The Co-op Current
The latest news and information for and about Ontario's co-operatives!
Issue 2: February 26, 2021
|
|
Get the latest information and updates on our strategic areas and check out our member profiles...
|
|
|
As we approach the one-year mark where the COVID-19 pandemic landed on our doorsteps and changed our lives forever, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on its impact on our mental health.
No one has been untouched by its influence. We are all missing something – the loss of interacting with family, friends and coworkers, the inability to dine out, travel, play sports, go to concerts, even do our shopping when and how we prefer – and the list goes on. Even for those of us without prior mental health challenges, the stress and anxiety brought upon us by the pandemic – and the inability to relieve some of that stress through the things we love doing the most - has undoubtedly touched every one of us.
And it is not just our own fears that we are dealing with. For many of us, the stress is heightened by seeing a loved one deal with the isolation and anxiety of what is happening in the world around them, or our aging parents who can’t hug their grandchildren, or our teenagers who are missing out on a criticial period of their lives when they should be out celebrating and socializing with their peers. For others, the changing work environment has brought about its own challenges, like finding a healthy balance between their work and personal lives, or an effective way to parent while still being productive, or unemployment.
There are so many things happening around us that it is inevitably taking a toll on us physically and emotionally. Whether or not you have loved ones or dependents to care for, it is important to take the time for to care for yourself and to prioritize your mental health.
We are fortunate to be part of a movement that values co-operation, collaboration, partnership and people over anything else. Let’s apply these ways of thinking and behaving to support one another, stay connected, and get through this together.
If you or a loved one is struggling, check out these wonderful websites and resources:
|
|
|
OCA Submits Pre-Budget Consultation to MoF
|
|
OCA participated in the 2021 pre-budget consultations through an online live presentation to a panel on February 12 and a sent a full submission to the Ministry of Finance. The key recommendation asks government to increase the exemption limits related to member purchases of securities and the total amount of issued securities.
|
|
|
|
OCA Expanding its Capacity to Support Ontario Co-operatives
|
|
OCA is strengthening its capacity to support the development of Ontario's co-operatives by adding fifty professionals and 20 areas of expertise to its service offering! This will be done through a partnership agreement with the Consortium de ressources et d’expertises coopératives. The Consortium is a non-profit solidarity co-operative based in Quebec that has been in operation since 2011. They are a shared service center for co-operatives, mutuals and other non-profit organizations, and have 20 fields of expertise and 50 professionals available to help develop and sustain businesses. OCA is thrilled to join its membership and to partner with The Consortium to expand its own service offerings to our membership and beyond! View the media release.
|
|
Co-operative Young Leaders (CYL) will be working with youth in the summer of 2021. Like the rest of the world, we do not know what exactly CYL will look like yet, but we do know that we will be here to support our youth. We will communicate any updates with you as we move closer to the spring.
In the meantime, we are excited to announce that the CYL website has been refreshed and updated! It now features a photo gallery of camp participants and activities, a new “Participant Corner” page, some awesome testimonials from past participants and memories of camp from CYL alum, and more information about how you can donate to support CYL. Check it out today!
|
|
|
While the idea of being on site at camp brings a smile to everyone’s face, there are many serious concerns regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our youth. The mental and emotional well-being of families and especially youth, is both very real and concerning. Reaching out to ask for help can lead to timely support for children and youth, which ultimately
|
|
|
benefits everyone in the family. There are also tools available online that provide education about health and wellness at camps. One excellent resource is the Sick Kids' Camp and Outdoor Learning Hub, which is provided through a partnership with Ontario Camps Association and AboutKidsHealth.
|
|
|
Welcome Our Newest Member
|
|
We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Friend member, Glassworks Co-operative, a resilient eco-village developing in Owen Sound. Learn more about them and check out the recent article on them in the "Co-ops in the News" section below.
|
|
|
|
Tell us a bit about your co-operative – its origins, purpose and what needs/value your organization provides to the community.
Hay Communications started as a telephone company in 1911. Our roots are
|
|
|
in the small towns of Zurich, Grand Bend and Dashwood located in Southwest Ontario on the coast of Lake Huron. We have grown our territory and have become a full service telecommunications co-operative offering internet, television, telephone, security and mobile services. Marketing and communication with members and customers is different from other providers by being open and understandable. We don't want to be the same, we want to be better.
How is your co-operative responding to the current needs of the community?
We have changed how we work and where many of us call our office during the current situation, but our service is still delivered over a stable network and we continue to offer connectivity that is reliable. Our staff are able to fully communicate with our customers in order for them to receive a quality product.
Donations and sponsorships help to build communities. Over the years Hay has been part of community growth by supporting large projects like sports venues, health care and a local hospice to small events like town fairs and car shows. During recent times we have changed our main focus to those in need and donated additional funds to places like local rest homes and area food banks.
What is your vision for co-operatives in rebuilding the economy post-pandemic?
While large companies pull back and rebuild their market share by spending money on marketing, co-operatives will be in the community seeing the immediate needs of members. We have always been open to donation requests and the community knows they can come to us. Our staff live in our serviced communities, if a need is revealed, we can respond quickly. For example, Hay responded to a need in 2020 by giving every business account a month of internet at no charge. Local businesses, many seasonal, appreciated the break.
