It was the large farm co-operatives, particularly in the west, that provided the main political thrust to the movement. Building co-ops are those incorporated for the bulk purchase of materials and construction services. Once the houses are built, the Co-operative dissolves and the members own their houses individually. This type of Co-operative is popular particularly in the Maritimes, Quebec and Saskatchewan. In a continuing housing Co-operative, the group not only builds or acquires the buildings, but continues to own or lease them.
Members have right of occupancy, but no individual ownership.
Between 1964 and 1970, eight more family projects were built, including Alexandra Park Co-operative in Toronto and Ashworth Square in Mississauga. As the seventies approached, rising land and construction costs made financing co-ops more and more difficult. The supporters of the Co-operative movement began arguing for legislative changes which would make financing easier. From 1973 to 1978 over a hundred Co-operatives were developed across Canada. The concentration, however, was in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.