Harbourside Life
Harbourside is designed for adults enjoying an active lifestyle, which includes participating in the management and maintenance of our cohousing community.
Sharing Food
One of the many ways community happens at Harbourside, shared meals are a way to enjoy good food, build friendships, and stay connected with neighbours. Although every home has its own full kitchen, sharing food is a somewhat regular occurrence.
Monthly Sunday brunches, frequent coffee and tea socials, and both spontaneous and celebratory potlucks are entirely dependent upon Harboursiders’ interest and willingness to both organize and clean up after.
Having Fun
Life at Harbourside offers plenty of opportunities to stay active, learn something new, or simply enjoy time together. Residents organize activities such as exercise classes, movie nights, game nights, a book club, social gatherings, and seasonal celebrations. As individuals or with neighbours, we garden, work out in the gym, go to local yoga classes, snorkel, swim, cycle, sail, kayak, canoe, paddle board, camp, travel, and more.
The diversity of our residents, our Commonhouse and surrounding outdoor spaces, as well as community events in Sooke, encourage development of new interests and friendships to grow. There’s always something happening at Harbourside, with the freedom to participate as much or as little as you choose.
Rolling up Our Sleeves
Harbourside is a community that is collaboratively cared for by the people who live here. Residents contribute to gardening, landscaping, yardwork, maintenance, and monthly work parties, helping keep the property beautiful and functional for everyone.
Participation is a valued part of cohousing life, offering opportunities to share skills, spend time with neighbours, and take pride in the community together. Everyone can contribute in ways that align with their interests, abilities, and availability, making the work both manageable and rewarding.
Considering Life at Harbourside?
Expectations & Responsibilities
Life at Harbourside Cohousing offers many social benefits and amenities. Along with these come responsibilities for each household. Being a part of cohousing means accepting that it takes time, attention, and flexibility to fulfill the obligations of community life in order to enjoy the benefits.
Rural Location & Support
Harbourside is located near Sooke’s town core, which has some basic medical offices including doctors, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, etc. Like the rest of BC, there are long waitlists to obtain a family physician/general practitioner. Hospitals and speciality medical services are about a 60-minute drive away in Victoria. Harboursiders can offer mutual neighbourly support, but Harbourside does not provide health care assistance services.
Participation in Governance
All Harbourside owners and tenants are on our strata council, which meets monthly to make decisions by consensus. Harbourside follows the Strata Property Act with regular voting in our official Annual General Meetings. Teams make decisions for the community within their individual mandates. Group decisions require strong communication and group process skills, while also offering a collaborative, innovative, and nurturing environment that is not so common in conventional living situations.
Management & Maintenance
Harbourside offers many extra amenities and resources to residents. Savings in our strata fees reflect the many volunteer hours that go into managing and maintaining our community. Physical labour is only one of many ways that Harboursiders contribute.
Meet the People of Harbourside
Every person brings a unique set of experiences and skills to contribute to our cohousing community.