Latest Co-operative News
Co-operative News September 15, 2020
MEC Members Oppose Sale of Co-op to U.S. Firm On September 14, news dropped that stunned members of Mountain Equipment Co-op; the assets of Canada’s largest consumer co-op will be sold to U.S.-based Kingswood Capital Management. MEC’s Board of Directors made the decision without consulting members, who are also voting [...]
Co-operative News September 6, 2020
Nanaimo Helps Stock The Lockers for Students The Nanaimo-Ladysmith Foundation is once again partnering with local organizations to Stock the Lockers for local students. “While we’ve seen significant economic upheaval due to COVID-19, more children will be coming to school hungry, without supplies, shoes for PE or ill-fitting clothes” [...]
Latest from Each For All
SaveMEC Campaign Goes To Court/Mobilizing for the Climate Emergency w Seth Klein
SaveMEC.ca! Each For All continues its search for answers as to how we can stop this from happening again. We begin with an update on the legal battles being waged by members with the support of the Canadian co-operative sector. As well, our producer Vesta interviews Seth Klein whose new book A GOOD WAR: MOBILIZING CANADA FOR THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY is getting plenty of attention.
MEC Members Bypassed in Sale of Assets to U.S. Firm
On Monday September 14, news broke that Mountain Equipment Co-op's board of directors had unanimously approved a deal to sell MEC's assets to a private U.S. firm. MEC never asked its members (more than 5 million) to weigh in. What happened to Co-operative Principle #2 - Democratic Member Control? Listen in and find out.
Are the Kids Alright? K-12 Education and COVID-19
In March, schools closed across Canada when COVID-19 took hold. Lessons moved online and parents pitched in when they could. All summer provincial premiers and public health officers promoted the importance of getting students back to school for their social and emotional well being, while keeping everyone safe. But parents [...]
Post-Secondary Education and COVID-19
Students and staff in post-secondary programs had to adapt quickly once COVID-19 lockdowns began in March. Over the course of a weekend, in person classes went online, not always a smooth transition, and facilities and services were no longer available. Now, as the fall term begins, a "new normal" is [...]
Co-ops in the time of COVID – w/ John Kay, Thom Armstrong & Ross Gentleman / special guest Adam Trott
This is our monthly checkin for August 4th, 2020. Panel guests are John Kay, Thom Armstrong and Ross Gentleman. We continue our discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on co-operatives. Special guest Adam Trott is the recent winner of St. Mary's University - International Centre for Co-operative Management's essay competition #Co-ops4JustEconomy.
Oasis Active Aging in Place – A Preventive Alternative to Long-Term Care – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, we introduced Oasis Senior Supportive Living which promotes aging in place for seniors with activities to combat social isolation and foster good health. Oasis began in one apartment building in Kingston, Ontario 11 years ago. Members there have created a supportive community through social [...]
Presentation House Theatre Launches New Co-op/Worker Co-ops and COVID-19
Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver is going co-op!?! Artistic Director Kim Selody explains how the co-op is a way to move forward during the COVID-19 pandemic and opens up opportunities for artists to collaborate and connect. Also, our Worker Co-op Sector Checkin with Chris Nichols of Woodshop Workers Co-op.
Oasis Active Aging in Place – A Preventive Alternative to Long-Term Care – Part 1
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the inadequacies of long-term care for seniors with high rates of infection and subsequent deaths in these institutions. Moreover, the isolation, already felt by so many residents, has been made worse as family and caregiver visits were put on hold, only [...]
People’s Co-op Bookstore Celebrates 75th Anniversary, BC Agricultural Co-ops Adapt to “New Normal”
Vancouver's People's Co-op Bookstore was created in 1945, just before the end of WWII. It has always served the community with books that are socially significant. I spoke with Board Chair Laurel McBride about how the co-op got started, its evolution and where it goes from here. (Note: Since this [...]
Ryde Co-op Reaches Out, Canadian Centre for Study of Co-ops Creates Crisis Response Series
"Our building is closed, but our hearts are open!" That's the motto these days of The Ryde Community Co-operative in rural Ryde, Ontario. Board President Nancy Cronin says COVID-19 has meant shuttering the beloved "little building with a big heart" that has been so much a part of the co-op's [...]
Nova Scotia Strong and Collaboration in Powell River, B.C. in the Time of Covid-19
The people of Nova Scotia have worked together to remain strong through several major tragedies this Spring AND done so while also adapting to the "new normal" brought by COVID-19. We checked in with local co-operator, Erin Hancock, to find out how folks are coping and how local co-ops are [...]
