We spoke with Dan Brunette, Director of Advocacy and Partnerships with Co-ops and Mutuals Canada about CMC's work to raise awareness of the co-operative model with the federal government. He offered several ideas that can be used by anyone who would like to leverage the current election period as means to raise co-op awareness, through [...]
The challenges of being a refugee or immigrant are eased by members of the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative (MCHB) in Edmonton. What began as project bridging the gap between Chinese families and the health care system, has grown into a worker co-op comprised of more than 100 cultural brokers serving 23 different ethnocultural communities at [...]
Co-operators in Saskatchewan have been running programs for youth to encourage their involvement in community and co-operative organizations since 1928. Activities have changed over the years but the focus continues to be on personal development, leadership, respect, co-operation, equality, interdependence and building strong relationships. All while having fun and with friends old and new. In [...]
JustUs! is Canada's first fair trade and organic coffee roaster founded in 1995. Its work has always been focused on social and environmental justice using coffee as a vehicle for change. Organic agriculture, as practiced by small producer farm co-ops in the Global South, is vital to the well-being and health of people and the [...]
This past year saw co-operatives rally to support their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit unions stepped up to waive fees and implement new services while food co-ops ensured their shelves were stocked with fresh, local fare. Co-ops showed how their democratic structure and putting people before profit makes a difference, especially in a crisis. [...]
In British Columbia and across the country, affordable housing remains out-of-reach for many as there is not enough stock being built and older purpose-built rentals are being torn down or converted to pricey condos. Homelessness is increasing with people sheltering in parks, vehicles and on the streets. Even co-op housing on city-owned lands face uncertainty [...]
The Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick (CECNB) helps strengthen local economies and build sustainable communities through co-operative and social enterprise development. It provides many services including training, routes to necessary capital and connections to partners across the country. CECNB is always looking ahead with youth engagement programs and business succession planning using the co-operative [...]
The Matawa Health Co-operative (MHC) was created in 2017 to enhance existing services provided by the federal and provincial governments to the nine Matawa First Nations in northern Ontario. This community-driven co-op supports Matawa members, both on reserve and in Thunder Bay. After numerous engagement sessions, members identified three main areas where they needed MHC's [...]
The Saskatoon Community Clinic is a health care co-operative that began in 1962 and played a pivotal role in the establishment of medicare in Canada. All of its work is community-driven, delivered by interdisciplinary teams and based on core values including collaboration, accountability, engagement, equity and being people-centered. Member input is welcome and volunteerism is [...]
Youth engagement is vital to keeping the co-operative sector healthy and growing for years to come. Early leaders in the movement recognized this long ago and formed co-op camps for young people to introduce co-operative values and leadership opportunities. Such camps and year-round programs continue today, usually sponsored by credit unions and run by provincial [...]
