Co-operatives First turns 10 years old in 2026, and to celebrate we’re sharing some fun facts you may not know about co-ops. We’ve worked across many industries and all over Western Canada and beyond. Here are 10 pieces of trivia we’ve picked up along the way. 

1. Canada’s First Consumer Co-op was in Nova Scotia

We don’t actually know what Canada’s first co-op was. Our best guess is a co-operative creamery in Quebec. We do know that Canada’s first co-op store was created in 1861 by British immigrant coal miners in the town of Stellarton, Nova Scotia.   

2. Co-ops operate everywhere

According to Government of Canada data, there are co-ops operating in every industry of the economy. At Co-operatives First, we’ve done a lot of work with childcare co-ops, investment co-ops, and co-ops that offer professional services like facilitation and consulting. Other groups that have started co-ops include video game designers, archaeologists, seed growers, and hairdressers. The possibilities are endless!  

3. A lot of co-ops provide homes

There are more co-ops that provide housing than any other service. Canada has 5,600 co-ops, of which 2,200 are housing co-operatives and are represented through the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. Collectively, these co-ops provide affordable housing to over 90,000 households. (But we think there should be more!)  

4. Fewer than half of Canada’s co-ops have employees

Most co-ops have no employees and rely on volunteers or contractors. While some co-ops are large, multi-billion-dollar businesses with thousands of employees, according to the Government of Canada, 53% of co-ops have no employees and have small operations. Despite this, more than 100,000 Canadians work for a non-financial co-op.   

5. A lot of products you buy come from co-ops 

You probably buy more co-op products than you think. If you’re a frequent buyer of the Co-op Gold products, you ahead of this curve. But many household brands are made by farmer-owned co-operatives; brands like Sunkist, Ocean Spray, and Blue Diamond are all US-based co-ops. Dairy-farmer-owned co-ops Gay Lea Foods and Agropur produce dairy products like Ivanhoe, Nordica, Natrel, and Lucerne.  

6. You can get a degree in co-ops  

Do you love co-ops? Did you know you can complete entire degrees or certificates focused on co-ops? The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives offers graduate certificates on co-operatives and the social economy and the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University offers Master’s programs and graduate diplomas. You can hit those co-op books hard at either institution.   

7. Indigenous communities have started a lot of fishing and retail co-ops

There are approximately 130 Indigenous co-ops across Canada. Most of these are fishermen’s co-ops throughout the prairie provinces, and a large number operate locally-owned retail stores in the Arctic and northern Quebec as part of Arctic Co-operatives Limited or La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec.   

8. Some co-ops are really big

While many of Canada’s co-ops are quite small, some operate large businesses and report billions in sales. The largest non-financial co-op in Canada is Federated Co-operatives Limited, the wholesaler for western Canada’s Co-operative Retail System and owner of the Co-operative Refinery Complex in Regina.  

9. Co-ops have good luck when it comes to fundraising 

According to the Government of Canada, when it comes to fundraising, co-operatives outperform many other kinds of small and medium enterprises. For co-ops that applied for some form of debt (mortgage, commercial loan, lines of credit) 95% were approved. And, 84% of co-ops that applied for grant funding were successful.   

10. Most Canadian co-ops are consumer co-ops

The most common type of co-op in Canada is consumer co-ops. Consumer-owned co-ops account for 67% of Canadian co-ops and include childcare co-ops, housing co-ops, and co-operative retailers. The primary reason Canadians have started co-operatives are to access the goods and services they need.   

Do you have a fun fact about co-ops? We’d love to hear from you! Share your fun fact with us on social media or at info@cooperativesfirst.com.