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
During their September 11, 2020, meeting, the BCCA Board of Directors approved two new member applications: Kootenay Employment Services (KES) has been serving the employment needs of the Creston Valley since 1990 and the East Kootenays since April 2019. As a registered charity and deeply, KES works with many organizations to address both emerging and … Continued