What does the future of the co-operative sector in Ontario look like to you?
Co-operative ideals are regaining momentum everywhere. The co-operative principles, from our structure to our actual community values, make us different. Because co-operatives are maintaining competitive prices and quality service, people can focus more on the value of being part of a local or like-minded group. These principles are becoming more and more important to people and communities.
What aspect of OCA’s mission/strategic programs do you think is most important as a way to rebuild a more co-operative economy?
The OCA organization doesn't just highlight businesses, it highlights a CO-OPERATIVE business and how it's different. You maintain a link to governments and local organizations. While OCA works to bring about awareness of co-operatives in general, our focus can remain local on how we can help our members.
|
|
|
Stay current on the latest news and information on co-operatives in Ontario...
|
|
|
Explore upcoming events and current jobs in the co-operative sector, as well as co-op research and consultations, readworthy articles and videos...
|
|
|
EVENTS - COURSES & WEBINARS
|
|
|
Fair Finance Fund’s webinar series. "The National Lottery Community Fund". The Fund projects and activities that transform communities, protect their heritage, and enrich lives through arts, sports and culture, all through the purchase of a National Lottery ticket. March 3, 2021 at 12pm EST. LEARN MORE.
|
|
|
Local Food and Farm Co-ops is hosting their 12th Annual Assembly 2021: RESILIENCE. Imagining how the world can work differently, regeneratively and co-operatively is the focus of this year’s event. The Assembly’s themes focus on strengthening co-operative development, resilience in the face of COVID-19, regenerative farming and food sovereignty specifically focused on Black and Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. March 9th - 11th, 2021. LEARN MORE.
|
|
|
Strategic Co-operative Leadership Winter Webinar Series. “Digging into the Global Research on Youth and Co-ops”. March 24 at 11am EST. LEARN MORE.
|
|
|
Directors’ Forum Virtual Governance Series. “Mutuals and Credit Unions: Opportunities for Collaboration”. March 10 at 10:30am EST. LEARN MORE.
|
|
|
|
How is COVID-19 Affecting Laws and Regulations on Co-operatives?
|
|
The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) is tackling “How is COVID-19 Affecting Laws and Regulations on Co-operatives?” To help the ICA Global Office collect knowledge and information on how COVID-19 is affecting national and international laws and regulations on co-operatives, they have launched an open call to persons with a background in law and legal studies interested in co-operatives. Legal experts or lawyers engaged with co-operatives are asked to apply by March 31, 2021. LEARN MORE.
|
|
|
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio
|
|
|
Finding the Fit: Hiring the Right Talent for the Co-operative Sector
(Submitted by George Scott, GSTS Consulting Services)
|
|
The Ontario Co-operative Association boasts members from a wide variety of industry sectors, from agriculture and utilities to housing, food product manufacturing, auto dealers, insurance and more. Despite this disparity, there’s something they all have in common – a need for talented, committed employees.
Not everyone is a fit for the co-operative sector, however. It takes dedication to an altruistic worldview, a collegial working style and a durable commitment to ‘making a difference.’ Attitude may be more important than aptitude. But co-operative organizations can’t grow and succeed without plenty of aptitude, too.
So how do we find the right people to meet the talent needs of our organizations without sacrificing what makes us special? For insight, let me share four case studies from my recruiting for credit unions and associations which, while not co-operatives, are nevertheless member-driven and member-governed organizations. [To protect the privacy of clients and individual recruits, names have been changed.]
- Business Development Manager, Employer Credit Union
In 2008, a small credit union in Ottawa was looking for a new hire to handle lending, financial planning and wealth management, which is a broad portfolio. The person was also expected to develop a sales culture, which would require emulating successful techniques commonplace in the big banks. In addition to a financial planning designation and securities license, we were also looking for a track record of profitable business development. It was a tall order for one person to fulfill, especially at the compensation level we were offering.
Of all the candidates, André stood out. Having served in advisory roles at Scotiabank, CIBC and TD Canada Trust, he ticked all the boxes on experience at the age of 36. Versatility is not something one usually finds in a banker. Too often they are pigeon-holed into a specialized role and then look for, or even expect, resource help with everything else they need. In the co-operative sector, those extra resources usually don’t exist; to be successful, you often have to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself, from the research that underpins your strategy to ordering lunch or bagging up the nightly trash.
Although he had been a caisse populaire member as a youth, André had no credit union experience. But he wanted to leave the bank for the right reasons. Pressured by a relentless product push to meet volume targets, he was being asked to recommend products and services he felt were not in his customers’ best interests. He felt “choked.”
André was attracted to the credit union because of its small size – he felt he could make a big impact. My assessment of his intangibles included characteristics such as honest, sincere, forthright, passionate, motivated and enthusiastic. He looked like he had the right qualities to make the transition to the credit union culture. In his own words: “For the first time in my life I would be willing to take a small decrease in salary to be happy.”
The CEO has since retired; the credit union has grown larger with the addition of other employee groups; and André remains happy. He’s still there after 13 years.
