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The latest news from OCA!
 
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Issue 12: December 18, 2020
 
Table of Contents

OCA NEWS

A Message from the Executive Director


I don’t know about you, but we are looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. That said, even though it was a tough year, it was a great year for reminding us of the value of co-operation. Your co-operatives have done an incredible job supporting your communities throughout this pandemic. We have seen your efforts and we think you are doing amazing work!

As we head into 2021, and hopefully a better year for the health of our country, we look forward to working with you to rebuild our province co-operatively. There will be many opportunities to support governments and communities and OCA would love to connect if you have ideas for collaboration.

We hope you and your family are safe and healthy. We also hope you are able to take the time to recharge over this holiday season to reconnect with loved ones, even if it is virtually. And most of all, we hope 2021 brings more peace, prosperity and joy into everyone’s lives.

Happy Holidays from the team at the Ontario Co-operative Association!

Erin Morgan, Executive Director

A Look Back at 2020


The OCA staff’s transition to working from home in mid-March was thankfully seamless and we are very grateful for the support of our leadership and membership throughout the year. Despite all the changes and challenges, 2020 proved to be another busy and productive year for us! We’d like to share some of the highlights of the past year with you…
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Thirty representatives from the co-operative sector participated in a networking and informational breakfast in the early hours one February morning at Queen’s Park, hosted by OCA in partnership with the CCO. 14 Members of Provincial Parliament and several Ministry staffers came out to learn about co-ops and show their support of the Ontario co-operative movement. Three Co-op Caucus Co-Chairs, Randy Pettapiece (Conservative, MPP Perth—Wellington), Chris Glover (NDP, MPP Spadina—Fort York) and Mike Schreiner (Green, MPP Guelph) addressed the delegates and shared their support for and their commitment to improving the legislative environment for co-operatives. MPPs were also informed on how co-operatives raise capital, and the need to update the Offering Statement Regulations. MORE…
CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT
We are partnering with Dr. Simon Berge at the University of Winnipeg on a SSHRC Partnership Engagement Grant application entitled: “Business Succession Planning: A co-operative approach.” The goal is to develop an integrated educational strategy for SME business owners and employees that will assist in creating succession plans to ensure the ongoing operations of their businesses thus preserving jobs and vital services. This project is expected to continue through 2021 with anticipated results being delivered in the fall. MORE…
CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION
We transitioned our CYL programming to a Virtual Camp throughout July and August, as a way to engage with and educate our leaders of tomorrow on the wonderful world of co-operatives and the values and benefits of co-operation! The virtual format provided us with an opportunity to connect with youth from outside of Ontario, primarily on the island of Dominica. Engaging youth from the island and sharing our common co-operative goals was one of the highlights of the summer! MORE…
MEMBER RELATIONS
We partnered with The Co-operators to deliver the COVID Fund. 37 co-operatives across the province received a total of $20,000 in funds from OCA to help them adapt and rebuild from COVID-19, thanks to a generous initiative by The Co-operators. MORE…
COMMUNICATIONS
We launched an online Help Centre to address frequently asked questions and provide a series of articles, how-tos and guides to help our members get the answers they need in one place! MORE…
CONSULTING SERVICES
Through contract with the Directors’ Forum Co-operative, we supported their transition from an in-person to a virtual conference series, as well as assisted with their incorporation process to a Not-for-Profit co-operative! MORE…

FSRA Releases Final Guidance to Protect Investors of Co-operative Corporation High-Risk Offerings


On December 14, FSRA posted the final Guidance for co-operatives proposing to issue securities via high-risk offerings on its website, effective immediately. They extended a thank you to OCA and several of its members for contributing to the development of the Guidance. View the News Release and the Summary of stakeholder feedback.

2021 CYL Program Dates


We are pleased to share the dates for the 2021 Co-operative Young Leaders program! At this time, we are planning for an in-person camp experience for all our participants. We will continue to monitor the provincial guidelines throughout 2021 and alter our programming accordingly, in order to ensure the safety of all participants, facilitators and staff. Registration opens online on Monday, December 14th.  Learn more about the new names for camp weeks here!
Explorers (ages 13 – 14)
  • A - July 18th to 23rd
  • B - July 25th to 30th
  • C - August 1st to 6th
Trailblazers (ages 15 – 16)
  • A – August 8th to 13th
  • B – August 15th to 20th
Visionaries (ages 17 – 18)
  • July 10th to 16th

Welcome New Members


We would like to welcome the newest Member-Owners, Coopérative Hydro Embrun Inc. and the Garden Centre Group Co-op to OCA – please take a moment to learn more about them by clicking on their logos!
 

Co-operators Community Funds – Co-op Impact Program


As Canada experiences a second COVID-19 wave, small and medium-sized co-operatives are continuing to adapt their operations in order to thrive. To support ongoing innovation, a total of $1 million in loan capital has been made available through the Co-operators Community Funds – Co-op Impact Program. Through this program, eligible co-operatives can apply for low interest loans (between $40,000-$100,000) to support projects and initiatives that will help them adapt to emerging needs in challenging times.

The Co-op Impact Program is designed to support small and medium co-operatives who are pivoting and innovating to develop new products, services or solutions to support their members and communities during the uncertainty of a pandemic. This program is complementary to existing credit union and other financing sources, such as the Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund. Learn more.

Your Input is Requested!


Researchers at the University of Waterloo are studying: (1) the degree to which the lending needs (e.g. lines of credit, term loan, mortgage, debt-like equity) of co-operatives are currently met by the product offerings of credit unions and banks, (2) the unique ways that purpose-built lenders (e.g. Working World, Start.Coop, Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund) are designing products to support co-operatives, and (3) the feasibility of credit unions implementing new lending products to meet the needs of co-operatives. They request your participation in a short online survey to learn your views about lending options currently available to co-operatives and options for improvement. Kindly complete the survey by January 8, 2021.

CMC Governance Survey


Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada is asking for your participation in a survey of co-operative and credit union governance practices. It is intended to gather information about the current state of governance practices at co-operatives and credit unions in Canada. Given the importance of this study, as well as the depth and time required to thoroughly complete the survey, they have extended the deadline to December 21, 2020. Find your link to the survey, along with more details and full instructions here.

New Report Showcases Creative Co-ops in Canada, the UK, and the US
 

Sharing Like We Mean It: Working Co-operatively in the Cultural and Tech Sectors, a hybrid co-op primer and research report, has just been published by a team of Canadian and UK-based researchers. Based on a survey of more than 100 co-ops in Canada, the UK, and the US, as well as interviews with worker-owners, Sharing Like We Mean It offers a snapshot of the co-op landscape in creative industries, explores what co-operative work can look like in practice, and features profiles of a number of worker co-ops. You can read Sharing Like We Mean It here. A supplementary technical report provides a fuller account of the research results.

Thanks for Your Support

 
The staff team at OCA would like to thank all of our Board directors, members, stakeholders, partners, consultants and volunteers, for their contributions and commitment throughout the year. Your continued support has helped us develop and provide valuable programs and services through 2020, despite the challenges we have all faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish them - and all our dedicated newsletter readers and subscribers - a very safe, healthy and happy holiday season and New Year!
Please note that our virtual offices will be closed as of Friday, December 25 and will re-open on Monday January 4. To ensure our staff team has time to relax and recharge so we can serve you in 2021, we will not be monitoring social media or emails during this time.
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Proud sponsor of the Co-op Current Newsletter!
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $41 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products.  The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt and Corporate Knights’ Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.
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