The Co-op Current
The latest news and information for and about Ontario's co-operatives!
Issue 3: March 23, 2021
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Get the latest information and updates on our strategic areas and check out our member profiles...
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Women’s Leadership and Empowerment through Co-operation
(Submitted by: Erin Morgan, Executive Director, OCA)
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In honour of this month’s International Women’s Day, it is important to first recognize and thank the wonderful women who have contributed to the co-operative movement in Ontario. Their hard work and volunteer hours dedicated to improving communities have changed lives.
Women are very active in the co-operative movement here in Canada and internationally. In many countries women’s participation in co-operatives, as members and workers, is much higher than their overall labour force participation (ilo.org/coop).
However, globally women have not fared well in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. The global employment rate for women is just 46% compared to men at 69% (ica.coop). The co-operative business model not only helps maintain stable employment rates, but provides work/life balance for all employees.
For co-operatives interested in an opportunity to support women’s leadership and empowerment through co-operation to combat the effects of the pandemic on women, there are opportunities through the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF).
To support woman leaders internationally, there is the Women’s Mentorship Program, an annual training program that connects women managers from overseas credit unions with mentors from Canadian financial co-operatives. The program has enhanced participants’ management skills and knowledge since 2002.
The impacts on credit unions in Africa, Asia and the Americas have been significant. Over 200 participants from 27 countries have successfully completed the program and implemented changes within their credit unions that have improved their member services and their communities.
Another CDF project, VOICE for Women and Girls, empowers communities to end violence against women and girls. When women establish or join co-operatives, the strong democratic values increase income potential, increase decision making and participation in community affairs and unite women in solidarity and mutual support to overcome barriers.
To learn more about these important programs at CDF and get involved either as a mentor or donor, please visit www.cdfcanada.coop.
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OCA Piloting New Co-operative Education Program
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OCA is excited to pilot our new education initiative, Co-operative Minds, a project-based learning program connecting co-operatives and credit unions with youth in their communities.
Numerous studies have shown that while the co-operative model resonates with teachers, teens and young adults, very
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few of them are learning about our sector in school. Co-operative Minds fills this need by outfitting educators and community partners with the tools necessary to educate and inspire the next generation of co-operative Leaders!
The program works like this…Community partners in the co-operative and credit union sector provide classrooms with a real-world challenge they could use help in solving. Co-operative and credit union staff act as mentors, while connecting with local classrooms and organizations to assist students in working co-operatively to solve a real-world problem. Students from Grades 7-12 engage in project-based learning by working as a collective to tackle an issue in their community. Teachers are given a tool-kit with everything they need to lead students through an authentic and collaborative problem solving challenge.
There’s strong evidence that projects with real-world outcomes hold some of the greatest potential for helping students become driven, empathetic and engaged citizens. Co-operative Minds provides authentic and meaningful ways for students to share their collective voice, and the opportunity to collaborate, critically think and communicate in ways that make our world a more co-operative place to live.
As a co-operative or credit union, Co-operative Minds can be the first step on the path between you and your future co-operative members, staff and leaders. It’s also an opportunity to drive growth and innovation within your organization by gaining insight and perspective from the next generation of co-operative members about the challenges you face in your organization today.
By creating a process that’s replicable, and providing user friendly tool-kits that can be applied to any challenge, we do the heavy lifting for our educators and our community partners, while facilitating meaningful partnerships between co-operative leaders in the sector today and the next generation of co-operative champions.
Our first pilot session ran from February 26th to March 4th at Centennial Secondary School in Belleville, Ontario. Teacher Brett Manlow and his Information and Communication Technology in Business students tackled our first challenge provided by Carol Fleming, Director of the Co-operative Young Leaders (CYL) program.
“Doing the Co-operative Minds challenge with OCA was like seeing butterflies come out of their cocoon. An authentic challenge like this one was a great opportunity for students to safely take a risk and stretch them out of their comfort zone as they problem solved a real issue facing CYL. The process was clearly laid out and easy to facilitate,” says Manlow. “I highly recommend this for anyone who wants an authentic challenge that will build student confidence and develop leadership skills they can carry with them.”
Adds Fleming: “It was really fun connecting with the students, and I was very impressed with the recommendations they made. They provided some really great insight and ideas that we hadn’t considered and we are looking forward to implementing some of them into our program.”
For more information on the Co-operative Minds education initiative, contact our Education Manager, Michelle Christmann at mchristmann@ontario.coop.
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CYL Offers the Best of Summer...
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It’s time to start thinking about all the wonderful things summer brings. Sunny days, meeting friends, being outside all day, playing sports, getting together for a barbeque or a trip to the ice cream parlour to name a few… All of these awesome summer activities are fun - especially when you don’t need your coat or boots, just a pair of your favourite flip flops and sunscreen!
A great way to combine all of these activities is to attend the Co-operative Young Leaders (CYL) camp this summer. We guarantee there will be ice cream, outdoor sports, making new friends, a campfire, and even an opportunity to learn how to make a difference in your community using your leadership, team-building and communication skills.
