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In Brian O'Leary's prosperous hometown of Calgary, low-income families sleep in church basements, squeezed out by an expensive housing market. And "that's not the kind of society we want to build," says the 54-year-old lawyer. To provide affordable, stable accommodation to vulnerable families, he helped found the Calgary Community Land Trust Society in 2002, with the legal support of his firm, Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer.
The trust solicits donations of land and cash to buy land, then offers long-term leases of the land to nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. This revenue, in turn, will be used to buy more land. Twenty-seven townhouses will be finished by spring, and 15 units on a second piece of land are in the works.
Brian brings the same results-oriented drive and enthusiasm to his volunteer work that he does to his practice. Without the trust, "those units wouldn't be there," he says. "That's what makes it so satisfying." His keenness has sparked social consciousness throughout the firm. Other lawyers are taking on pro bono work and serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations. "I think we're starting to live the Me to We philosophy," Brian says.
Brian says:
"Winning a Me to We Award gave us a big motivational boost, and it also resulted in other groups in the city contacting us to offer help to create affordable housing for Calgarians in need."
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