With the arrival of COVID-19 last March, so did the need to innovate and adapt quickly. In 2020, a ministerial order granted electronic meetings to occur as an accepted format under the Cooperative Association Act. Last month, the Ministerial Order was extended. This extension will allow fully electronic meetings to continue under the Cooperative Association … Continued
While the world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis, co-operatives in industry and services are reorganizing themselves, finding strength in the people and communities they serve. It’s not surprising to social-economic strategists that COVID-19 spurred Canada’s co-operative sector to step up and respond to the needs of communities immediately. In many cases, co-ops … Continued
COVID-19 has led to dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour. To meet ever-evolving customer experience requirements, co-ops will have to remain flexible, relevant, and responsive. And as people-centred businesses, co-ops should be strategic and invested in sharing how they are there for their members and their communities. At the fall 2020 CIU Strategic Foresight Virtual Conference, … Continued
During our MEC Townhall on October 15th, we all watched this video about the story of La Siembra, a co-op that came very close to losing their co-operative identity to a sale, much like MEC. This video tells the story of how instead, the La Siembra community leaned into the co-operative principles and values and … Continued
As part of our Annual General Meeting on October 15th, BCCA hosted a public townhall dialogue around the sale of MEC and what BCCA and the co-operative community as a whole can do moving forward. We were joined by organizers Kevin Harding and Yuill Herbert from SaveMEC to speak about the valiant organizing work that … Continued
BC’s co-op and credit union sector is still reeling from the news that Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), a beloved retail brand in this country for nearly 50 years, is intended to be sold to a foreign private investor, U.S.-based Kingswood Capital Management. As has been widely reported, the members of MEC were not consulted and learned … Continued
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the BC Co-operative Association (BCCA), you are invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) taking place Thursday, October 15, 2020, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Please note this meeting will be held virtually using Zoom. You will receive the Zoom details upon your registration … Continued
BCCA is adding a new dimension to our Annual General Meeting registration by offering you a chance to win some great prizes with the BCCA AGM Scavenger Hunt! When you register for the BCCA AGM, you’ll find a spot to answer these super easy Scavenger Hunt Questions. All you need to do to find out … Continued
The news of MEC’s sale to a US corporate investment firm has raised many questions amongst the co-operative community, most of them centering on how a co-operative could be sold without engaging its members. Given there’s been little public information available around the conversations that transpired around the MEC boardroom, it would be speculation to … Continued
Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) and the British Columbia Co-op Association (BCCA) are disappointed by the developments surrounding Mountain Equipment Co-op, which has long been Canada’s largest consumer co-operative and a valued member of CMC. “Co-operatives and mutuals have been our most resilient business model for over a century because of their values and principles, … Continued