Rural communities are no strangers to devising their own solutions. And many know they have a tool in their toolbox that helps them bring their solutions to life: the co-op model. 

We’ve worked with clients over the years who spotted a problem or opportunity and banded together to form a co-op to address it. Because of their efforts, their communities are healthier and more vital, and their residents and businesses have a better shot at thriving. 

Here are four reasons people have sought out our services to create co-ops to make life just a little better in their rural communities. 

1. To fill a gap the government or big business hasn’t filled  

Many communities are looking to fill basic needs. Government generally isn’t in the business of building housing, for example, and if developers don’t see an opportunity for a large return, they won’t step in either.  

What’s a community to do? In the case of housing, they can create a housing co-op and provide it themselves.  

Take the RM of Piney in Manitoba, which needed more housing options for seniors. Dedicated economic development professionals in the area worked for years to find the right solution that would allow local seniors to age in place, and decided that a community service co-op would be the best solution. 

In Melfort, Saskatchewan, they need housing for other reasons. The area’s manufacturing, agri-business, and mining sectors are booming, and employers are recruiting, knowing there aren’t enough places for new workers to live. Local leaders, including representatives of the credit union, Co-op, municipalities, and industry players, decided to start a housing co-operative to help meet the need, with the goal of eventually turning control of the co-op over to the people who will live there. 

And it’s not just housing. In communities across Western Canada, families struggle to find enough childcare spaces. Many, though, have recognized that creating a childcare co-op can be the perfect solution.  

From North Norfolk, Manitoba to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan; Smoky Lake, Alberta to Logan Lake, BC, we’ve helped motivated groups of parents, municipal leaders, and other advocates to start childcare co-ops to meet the needs of families in their communities.  

2. To build local capacity 

Big cities can take for granted what small towns often have to work for. While urban residents have no problem accessing reliable high-speed internet, for example, rural areas can be underserved, often experiencing slow speeds or a lack of coverage.  

But people in places like the Shuswap region of BC have figured out that even broadband can be delivered by creating a local co-op.  

The Shuswap Region Broadband Cooperative aims to build an open-access fibre optic network to serve approximately 2,000 households in rural Shuswap. This not only fills a local need—it keeps control in local hands, ensuring the community benefits not just from the service but also from any profits it makes. 

People in small communities also understand the barriers their local businesses face — like in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, where some businesses struggled during the pandemic. The Shaunavon Economic Development Committee recognized that, though government supports were available, some businesses didn’t meet the criteria. Many small businesses couldn’t find financing options that met their needs. 

The solution? The Shaunavon Opportunity Fund Cooperative, which created a fund in which local people can invest. The co-op can then lend those funds to small businesses for things like start-up costs, equipment, renovations, and expansions. The businesses get the money they need, and local contributors see a return on their investment. 

3. To save local businesses or infrastructure  

It’s a reality that small business owners retire, and in small communities, it can be hard to find a buyer. Retaining those businesses is extra important to small towns, where losing one business can mean eliminating a service entirely.  

In Sooke, BC, local coffee drinkers heard their favourite café was being sold, so they formed a co-op to made sure it wouldn’t shut down. 

The goal was simple, but the approach was unique. The group wanted to keep the coffee shop open and retain its great employees, but to do this, they formed an investment co-op. The Sooke Community Investment Cooperative raised the money it needed to purchase the café and keep it running. Eventually, the co-op hopes to transition to worker ownership.  

Alameda, SK, had a similar situation. The long-time owner of the local butcher shop and meat processing facility wanted to retire from running the business, but shutting it down would mean producers losing the ability to have their meat processed locally.  

A group of producers formed the Southeast Butcher Block Co-operative not only to save the local service but to expand and improve it. They made big plans to build a new abattoir and retail facility to more than double the business’s capacity.  

4. To strengthen individual local businesses  

We have a lot of respect for solo entrepreneurs – they are tenacious, ambitious, and take a lot of work and risk onto their shoulders. They’re also smart – they know there are also benefits that come from working together.  

Take the flower farmers of the Co-operative Flower Network. Each is an independent producer, but by working together in a co-op, they share a website, marketing strategy, and physical flower market that help make all of their businesses more successful.  

There are many examples of independent business owners teaming up with a co-op. Pathways Archaeological Cooperative was started by — you guessed it — independent archaeologists. The Gathering Place Co-op in northern Alberta was created by local farmers who wanted a place to sell and add value to their produce, meat, and other goods. The options are endless.

Co-ops keep rural communities strong 

Rural people don’t let a problem go unsolved for long — as long as they can find the right solution. We’re thrilled that more folks are coming to us every day to find out how, by creating a co-op, they can find local solutions and keep their communities vibrant.  

Want to start a co-op in your own community? We can help!