Author Leslie Cole has an M.A. in Geography and has been researching and writing about environmental, social and international development issues for more than 20 years. She has lived and worked in Ontario, the Yukon, Denmark and West Africa.

   To read Under Construction: A History of Co-operative Housing in Canada is to appreciate anew the remarkable evolution of co-op housing in Canada; the small but determined lobby that more than forty years ago gave birth to a powerful national movement; and the Canadians of all backgrounds who were drawn to the good housing that co-ops had to offer and who have become, collectively, the movement´s voice.
   This is the story of that movement and all of its voices, then and now. It is a story of advancements and reversals, of triumphs and frustrations. But most of all it is a success story, built on the principles and perseverance of people who wouldn´t just take no for an answer in their pursuit of a place for housing co-ops in Canada´s social fabric.
   Co-op housing in this country is a true grassroots movement. Fundamentally democratic, from the smallest co-ops to our representative federations at the regional and national levels, the movement draws its strength from the commitment of housing co-op members. It is an extraordinary fact that the calls for more co-operative housing in Canada are heard loudest from housing co-op members, who seek nothing for themselves but rather the advantage for others of what they already enjoy. It is a testament to the admirable sense of civic engagement co-op housing engenders in those who reap its benefits.