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You won’t want to miss the opportunity to attend camp this year! Registration is now open online and there are limited spots available. Please note that due to the COVID restrictions, it may be necessary to change dates and locations. We will keep
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you updated on the latest news as soon as it become available. Please contact our Director of CYL, Carol Fleming with your inquiries.
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An Opportunity for Credit Unions to Join OCA
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Since 2002, credit unions in Ontario have been linked to OCA through their membership with Central 1. Central 1 paid dues on their behalf and represented the credit unions of Ontario as a collective on our Board. All credit unions now have the opportunity of direct membership in OCA, allowing their unique voice to be represented. We want to see communities
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across Ontario grow and thrive and we believe that the co-operative sector has a significant role to play in making this happen. Collectively we can be capturing opportunities for new business, creating stronger and more vibrant local economies, increasing community engagement and building a more sustainable social economy overall. Learn more about how we will work together.
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Welcome our Newest Members!
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We are pleased to welcome our newest Member-Owners, Equity Credit Union and Tandia Financial Credit Union to OCA – please take a moment to learn more about them by clicking on their logos!
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We are in the process of collecting profiles from all our members to share in our newsletters and on our website. Check out our brand new Member Profiles page online to learn more about some of the amazing organizations that make up our membership! Read on to learn about our newest profile, submitted by the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation (CWCF)…
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Tell us a bit about your co-operative – its origins, purpose and what needs/value your organization provides to the community.
Incorporated in 1992, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation (CWCF) arose from a meeting of members of Canada’s
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worker co-op sector in 1990, which concluded there was a need for a national organization to represent their interests. Our vision was “to be a growing, cohesive network of democratically controlled worker co-ops that provide a high quality of work life, and support the development of healthy, just and sustainable local economies, based on co-operative values and principles.”
Today, CWCF fulfills this vision as a national, bilingual grassroots membership organization of and for worker co-operatives, related types of co-operatives (multi-stakeholder co-ops with substantial worker control), and organizations that support the growth and development of worker co-operatives. Our mission is:
- To work in solidarity with our members to achieve our Vision of a Co-operative Economy;
- To support the development of new worker co-ops;
- To strengthen the Federation, to animate the worker co-operative movement; and
- To represent and promote the Canadian worker co-op movement in Canada and internationally.
CWCF supports its members through initiatives such as our monthly newsletter, annual conference, lobbying for worker co-op interests, technical assistance program, RRSP program, and more. More information about CWCF is available on our website.
How is your co-operative responding to the current needs of the community?
CWCF adopted a series of policies in response to the outbreak of the pandemic, including the introduction of $10 solidarity dues, creation of the Survival Planning Fund to provide small grants to members facing challenges arising from the pandemic, and the creation of an emergency loan fund. Our plan pre-pandemic was to conduct more frequent in-person visits, but in the meantime we’ll be conducting telephone conversations with our members to see how they’re doing, whether and if so how these member supports have helped them, and what other supports we might be able to provide.
What is your vision for co-operatives in rebuilding the economy post-pandemic?
We believe worker co-operatives have a critical role to play in creating a more just and equitable economy post-pandemic, one that will help address issues such as precarious employment, climate change, and systemic racism. We hope to strengthen Canada’s existing worker co-ops not only for its own sake but also in the belief that the more visible and influential our members are, the more people will be inspired to purchase from and/or create their own worker co-ops. Some of our members in Ontario include: Arise Architects Co-op, Come As You Are, Developmental Services Worker (DSW) Co-op in Ottawa, the Fourth Pig Green and Natural Construction, Hypha Co-op (IT), La Siembra (Camino, fair trade, organic products), Libra Information Services, London Brewing Co-op, Moss Digital, Planet Bean Coffee in Guelph, SendIt Courier in Toronto, and Urbane Cyclist. To get to know some of the worker co-ops in Ontario (and beyond), we encourage people to check out our member profiles available here, as well as our solidarity shopping site.
What does the future of the co-operative sector in Ontario look like to you?
Because we are a national organization, our perspective is national and not limited solely to Ontario. However, we believe that worker co-operatives can play a significant role in the post-pandemic economic recovery by demonstrating co-op values such as concern for community. One of the ways we hope to address both a pressing community concern and create more worker co-ops is through business succession, an issue of great importance given the large number of small business owners likely to retire in the coming years. Support for this initiative is a key part of our current proposal to the federal government, “Building Community Resilience”. Our Strategic Plan also calls on us to work more closely with our allies in the social and solidarity economy to advance our common interests, in accordance with the values of co-operation among co-operatives and concern for community.
What aspect of OCA’s mission/strategic programs do you think is most important as a way to rebuild a more co-operative economy?
CWCF shares OCA’s focus on government relations as a way to improve the regulatory and legislative framework for our members. OCA’s recent budget submission to the ministry of finance has parallels with objectives in our strategic plan, such as its proposals for a strategy to address precarious employment and business succession. We are also interested in your initiatives to make the co-op model more widely known and facilitate co-op starts up, something we pursue ourselves through technical assistance program, and soon through our Parcours training and development program.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for giving CWCF the opportunity to be profiled!
