Our Team

Kyle White

Director of Education

Kyle has encyclopedic knowledge, and our clients reap the benefits. He is THE expert on the process of starting co-operatives – from incorporating the business and writing its bylaws to creating policies and navigating legislation. Kyle is an educator at heart: he has written our accessible resources and tools, and created our online workshops and courses that teach people how co-ops work in non-jargony language we can all understand.

Kyle loves working with boards of directors to build processes that will help their co-ops succeed, and seeing the impact that co-operatives have on their communities.

How he got here

After a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Memorial University in his home province of Newfoundland, Kyle earned a Master of Public Policy from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan, writing a thesis on governance of Indigenous economic development corporations. As a grad student, Kyle was a research assistant on the Co-operative Innovation Project – the study that led to the creation of Co-operatives First. He was our first-ever employee.

In his free time, you’ll find him…

  • Reading about the Napoleonic wars in a hammock with his tiny dog, Oliver
  • Cooking vegetarian food
  • Weightlifting or training for his next race

Fun facts

  • Kyle was featured in the media for his fitness journey, when he lost 200 pounds during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Has visited 12/13 of Canada’s provinces and territories
  • Ran his first marathon in 2022

Favourites

  • Podcast: The Cost of Living, History of Rome
  • Movies: Master and Commander, In the Name of the Father, and Glory
  • Books: The Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell
Back

“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