Co-operatives and CED

Presenters:

Sonia BalepaMelanie Bellamy Adrian EgbersNicole Rosenow-Redhead

Introduction

Just Some Sectors:

• Retail: Consumer/Worker• Agriculture• Health• Financial• Housing• Insurance

Seven Principles:

1) Voluntary and open membership 2) Democratic member control 3) Member economic participation 4) Autonomy and independence 5) Education, training, and information 6) Co-operation among co-operatives 7) Concern for community

“Co-operatives and credit unions are driven by both economic and social

concerns”

Types of Co-operatives:

1) Producer co-operatives2) Worker co-operatives3) Consumer co-operatives4) Multi-stakeholder co-operatives5) Worker-Shareholder co-operatives

A Different PurposeA Different Control StructureA Different Allocation of Profit

What is a co-operative and how can they impact the everyday lives of Canadians?

Co-op Skit: At The Pearly Gates

Co-operatives and Development at the National and International Level

Policy and LegislationLegislation

Canadian Co-operatives Act, 1970 (revised 1999)

Policy and Programs

Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada

National Associations

• Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), 1909Represents: 9 million members/3000 Co-ops

• Counseil Canadian de la Co-opération (CCC), 1947 Represents: 8 million members/3484 Co-ops

Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI)

• In operation for six years: $4 million • Innovation & Research• Advisory Services• Ag-CDI• Co-operative Development Foundation (CDF)• Associate Members/Friends of CCA

National to Community

In the Community:

Niagara Local Food Co-operative

Mountain Equipment Co-op

• National in scope• $225,000,000 million in revenues• 2.5 million members• 12 locations across Canada• We all vote for the Board of Directors• Environmental mandate

Co-operatives and International Development

• International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)Founded in 1895 – 220 member organizations in 86

countries that represent 800 million members. Geneva, Switzerland

• Canadian Co-operative Association IDProjects with co-ops and credit unions in Africa, Americas,

AsiaCDF and CIDA: $1 = $3 Develops co-ops in over 20 countries

Co-operatives at the Provincial Level

It is the very nature of co-operatives that make them so important at the provincial level:

• Pool resources together• Share ideas/knowledge

• Draw on skills & expertise of other members• Stand together as a united front, having a stronger voice on issues related to

co-ops• Share risks and benefits

Provincial Distribution • For a country as vast as Canada, where there are many small and isolated rural

communities, co-ops and credit unions can be the economic backbone of entire communities

• The co-operative movement is thriving in Quebec, largely due to the fact that the Government of Quebec has taken an active role in supporting co-ops, working in a long-term partnership, with continued investment, to ensure that new co-ops can emerge and existing ones can survive and thrive.

Newfoundland/Labrador PEI 70 + Co-ops 340 + Co-ops 57,000 members 60,000 + members 1,400 employees 250 (+) employees (ADLtd) $132 million in sales/assets $105 million in sales/assets

(Amalgamated DiariesLtd)

Case Study #1 – Co-op Atlantic

• Largest wholesale agri-food operation in the Atlantic region

• Listed as one of the top 10 Businesses in Atlantic Canada

• More than 100 member-owned food and farm supply retailers and co-operatives throughout the Atlantic provinces that purchase goods and services

from Co-op Atlantic

•Atlantic Canada’s only grower-to-grocer food provider

Case Study #2 - Belleisle Christmas Tree Growers Co-op

• Comprised of twenty different tree growers from Southern New Brunswick• Largest crop producer in New Brunswick and produce approximately a 5th of all

agricultural products in the province• Proud to be part of the “green” movement

• Working in cooperation with other Atlantic Provinces to form a Smart Tree Co-op (producing a better tree that maintains its needles longer)

Co-op Security

• A recent study in Quebec showed 64% of co-ops were still in existence after 5 years of operation compared with 36% of other businesses

• Co-ops have also demonstrated a higher level of growth than the Canadian economy in general. Between 1984 and 1997, the number of jobs in the co-op sector increased by 50% compared to a national average of 20% over the same time period

THE HEALTH SECTOR AND COOPERATIVES IN CANADA

Health Sector and Co-operatives

• The first one was created in 1940 by Doctor Jacques Tremblay in the Province of Quebec

• Saskatchewan has been using this model of community clinics since 1962

• Different services: medical consultations, dental surgery, medical consultation at home, emergency consultations, etc.

 HEALTH COOPERATIVES AND THE YOUTH INVOLVMENT

• Enable their beneficiaries to grasp the advantages of working in a cooperative

• Youth can work in French and keep their Francophone identity

HOW TO START A COOPERATIVE IN THE HEALTH SECTOR1. THE STAGES OF THE CREATION OF A

COOPERATIVE2. FEASIBILITY STUDIES3. VIABILITY TEST4. LEGAL TOOLS5. RECRUITMENT AND MEMBERS TRAINING6. THE ELABORATION OF THE INTERNAL

REGULATIONS7. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Community Economic Development:North End Halifax

The Grainery Food Co-op

Case Study

Community Economic Development: North End

Halifax

“We strive for self-management

on the part of our workers, and

value all work undertaken,

including the work of

Producers”

“We recognize the importance ofeducation, especially on issues offood sustainability, health, andcommunity activism”

• We value the active participation of the broader community, with whom we

wish to codetermine our collective future

• We seek a membership policy free of barriers

• We aim for a culturally and economically diverse membership

“We value all people involved in the co-op.We respect all of our members andcustomers; - appreciating the diversity ofour cultures and views - giving equal valueto the contributions of men and women”

Through healthy practices we will work toensure the sustainability of the co-op. Weseek to promote community health by: -

Hiring locally - Maintaining accessibility -Avoiding authoritarian language and

structures - Linking with other elements ofthe local community

Conclusion1) Name one of the seven principles of the co-operative business

model.2) How are co-operatives different than ordinary businesses or

social enterprises? (Name at least one)3) What, in your opinion, is the benefit of having a co-op?

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