Our Story

Western Canadian communities are full of motivated, innovative people who want to live enriching lives. Of course, some of these communities face challenges – like a lack of businesses and services, government cuts, and people moving away.

But these places don’t need the government or a big company to swoop in and improve local conditions or find solutions. With the right tools and a little guidance, people can do that themselves.

The co-operative model is a way for people to set up a business or organization and work with like-minded people towards their common goal. As a corporate legal structure, the model is highly versatile and found in every sector of the economy. This means a co-op can be anything – a childcare centre, a store, a consulting business, a healthcare centre. The model can be used to provide housing, local investment opportunities, or even a way to share cars. Each of these co-ops does the job others (like a government or private business) could do. But waiting for others isn’t always an option. Instead, the co-op model offers an opportunity to do it yourself.

That’s why we’re here. We do this work because we care about communities, and we know co-ops can help them grow and thrive. And because we have ongoing support from the Co-operative Retailing System and Federated Co-operatives Limited, we offer this support at no cost to you.

So if you’re in Western Canada and want to start a co-op, we can help. Our free guidance and resources help reduce the confusion and stress of starting a new business, and we can support you every step of the way. 

Start today.

Our Values

Practicality

We provide hands-on guidance and straightforward resources with no fluff. Our goal is to help people shape their businesses or organizations and get them up and running efficiently and effectively.

Integrity

We walk the talk. Our team is reliable, honest, and transparent – when we say we will do something, we go above and beyond. We are accountable to our clients, our funder, and our partners.

Social Responsibility

Co-ops are a tool people can use to make their communities, economies, and lives better. We are relentlessly dedicated to our purpose of helping people understand and use co-ops to improve their world.

Accessibility

Our services and resources are free and easy to use. We use language everyone can understand. And our team members are friendly, knowledgeable, and always available to answer questions and demystify the process of starting a co-op.

Continuous Improvement

We don’t rest on our laurels. We are dedicated to innovation and learning from our experiences to enhance our services and resources.

“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