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Thoughts and success stories

Doing the right thing: the Conexus Kindness Capital Fund

  Displays of kindness were quietly taking place throughout the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people gathered food for those in need. Local…

Read More December 21, 2020 • Dan Matthews

How Co-op helped western Canadians get into the giving spirit 

December is a special time of the year — the giving season. It’s a time when organizations, businesses, corporations, and even families and individuals give…

Read More December 18, 2020 • Tanner Bayne
community service co-op

Hand in Glove Co-op Weaves a Thread through Communities

Photos taken in 2019, and provided by Hand in Glove Community Service Co-op    From the outside of a stalwart brick church in the north…

Read More December 10, 2020 • Aasa Marshall

How small towns create the services they need

Big changes are happening in small towns. Baby Boomers are approaching retirement. Urban amenities, career advancement, and higher wages are pulling many young people away…

Read More November 25, 2020 • Kyle White

Modo Carshare Co-op: Caring during a crisis

When the pandemic started, Modo Carshare Co-op‘s business took a big hit. But by focusing on what was best for their members and staff, the…

Read More October 23, 2020 • Aasa Marshall
co-operative school

At-Risk Together: a co-operative school for immunocompromised kids

This year parents had a difficult decision: send their kids to school or keep them home?  While a first for most parents, it’s nothing new…

Read More October 15, 2020 • Tanner Bayne
consulting co-operatives

How two consulting co-operatives embrace “Millennial values”

Photo courtesy of Co+Host Collective The word “Millennial” has come to mean “change” in business circles in recent years. And while discussions around these changes…

Read More August 11, 2020 • Tanner Bayne
meat-producing-industry

More than One Basket: the BC meat processing co-operative

What started as a conversation about a lack of “cut and wrap” services on a ranch driveway in the Boundary region of BC is about…

Read More June 3, 2020 • Heather Hallgrimson
survivng-a-pandemic

Art Work: surviving a pandemic as a co-op start up

Surviving a pandemic will be hard for most small businesses. But if you’re an artist-run start up with a revenue model based in events ……

Read More May 30, 2020 • Dan Matthews

Arctic Co-operatives Limited: Keeping Northern Communities Vibrant

Co-ops play a big role in keeping communities vibrant in Canada’s North. In this podcast episode, we spoke to Mary Nirlungayuk from Arctic Co-operatives Limited…

Read More March 16, 2020 • Aasa Marshall

How investing locally can help save rural Main Streets

Sangudo, Alberta is nestled within a bend of Pembina River and is home to just under 300 residents. Like many rural communities across the prairies,…

Read More February 7, 2020 • Dan Matthews
the-common-share-podcast

Leading by example: A conversation with Carol Kitchen

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking to Carol Kitchen, former President and CEO of United Farmers of Alberta. During Kitchen’s tenure with…

Read More September 12, 2019 • Aasa Marshall

How co-ops can help farmers get started

Agriculture’s not an easy industry to break into. Start-up costs can be insurmountable; the cost of land alone puts farming out of reach for those…

Read More June 28, 2019 • Aasa Marshall

How co-op grocers benefit from a national presence

Locally and independently owned grocery retailers are often forced to compete against major chains without the benefits of being a major chain themselves. Many of…

Read More June 13, 2019 • Jack Thompson
the-common-share-co-op-talk

Neighbour Lab: Building resilient communities

Links mentioned in this episode: Neighbour Lab Victoria community unveils ’emergency bench’ to help bring neighbours together The Thingery Sustaingineering  

Read More May 9, 2019 • Aasa Marshall

Daycare co-operatives: a rural solution

People are resourceful in small-town Alberta. In Smoky Lake — population 960 — there had never been a daycare facility, and parents always had to…

Read More April 18, 2019 • Aasa Marshall
annual-report-page-header

Running a grocery co-op is hard — but not impossible

The retail grocery co-op business is hard. Large upfront capital costs for space and inventory. Small margins and stiff competition. The need for marketing, procurement,…

Read More October 8, 2018 • Aasa Marshall
construction-co-op

Construction co-ops are breaking new ground

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…

Read More June 8, 2018 • Aasa Marshall
mountain-colab

Mountain CoLab is a catalyst for co-working spaces

The Mountain CoLab co-operative The nature of work is changing, and with it, the model of traditional office space. With the rise of the gig…

Read More May 17, 2018 • Aasa Marshall
the-food-forest

The Food Forest and Learning Centre Co-op video

Maggie Bluewaters shares a story of healing and food security in rural Saskatchewan. Our thanks to Maggie and everyone at The Food Forest and Learning…

Read More April 30, 2018 • Dan Matthews
newcomers

How newcomers use co-ops to succeed in Canada

Newcomers can have bigger, more complex barriers to well-being than people born in Canada. They can experience isolation when they arrive in their new country….

Read More April 20, 2018 • Aasa Marshall
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Co-operatives First

Funded by the Co-operative Retailing System and Federated Co-operatives Limited, Co-operatives First promotes and supports business development based on the co-operative model in rural and Indigenous communities across Western Canada.

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