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Stay current on the latest news and information on co-operatives in Ontario...
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CO-OP CORNER
Explore upcoming events and current jobs in the co-operative sector, as well as co-op research and consultations, readworthy articles and videos...
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EVENTS - COURSES & WEBINARS
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Be part of a national conversation on how we can grow Canada’s co-operative economy. Join Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) on April 28, 2021 from 2 – 3:30 EST. REGISTER HERE.
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CMC is hosting virtual edition of their National Congress, "Towards a more co-operative economy" from June 14 to 17, 2021. LEARN MORE.
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CWCF is hosting “What is a Worker Co-op?” which offers introductory training in the co-operative enterprise, covering the 4 main types of coops and all the aspects affecting the functioning of a co-op- managed by workers. April 19, 2021 at 12pm EST. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER.
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Equity Housing Co-ops - the Forgotten Cousins
(Submitted by Celia Chandler, Partner, Iler Campbell, LLP)
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The neat thing about the co‑operative model and its principles is that you can apply them to just about any endeavour.
We see the third principle, Member Economic Participation, driving large commercial enterprises like Gay Lea Foods Co-operative or Co‑op Cabs in Toronto. We see Autonomy and Independence, principle 4, fueling the workers at Urbane Cyclist in Toronto and Planet Bean in Guelph - both worker co‑operatives. We see non‑profit housing co‑operatives enriched by their Voluntary and Open Memberships, Democratic Member Control, and Concern for Community, principles 1, 2, and 7. We know that Co‑operation among Co‑operatives, principle 6, is central to the role of the Ontario Co-operative Association (OCA) and the Co‑operative Housing Federation of Canada. Education, Training and Information, principle 5, is a particularly significant benefit given by CHF Canada and regional federations to their members.
Iler Campbell is a full-service law firm of seven lawyers serving co‑operatives, charities, non‑profits, and socially‑minded small businesses. Our experience with Ontario’s co‑operative movement stretches back more than 40 years. Firm founding partner, Brian Iler, was a key figure in starting many Ontario co‑ops. Today we serve co‑operatives from across Ontario: from Ottawa to London, and from Gravenhurst to Niagara Falls. We are also proud to count OCA among our long‑time clients.
We are passionate about the co‑op mission. Our goal is to deliver high quality, prompt, cost effective, legal services that respond to clients’ goals and values. We pride ourselves in clear, legalese‑free communication and contracts. While we serve many co‑operatives of all stripes, there is no bigger group on our client list than our housing co‑ops: we count over 100 housing co‑ops among our active clients. We are proud of our close relationship with CHF Canada and its regional federations.
But there are some lost cousins in the movement, known as equity housing co‑ops. These entities are more like Gay Lea Foods or Co‑op Cabs than non‑profit housing co‑ops, because their members each make an economic contribution to purchase shares. Those shares bring with them the right to occupy residential units. Because of the occupancy right, the day‑to‑day issues the equity co‑ops face make them more similar to non‑profit housing co‑ops than any other kind of co‑operative, with issues like building management and reserves, noise, smoking, pets, parking, people management, human rights, and so on.
Our equity friends are not “organized” in any way, often operating as islands unto themselves with no sense of connection to anything bigger, and therefore missing out on the significant benefits derived from principle 6. We know that CHF Canada and its regional federations and others have tried to rectify this, and to bring some much‑needed community among these communities. Efforts haven’t succeeded for a host of reasons, but it probably boils down to the fact that they’re the same, but also different.
Alia Abaya, Director, Community Impact and Member Experience at Alterna Savings and I have long considered this group an opportunity. If we could bring them together for some education and networking, they would benefit - and so would we.
On March 16, 2021 we took our first stab at doing this by hosting a “Knowledge Hub for Equity Co‑ops”. We were delighted to get a small but mighty attendance of fifteen, including some shareholders and some staff, from nine different equity co‑ops in Toronto and Hamilton. Alia gave a short talk on fraud prevention, reminding participants of the importance of internal controls to manage online and offline banking, drawing from experiences she’s seen among co‑op members of Alterna. I followed it up with an overview of human rights in the housing context, which led to discussions about elevators and other accessibility challenges faced in old housing stock.
Participants swapped stories, asked questions, and talked about our presentations, and we were thrilled when some asked to exchange contact info – mission accomplished! We sowed the seeds of connection among this important but often forgotten group of co‑operatives.
Members of the group are planning to have conversations with each other. There’s also a Facebook group that some are involved (we are not associated with this group and are not members, therefore cannot vouch for its content, but we share this information in case it’s useful to you). And we have already committed to running another session, with suggestions to discuss reserve fund management and privacy law. If you would like to contribute an idea for discussion, please contact me at cchandler@ilercampbell.com or Alia at Alia.Abaya@alterna.ca.
Stay tuned for information on the next session. It’s a great chance to mingle virtually, with like‑minded people who are committed to living differently!
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Proud Sponsor of the Co-op Current!
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