Audits: What’s involved and why you might need to do one
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, the holiday season — but it’s also time for co-ops to think about audits. Okay, maybe…
Federal economic statement: what’s in it for co-ops?
Kyle White, one of our in-house policy experts, weighs in on the federal government’s 2018 economic update and what it means for co-ops. The Canadian…
6 unexpected places you can find a co-op
Most people know grocery stores can be co-operatives. Some may have heard of daycare or housing co-ops. But the reality is the co-op model can…
Getting guidance is good practice
“[Incorporating a co-op] was a process that really was not that difficult once we had some guidance.” – Maggie Bluewaters, the Food Forest and Learning…
6 tips for marketing your co-operative difference
A few weeks ago, Co-operative News talked to marketing leaders from the co-op sector about marketing the co-operative difference. The responses both provide insight and…
Retail grocery is hard — but not impossible
The retail grocery business is hard. Large upfront capital costs for space and inventory. Small margins and stiff competition. The need for marketing, procurement,…
A Story of Many Nations
In the late 90s, Joe Carter, Director of Education for Onion Lake First Nation, recognized First Nations had similar financial services needs to their non-Indigenous…
Episode 12: The Backroad Diaries, with Sisan Fregene
Aasa and Kyle are joined in this episode by Sisan Fregene, who spent the summer working on The Backroad Diaries. This Co-operatives First project uses…
Powering Rural Infrastructure through Co-operatives
Previously we’ve talked about the important role co-operatives might play in succession planning for rural businesses as baby boomer business owners begin to retire….
Episode 11: Fred Khonje’s Five Lessons about Co-op Development
Fred Khonje’s career has spanned the areas of community economic development, non-profit co-op housing, co-op and social enterprise business development, housing policy development, and social…
Episode 10: a conversation with Dr. Brett Fairbairn
A conversation on the history of co-ops. Dr. Brett Fairbairn has been researching co-operatives for over 30 years; as a Fellow at the Centre for…
Episode 9: Membership Engagement
In this episode, Kyle, Dan, and Aasa discuss what membership engagement looks like for co-operatives, given how many different types of co-ops – and different…
3 essential ingredients in successful co-operative start-ups
At its most basic, every co-op needs a champion with a vision, a group with a shared interest and a market for the service or…
A brief survey of Indigenous Co-ops in Canada
The co-operative business model has been relatively underutilized by Indigenous peoples in western Canada. Corporate structures and limited partnerships have more often been the go-to…
Episode 8: Five ideas leveraging the co-op advantage
In this episode, Aasa sat down with Dr. Dionne Pohler to discuss her keynote speech from the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association’s 2018 conference. The keynote focused…
Episode 7: The Importance of Board Diversity
In the last episode in our series on board governance, Audra, Kyle, and Aasa talk about the importance of board diversity. Having people with different…
Saskatchewan’s Indigenous Chamber of Commerce
Saskatchewan is getting a new Chamber of Commerce. A group of Indigenous business leaders in Saskatchewan have formed this province’s first Indigenous Chamber of Commerce….
Episode 6: Dealing with board conflict
In this episode, Audra, Kyle, and Aasa tackle what happens when things get contentious on a board. We discuss the kinds of board conflict directors…
This innovative construction company is a co-op
In the construction sector there is plenty of room for inefficiency. Often one contractor will frame a building, another will wire it, someone else will…
With Growth on the Horizon, Stocksy United Removes its Membership Cap
For the first time since inception in 2012, Stocksy United, an artist-owned photography + cinematography co-op run by some of the world’s best creatives and…
Episode 5: Working board versus policy board
We dive right into the discussion of working vs policy board with a controversial question: Why do working boards suck? Being on a working board…