Technology and the future of rural co-ops
Co-ops are a tool for sharing During the transition from steam and horse to fossil fuel, the co-op model really began to prove its worth…
The Future of Co-ops? A conversation with Nathan Schneider
Welcome to Season 2 of The Common Share! We’re starting this season with an exciting guest that we know you’ll enjoy. Academic and journalist Nathan…
How this YXE bike co-op gives back
Co-ops are great at giving back. In our recent Holiday Podcast, Aasa spoke with some amazing co-operatives in western Canada. Each of them gave us…
How Co-op is giving back
Co-ops are great at giving back. In our recent Holiday Podcast, Aasa spoke with some amazing co-operatives in western Canada. Each of them gave us insight…
How Affinity Credit Union gives back
Co-ops are great at giving back. In our recent Holiday Podcast, Aasa spoke with some amazing co-operatives in western Canada. Each of them gave us…
Special Holiday Podcast: How Co-ops Give Back
The holidays are a time of giving, when people often think about donating to charitable causes. As businesses rooted in their communities, co-ops are…
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…