What is a Community Land Trust?

In the face of Canada’s worsening housing crisis, community land trusts (CLTs) are gaining attention as a creative and community-driven solution to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how do we make land and housing truly affordable for the long term?

First, What Is a Community Land Trust?

At its core, a Community Land Trust (CLT) is a non-profit organization that acquires and holds land on behalf of a community. The purpose? To remove land from the speculative real estate market and make it available for long-term, affordable housing and community uses.

Think of a CLT as a community steward. It owns land permanently, and leases it out—often at below-market rates—for uses that benefit the public. While individuals or organizations may rent or even own buildings on CLT land, the land itself remains in trust, protected from being bought and sold for profit. CLTs are grounded in the principle of de-commodifying land—that is, treating land not as a commodity to be flipped, but as a shared resource for community well-being.

So, where did this idea come from? CLTs have deep roots in social justice movements. The model was first formalized in the United States in the 1960s by Black civil rights organizers in the South, who sought ways for tenant farmers to gain control over land and housing in the face of systemic exclusion.

In Canada, the CLT movement began to take shape in the 1980s, with early examples like Communauté Milton Parc in Montreal and Colandco in Toronto. Today, new CLTs are emerging in cities like Hogan’s Alley Society in Vancouver, Kensington Market Community Land Trust in Toronto, and beyond—each responding to the unique needs of their communities.

What Do CLTs Actually Do?

CLTs are flexible in supporting all kinds of community needs. While many CLTs focus on affordable housing, others support cultural and community spaces, urban gardens and green space, affordable commercial storefronts, and more. CLTs are like guardians of community spaces—ensuring that land is used to meet collective, rather than profit-driven, goals. They can be small, grassroots groups embedded in a single neighbourhood—or city-wide entities overseeing large land portfolios. But at their core, they all aim to take land off the speculative market and use it in ways that truly serve communities.

Instead of selling the land to developers or private owners, CLTs retain ownership of the land and offer long-term leases—often 99 years—to residents or non-profits who use the property. This ensures that the land stays in the hands of the community. In Canada, it is more common for CLTs to lease both the land and the buildings together due to legal and property law differences.

Many CLTs use a tripartite board to ensure balanced representation, which often made up of residents, community members, non-profit organizations, and public interest representatives such as housing experts or non-profit leaders. Because the land is not subject to market speculation, CLTs are able to lock in affordability for the long haul, shielding residents from gentrification, renovictions, or steep rent hikes.

Why Do CLTs Matter?

Canada is experiencing a housing emergency. Rising rents, mass evictions, and unaffordable home prices are displacing long-time residents and deepening inequality in urban centres. CLTs offer a structural alternative—a way to rethink how we own and use land. As gentrification has reshaped Canadian communities for decades through rising rents, the arrival of wealthier residents, the loss of affordable spaces, and cultural displacement, our research shows that CLTs are increasingly being used to counter these impacts, particularly as a countermeasure to for-profit development.

What Are the Challenges?

Despite their promise, CLTs are facing real obstacles:

• Acquiring land in overheated real estate markets
• Accessing sustainable funding and financing
• Navigating complex legal and regulatory systems

Adding to the complexity, there is currently no clear legal definition of CLTs in Canadian law. This can make it harder to access government support or standardize practices across the country. Many in the sector are calling for community-led definitions or charters to strengthen recognition and build momentum.

At a time when housing feels increasingly out of reach, CLTs offer something bold and tangible: a way to collectively reclaim land, build equitable neighbourhoods, and ensure that affordability lasts for generations. With stronger support, shared knowledge, and community-led innovation, CLTs could play a key role in building a more just and sustainable housing future for all.