are welcome!
Join us September 29-30, 2025 in Toronto, ON.
Coworking Health Insurance Plan (COHIP)
The Coworking Health Insurance Plan was established in 2013 by Ashley Proctor and the Coworking Ontario Collective.
Since then we’ve expanded COHIP across the country, providing affordable access to health, dental, disability, travel, and life insurance.
COHIP is now available to Coworking Canada members, entrepreneurs, artists, collectives, nonprofits, startups, and small businesses across Canada.
The Coworking IDEA Project
The Coworking IDEA Project is a global collaborative initiative, supported in part by Coworking Canada.
We are working in partnership with coworking leaders, organizations, spaces, and alliances from around the world to ensure the coworking movement and coworking industry is inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible.
IDEA Challenges are shared to provide coworking operators and small businesses with the tools, resources, and support they need. Opportunities to share valuable knowledge and lived experience power a network of organizational and peer support.
Future of Work & Coworking Research
Coworking Canada is working with a variety of academic institutions and research partners to compile data that reflects the coworking experience in Canada.
We are interested in entrepreneurship, economic development, the gig economy, sharing economy, workforce development, community resilience, distributed and asynchronous work, social purpose real estate, workers rights, inclusive design, social impact, activating city centres, small business development, rural assets and community infrastructure, land stewardship, and dismantling loneliness.
Interested in partnering with us?
Coworking Advocacy & Education
Canada’s first ‘coworking’ spaces were established in 2004.
The coworking movement was built upon the core values of community, collaboration, openness, accessibility, and sustainability.
Coworking Canada helps to steward the global coworking movement, providing coworking resources, research, and access to a network of experienced founders, operators, organizations, and community leaders.
We can connect you with a local operator, regional chapter, coworking alliance, media representative, or public speaker.
Want to learn more about coworking?
The knowledge, experience, and expertise we’ve built within the Canadian coworking movement over the past 21 years, is now leading and shaping the way we work around the world.
We return to Toronto for the 11th annual Canadian Unconference, where we’ll gather to spark new ideas and learn from each other, as well as international industry experts.
Together we will share resources, provide guidance, and help you to create effective strategies for navigating partnerships, strategic alliances, and the new work landscape.
See our 2025 Unconference page for more details.
This annual event is a unique opportunity to gather together, to explore collaborative intersections, opportunities, and the complexity of an evolving movement. It’s also where we meet other coworking peers, partners, and community organizers.
The 11th annual Coworking Canada Unconference is co-created by our members, and produced with generous support from our sponsors, our partners, and the Unconference founder – Creative Blueprint.
OUR TEAM
We’d love to hear from you!
2025
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jason Wong
Coworking Canada Board of Directors
Charlotte Kirby
Coworking Canada Board of Directors
Monique Cherrie
Coworking Canada Board of Directors
Ashley Proctor
Executive Director, Coworking Canada
2025
REPRESENTATIVES
Edward Wensing
Ontario Members Representative
Ian-Patrick Thibault
Quebec Members Representative
Wilberto Tong
British Columbia Members Representative
Brandon Houston
Rural Members Representative
Could this be you?
Alberta Members Representative
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Atlantic Members Representative
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Indigenous Members Representative
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Alberta Members Representative
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Atlantic Members Representative
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Manitoba Members Representative
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Northern Territories Members Representative
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Saskatchewan Members Representative
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Nonprofit Members Representative
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Supporting Members Representative
Collective Sponsors &Partners
It takes a dedicated team of value-aligned sponsors, partners, collaborators & volunteers to keep the coworking movement and it’s collectives thriving. Thank you for all the work you do to support Coworking in Canada ♥
Creative Blueprint
Coworking IDEA Project
COHIP
Coworking Alliance Summit
Coworking Quebec
Coworking BC
Coworking Ontario
Coworking Toronto
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to be ‘Canadian’ to participate in the Collective or Unconference Events?
A: No – all are welcome!
The alliance has multiple levels of membership to choose, with opportunities for residents and non-residents of so-called Canada to participate.
The Unconference is produced for an international audience, and we expect attendees to join us from across Turtle Island, the lands colonially known as ‘Canada’, The United States, Mexico, The United Kingdom, Europe, and many other places around the world. We aim to learn together and from each other.
Q: When and where are are the 2024 events taking place?
A: The Coworking Canada Unconference will be held in person October 7-9 2024, and the Online edition will take place October 30, 2024.
The Coworking Canada Unconference takes place in Vancouver, BC.
Visit the events page for more details!
Q: Where do I get tickets?
A: TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR EVENT PAGE
Q: Will the 2024 Unconference be recorded?
A: Yes, some parts of the in-person gathering will be recorded. A 1-day online event will take place on October 30th, three weeks following the Unconference. Please note: some Unconference Sessions will not be recorded as they will be private discussions, available only to in-person attendees.
Q: Who produces this event?
A: For the past 10 years the Canadian Coworking Unconference has been produced by Ashley Proctor and the Creative Blueprint team, in collaboration with the regional coworking alliances.
Q: How do I join the alliance?
A: Applications for Coworking Canada membership in 2025 will be open soon. Check back in November 2024.
Q: I may require accommodations to participate in the alliance or events effectively. Can you assist?
A: Absolutely. We want our meetings and events to be accessible for everyone.
When you register to join the alliance or to attend an event, you’ll be asked to let us know how we can best support your experience.
Do you still have questions?
Please contact us – we’d be happy to assist.
Contact Us
EST. 2012
Our Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation across ‘Canada’
As an organization that cares deeply about place, community, and shared futures, we recognize that our work in coworking, placemaking, and economic development exists within the broader context of colonial histories and present-day realities. True collaboration requires that we not only acknowledge the land, but also the many responsibilities that come with living and working upon it.
Our members hold unique and valued relationships with the peoples and with the land in their communities, and they are each on their own path of unlearning and learning. We share a collective commitment to continue our learning.
As we come together in person for the Coworking Canada Unconference, we acknowledge that we are gathering on the traditional territory of many Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. This land (AKA Toronto) has long been a place of meeting, exchange, and relationship-building for diverse Indigenous communities. It remains home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples today
Let this gathering be an opportunity to listen, learn, and act, to honour Indigenous leadership, protect the land and water, and co-create systems rooted in care, reciprocity, and justice. As we reimagine the future of work and community, may we do so in ways that reflect respect for Indigenous sovereignty, knowledge, and land stewardship.
Our work together supports meaningful paths toward reconciliation, accessibility, and equity.
Our Event Code of Conduct
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Coworking Canada, 3 Borden Street #301, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2M8