New Arts Co-op a Response to COVID-19 Presentation House Theatre (PHT) in North Vancouver has created a co-operative as a way to pivot and move forward in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new PHT Creative Hub Co-operative is an “opportunity to create a mutually supportive community of artists who feel a sense of connection [...]
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 interview, the bookstore has announced [...]
"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 history and programming for 20 [...]
Brave Technology Co-op Releases BeSafe App Vancouver’s Brave Technology Co-op is releasing BeSafe, its remote supervision mobile app ahead of schedule so that people using drugs don’t have to do so alone. BeSafe is an overdose prevention tool that allows people to support each other. It’s also anonymous and free. Brave is working on activating [...]
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 faring during the pandemic. Erin [...]
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. The pandemic has meant that [...]
Co-operation Virtual Institutes Begin June 15 The Association of Co-operative Educators (ACE) and Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) are partnering to offer Co-operation Virtual Institutes beginning June 15. The overall theme for Phase 1 (June 15-24) is how co-ops can be leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond in areas such as employment, health care, [...]
Gay Lea Foods Distributes 1,400 Baking Kits For families taking on home baking, long-time co-operative Gay Lea Foods is delivering baking kits to spread some joy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 1,400 kits, one to represent each of the farmer members in Ontario and Manitoba, are being sent to families in the Greater Toronto area, [...]
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? We asked Jody Wilson-Raybould, the [...]
People’s Co-op Bookstore is 75 and Going Strong! Canada’s oldest independent bookstore is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. To that end, the People’s Co-op Bookstore in Vancouver, is launching a fundraising drive so that it can keep going for another 75 years! The bookstore has re-opened with physical distancing measures in place and limited [...]
