ACORN Canada 2026 Convention Recap!
Posted June 9, 2026
More than 250 ACORN members from coast to coast came together to build community power and fight for housing justice at our 8th Biennial National Convention, June 6-8th at Algonquin College in Ottawa.
ACORN members from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia filled the campus halls with non-stop chants and an unwavering commitment to build local tenant unions, fight for community issues and push for national renters’ rights and standards to protect low- and moderate-income communities.
This convention marked a critical milestone as hundreds of organized renters unified to “Protect Our Homes.”
Here is a summary of all that went down at ACORN Canada’s 2026 National Convention!
Day 1 – Saturday, June 6th: Workshops & Member Speakout
Convention kicked off with a packed schedule of skills-building and campaign planning workshops designed to sharpen members’ leadership skills. Sessions included:
- Stop Grocery Gouging
- Civics: How Canada Works
- Climate Justice
- Chapter Organizing
- Housing: Protect Our Homes
- How to Build a Tenant Union
- Actions 101
- Media Training
The workshops were followed by the evening’s main event: The Member Speakout. This classic ACORN tradition saw local leaders from across Canada step up to the microphone to celebrate hard-won local victories and share raw, personal stories of fighting back against the corporations and governments responsible for our most pressing issues. The room was buzzing with applause and excitement as members took notes on tactics to bring back to their home chapters.
CLICK HERE to watch back the livestream of the Member Speakout.
Day 2 – Sunday, June 7th: Big Plenary, Doorknocking & Gala Dinner
Day 2 started with the Delegates March-In where local chapters competed to see who could be the loudest, marching from the campus residences into the main hall with chants showing off their regional pride.
Allies from across the political, labour, and social justice sectors joined delegates in the morning for the Big Plenary. Guest speakers gave inspiring remarks and backed ACORN’s national campaign demands. Speakers included:
- Greg Meekis, Odawa Native Friendship Centre
- Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas, National President of ACORN Canada
- Marie-Josée Houle, Federal Housing Advocate
- Catherine McKenney, Ottawa-Centre MPP and NDP Housing Critic
- Stephen Skoutajan, President of Ottawa-Carleton ETFO
- Stéphanie Plante, Ottawa City Councillor (Ward 12)
Following a crash course in Doorknocking & Outreach 101, hundreds of members loaded onto buses to speak face-to-face with tenants at their doorstep in Ottawa’s Herongate and Accora Village neighbourhoods. ACORN members spent the afternoon door-knocking, listening to local tenant struggles’ with demovictions and rising rents, and collecting hundreds of new signatures to demand federal housing money to the provinces and cities be tied to tenant protections.
CICK HERE to sign the online petition!
Members who stayed back at the college participated in a Sign-Making 101 session in preparation for the following day’s BIG action.
Sunday evening was all about celebrating the community we have built at ACORN – one that spans buildings, neighbourhoods, cities and even countries. Over a catered dinner, ACORN International President, Marva Burnett, kicked off the evening’s speeches by speaking to the massive growth and new organizing drives ACORN has seen in countries across Europe, Africa and Asia. This was followed by Aaron Vansintjan, Policy Researcher for Food Secure Canada, who spoke out against corporate grocery monopolies and the need for a public alternative. One highlight of the night was Sunday’s final keynote speaker, federal NDP leader Avi Lewis, who received a standing ovation from delegates. Avi spoke about his admiration for ACORN’s work and his desire to lift up the housing demands our members have been fighting for for years.
CLICK HERE to watch back the livestream of the gala dinner speakers!
The night ended on a high note with music, a raffle draw, and the now famous ACORN fashion show!
Day 3 – Monday, June 8th: THE BIG ACTION!
It wouldn’t be an ACORN Convention without a BIG action!
Buses were packed early as 300 ACORN members converged on Parliament Hill to officially launch the “March to Protect Our Homes.” Together, ACORN members from across the country marched directly to the headquarters of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada at 180 Kent Street.
The purpose of the national tenant action was to expose the hypocrisy of Canada’s housing strategy: funneling billions in unconditional funding to provinces and cities to build NON-affordable housing, all the while weak provincial laws allow corporate landlords to erase 46,000 genuinely affordable units every single year.
Hundreds of members occupied the main lobby for over an hour, triggering a building shutdown. 30 ACORN members successfully bypassed security to reach the 11th floor to demand a meeting with the federal housing minister after months of unanswered emails, letters and phone calls.
The federal government must stop using federal funds to fill a leaky bucket. ACORN Canada is demanding all all federal housing funds must be tied to strict national standards that protect tenants’ homes. Standards must include:
- Real rent control, no loopholes (ie. ban AGIs in Ontario, and ARIs in BC)
- Ban no fault, no cause and bad faith evictions
- End fixed term leases
- Guaranteed security of tenure for all tenants
Want to support the campaign? Here are 3 easy ways to take action:
- Post on Social Media
- Call your MP and Prime Minister Carney
- Send Carney, the Housing Minister and your MP an email
Now that’s a wrap on the 2026 convention – see you in 2028!
THERE IS NO POWER LIKE THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE, AND THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE WON’T STOP!
To learn MORE about ACORN’s national housing campaign to ‘Protect Our Homes’ and to show your support online CLICK HERE.
THANK YOU to all the amazing ACORN leaders who made this convention so successful!!
- MC’s: Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas, Monica Bhandari, Nichola Taylor
- Workshop Facilitators: Nichola Taylor, Peter Jongeneelen, Tanya Burkart, Christian Salmeron, Abi Martin, Amanda Dick, Taylor Korolenchuk, Hojay Byfield, Timothy Veenstra, Marie Lourdes Garnier, Bader Abu-Zahra, Stacey Semple, Edward Roue, Edina Edmunds, Norma-Jean Quibell, Marcia Bryan, Marcia Stone, Monica Bhandari, and Christena Abbot.
- And the many, many more who led chants, took photos/videos, assisted other members, made signs and took other steps to make this year’s convention so memorable.
Finally, the convention would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors!
BIG thank you to all our 2026 convention sponsors:
