General Archives | Page 7 of 11 | Sweat Equity – The Grimsby Homebuilding Co-operative 1953

Expert shingler John Colleary

Although John was a plasterer by trade, he was very good at shingling during the build. And so he was honoured as the King of the Shingleers.

Wilf Worley wrote a song for John Colleary

Sixty years later, John Blake would sing the song at a “Co-op at 60” information event hosted by the Grimsby Archives. It speaks to the fun-loving guy that […]

John Blake sings at the Grimsby Archives in 2016 in honour of his co-op friends.

The Grimsby Archives hosted an evening in which their members could hear about the “sweat equity” co-op story and meet some of the original builders. John Blake, who […]

Shingling in the Lakedale Co-op

Some jobs were simply backbreaking and others required skill. Sometimes work could be dangerous. Supervisors and inspectors were on hand, but men who had never done construction found […]

Shingling alone or together

Harold works on the roof of a 2-story building illustrating the challenges and dangers facing the builders. Fortunately there were contractors who over saw the day-to-day workings of […]

Co-op Common Share

This original co-op share illustrates the business and banking aspect of the co-operative. It is dated the month before the sod-breaking in January 1955 and is worth $10. […]

Materials and Men

The management of materials and men fell to the hired supervisors, Rod and Ward Sexsmith and Roy and Denton Wilson, as well as to the co-op team leaders. […]

Teamwork was key

Working 30 hours on the co-op site per week, over and above their regular jobs, the builders focused first on grunt work. Eventually, they took on some of […]

North end homes, with the Niagara Escarpment to the south

Within view of both the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario, this beautifully situated neighbourhood was aptly named Lakemount Terrace Subdivision. As houses passed inspection, the CMHC would release […]

Sweat equity begins with land clearing

The men were so anxious to begin the building phase, they cleared the land themselves. Later, they would mix their own concrete, haul and lay bricks for basements […]

Lakemount Terrace Subdivision Plan

Sherbrien and Cathedral Heights co-ops were the first to build, with the Lakedale co-op starting soon after. Once they became incorporated, they needed building permits. These weren’t so […]

Main Street Grimsby 1950’s, facing west

More than half the co-op families did not own a car, so it took coordination for 81 men to carpool between Hamilton and Grimsby. Some also worked two […]