co-operatives and ced
TRANSCRIPT
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?
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
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
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
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