How the Youth Excellence Society and Bridge City Bike Co-op Build Community in the Time of Covid-19
The Youth Excellence Society (YES) has been providing leadership training to British Columbia's youth through the support of the province's co-operative and credit union sector for 45 years. This has continued through the COVID-19 pandemic with a series of "Care Package" podcasts offering support and humor to youth around BC. [...]
Co-operative Politics in the Time of COVID-19
Co-operation is replacing hyper-partisanship as Canadian politicians respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Can this become the "new normal?" And how will co-operative federalism work to tackle the glaring gaps in long-term care and paid sick leave for workers who fear losing income so show up ill and spread the virus? [...]
Worker Co-op Recuperation and Revolution in Argentina
Decades of research in the making, Dr. Marcelo Vieta's book, "Worker's Self-Management in Argentina: Contesting Neo-Liberalism by Occupying Companies, Creating Cooperatives, and Recuperating Autogestión" is a remarkable work of academic and political reporting. Grounded in class struggle Marxism, the book delves into Argentina’s long tradition of working-class activism, the broader history of workers’ [...]
The Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op
In 1996, members of Saskatoon's Riversdale neighbourhood created a community-based organization to help youth engage in creative economic activities based on the co-operative principles and environmentalism. Since then, the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op has evolved into a program that offers high school credits, skill development, leadership and empowerment. The philosophy [...]
Co-ops in the time of COVID – Check-ins with John Kay, Thom Armstrong & Ross Gentleman
This is our monthly checkin for April 7th, 2020. The entire world has changed in the 5 weeks since we last spoke. Tonight we discuss what the present and future holds for co-operatives in the time of COVID. How impactful will this pandemic be on the co-op sector and our world? What can we look forward to?
From the Archives: Victory Gardens
Victory Gardens is a small Vancouver co-operative business founded in 2012. They can be hired to build you a garden in your own back yard, and teach you how to grow food in the middle of the city!
Victoria Women In Need Co-operative (WIN)
Since 1991, the Victoria Women in Need Co-operative has been supporting women along their journey between crisis and wellness. WIN does this by collecting and reselling donated goods in their five shops in Victoria and Langford. The revenue from these sales, together with financial donations, fund five empowerment programs [...]
From the Archives: The Role of Co-ops in Sustainable Development
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on the occasion of the 2016 International Day of Co-operatives, July 2nd 2016, said: “I urge Governments to create an enabling environment for cooperatives to thrive and grow. Let us harness the power of co-operatives to achieve the SDGs and create a world of dignity and opportunity for all."
From the Archives: The Dark History of the Co-operative Model
On Each For All we cover a lot of positive stories from the co-op sector. This is not one of those stories.
Unifor and Federated Co-ops Limited Locked in Labour Dispute at Regina Refinery
800 Federated Co-operatives Limited employees, members of labour union Unifor-594, have been locked out of their workplace in a Regina refinery since December 5, 2019. This dispute, starting from pension plan disagreements and escalating into a full protest in the last few weeks, has grabbed Canada-wide media attention, putting the word [...]
Brave Technology Co-operative: Overdose Prevention as a Platform
Brave is a multi-stakeholder platform co-operative with a single mission: to prevent deaths by overdose. Based at the heart of the opioid crisis in North America, the Downtown East Side of Vancouver, Brave's technology is built for and with people who use drugs and respond to overdoses. In this short [...]
From the Archives: Nelson Co-operatives Galore – UCCC and The Koop
This is an episode of our From the Archives series, where shows that got lost in our private archives now get their chance to shine. Because of the changing nature of time, some information may be outdated. On tonight's show we travel to Nelson, in British Columbia’s Kootenay region. Nelson [...]
Squamish Fresh Co-op
Squamish award-winning businesswoman and mom Kelly Ann Woods had a bee in her bonnet (so to speak). What could be done to increase the variety of fruits and vegetables in her town while keeping the costs down? She reached out to other Squamish Moms on Facebook and together they pooled [...]
From the Archives: Green City Growers & Evergreen Energy Solutions
This is an episode of our From the Archives series, where shows that got lost in our private archives now get their chance to shine. Because of the changing nature of time, some information may be outdated. Joshua Peterman explores a fascinating model for developing social enterprises [...]
Each For All: The Co-operative Connection is a one-hour weekly current affairs and advocacy program bringing you profiles, interviews, and reports from the world of co-ops and social economy organizations.
Join us every week at 8pm on Tuesday on CFRO, Vancouver Co-op Radio (Live-stream).