The takeaway: Versatility, Resourcefulness and a no-job-too-small attitude are critical variables for success in co-operatives.
CALL OUT
Retired credit union executive John Lahey has a valuable perspective on making the transition from a big bank to the co-operative sector. He left a senior executive role in CIBC’s retail bank to become CEO at FirstOntario Credit Union, and then Alterna Savings. “In the bank,” he explained, “you tend to grow in silos. Whether it’s retail, commercial or wealth management, you don’t often move from side to side. You rely on other areas to give you what you need – funding from treasury, new product development, IT development. The big revelation for me in leading a credit union was that I was now responsible for a heck of a lot more than just distribution and sales.”
- Certification Manager, Professional Association
This role is the go-to person for all aspects of professional certification at an association with a 50-year history and more than 20,000 individual members. Among other attributes, the ideal candidate would need to be a resourceful problem-solver and a collaborative motivator and facilitator. The previous incumbent, whom we recruited two years earlier, had a broad skill set – finance, HR, risk management, licensing and examinations. After excelling in this role, she was recruited to a key position as Executive Director for the Toronto chapter of a US-based professional association.
Tough shoes to fill. But Roberta had it all, and more. She is personable, empathetic, honest, genuine, a straight shooter, pragmatic and sensible. Coming from a municipal government, where she led a team of engineers, she was serious about learning and compliance. So much so that she had already earned certification from the association she was about to join, making her the first staff member ever to hold the same distinction as thousands of her members and her board of directors. Throughout her career, Roberta had demonstrated the heart and determination to do whatever it takes to meet objectives, even if they fell outside her normal responsibilities. That’s a recipe for success in the co-operative world.
The takeaway: The best candidates for co-operatives are people motivated by a sense of service to go ‘above and beyond’ and ‘make a difference’ through the work they do.
- Chief Executive Officer, Employer Credit Union
Following the retirement of the long-time CEO of a Toronto credit union which served employees of a public service and their families, we embarked on a search for a replacement. We set out to find an accomplished strategic thinker and change agent who also had a broad operational background in retail banking. This small credit union would need a leader who could handle marketing, PR, HR, finance, administration, lending, technology planning and ERM. Since it was unlikely that we could find that kind of versatility in a banker, the top five candidates all came from large credit unions. Four were local but Jeff was in northern Ontario and so we conducted his first interview by phone. Then we supplemented those findings by gathering insights on his character, intelligence and performance from our network of system insiders who knew or had worked with him.
CALLOUT
John Lahey offered his perspective on attracting the right talent to the credit unions he led. “We needed expertise; I had to go outside to get it. But it’s more than just skills,” he continued. “I wanted people who are calm, cool-headed and thoughtful in their approach.” He added: “I made a mistake with a head of marketing, who was too aggressive. He brought value but created a lot of chaos. The ability to get along is very important.”
In addition to meeting our experience requirements – all branches, wealth management and commercial credit reported to him – he was energetic, dynamic, innovative and driven, with a positive attitude and common sense approach. Having worked for many years at a level just below CEO, he welcomed the chance to drive
the process and call his own shots. Most important, he was fully committed to the “credit union difference” and was emotionally attached to the co-operative sector.
Jeff served this employer credit union well for six years before it agreed to merge with a larger credit union, where he spent four more years as the chief marketing officer.
The takeaway: An effective leader for a small co-operative organization must be a strategic thinker who also relishes the day-to-day responsibility of tactical execution.
- Manager of Corporate Partnerships, Professional Association
In 2019, the same professional association mentioned earlier had designed a new corporate partnership program to draw employers closer to the certification body. The new Manager of Corporate Partnerships would need to be a high-energy self-starter, expert in business development and marketing including social media, and have polished presentation skills. Unlike other association staff who were focused on the needs of 20,000 individual practitioners, this position would interact with CEOs, corporate development executives and VPs of Human Resources. It’s a prestige audience so we needed someone with high-level exposure.
Kevin had a strong track record developing partnerships with major sponsors like Nike, Scotiabank, Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire. Coming from a marketing agency, his event management experience encompassed a 500-person product launch for Nike, a 10,000-person university event at Copps Coliseum and a Sheep Dogs concert for 30,000. But Kevin had become frustrated with the legacy marketing thinking at the agency and wanted to break out with his own strategies and tactics. This new role was wide open for him to define it.
On a personality level, Kevin is energetic, positive, creative and engaging – a natural leader. His strong personal presence has an intensity which partly stems from competitive athletics, where he excelled in multiple sports. But his intensity wasn’t intimidating – it could better be described as infectious enthusiasm. Kevin was different from the typically collegial, soft-spoken and diplomatic staff members at the association. But he was the perfect fit for the executive audience he had to influence.
The takeaway: Hiring a dynamic personality is a risk for a comfortable, family-like corporate culture but it’s important to find the right fit for the right job.
George Scott is an associate member of the OCA and a consultant in business and strategic planning, communications and recruiting based in Alliston, ON.
|
|
|
Proud Sponsor of the Co-op Current!
|
|
|
|
|
