Webinar – Filling the Gaps: Coming Together to Create Community Services

Community service co-ops are popular across Canada and do exciting things in and for their communities. In this webinar, our guests will discuss the environmental, social, or health gaps that existed in their community, and how they created the infrastructure and services needed to address them. Sign up to learn how forming a community service co-op could help your community reach its goals.

The webinar takes place at 1 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Wednesday, June 26th.

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Scott Weir is one of the proud founders of Golden Co-op Radio and has helped to build the organization from day one. He is a big believer in building community institutions and loves cooperatives for their ability to ground important services in the community they are built for. Scott brings his years of board experience with other organizations, as well as his years in the financial sector and as a small business owner to the board of Golden Co-op Radio.

 

 

Cathy Edwards is a serial entrepreneur from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a law degree from the University of Calgary.  She has worked professionally in large corporate environments, clerked for the Courts of Queen’s Bench and Appeal for the Province of Alberta, and practiced at notable law firms in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Cathy left private practice to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and hasn’t looked back.  She has a passion for start-ups and has successfully launched and managed several ventures, including a non-profit co-operative.  She also supports start-ups at Co-operatives First with feasibility and business planning, and joined the team as the part-time Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2022.  She was awarded the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Entrepreneurship in 2023.  She is currently leading Co-operative First’s innovative project to assist the expansion of affordable childcare in rural and Indigenous communities. 

 

Sean Purdue is a Senior Wealth Advisor with Aviso Wealth, a partner company of Weyburn Credit Union.  His role involves creating comprehensive financial plans and building and managing investment portfolios for affluent families, working closely with farm families and business owners.  He and his wife have called Weyburn home for more than 20 years and enjoy raising their three children in Southeast Saskatchewan.  Sean has been involved with several non-profit organizations in Weyburn, three of which were born from grassroots ideas and have filled important needs within the community.

“Heather and the team at Co-operatives First are top-notch. Not only their knowledge but their understanding of the project. They have truly helped us along every step of the way. Their timely response and knowledge of the steps are extraordinary. They are forthcoming with information. This is one of the most knowledgeable and friendliest teams I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Weyburn Theatre

“Co-operatives First made the process of establishing our Artisan Co-operative a very clear and easy process. The expanse of available tools and resources provided by Co-operatives First answers many questions and lightens the workload. Greatly appreciate having the connections made with Trista and Kyle, they keep the co-operative moving forward.”

Nehiyawaskiy Indigenous Peoples Art Co-op

“Our experience working with the Co-operatives First team was absolutely fabulous. The staff was accommodating, knowledgeable and patient. It was truly a breath of fresh air to have such a wealth of skill and resources available to a non-profit. They were invaluable to our successful launch!”

Heart Linked Community Services Cooperative

“Working with Co-operatives First was fantastic! We are still new to the cooperative world, and we relied heavily on their advice and expertise when drafting our rules/bylaws, and our memorandum of association. The team has experience with many different cooperative models, so they provided advice on what has and hasn’t worked for other cooperatives. We wouldn’t have been able to incorporate without their help!”

Ananda Cooperative

“We have had a very positive experience with everyone at Co-operatives First. They have helped us in multiple ways. Right from the first step in knowing how to incorporate, how to set our business and offering ideas for us to help steer us in the right direction plus allowing us to really make our own decisions. If our decisions go off track, they have gently guided us back to where we needed to be. The Co-operatives first guys are always eager to answer questions, and give ideas to us that got us off the ground.”

South East Butcher Block