Co-op education is one of the most important tools we have for sustaining our co-operative organizations and growing the co-operative movement. Over the summer, one of BCCA’s major focuses was on building out free and openly accessible resources for our members and other “co-op curious” groups to use for educating their members about the co-operative … 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
On May 28, BCCA was proud to host John Kay of Realize Strategies Co-op as he discussed measures co-ops can take to review their strategy to determine if it is functioning or if it is time to pivot. During his presentation, John provided insightful questions you can ask to assess your business, including thinking about … Continued
By Samantha Lee In this week’s edition of “We Are Co-ops”, we are excited to share the story of how our member Modo put their membership at the front and centre during COVID-19 and made their co-op more resilient. We spoke with Selena McLachlan, Director of Marketing and Communications, to learn more about Modo’s story and … Continued
VALU CO-OP and Coming Together Vancouver have collaborated on an exciting set of artist-designed and artist-produced specialty items available for purchase online. Made by unionized co-operative workers in VALU Co-op’s Chinatown Studio, each item will be made with care and will contribute directly to mutual aid initiatives in the Vancouver community. This grassroots initiative was … Continued
BCCA is piloting a new early-stage community platform called Buddy Up! for BC Co-ops, and we want to know what you think! At our first demo session, we brought together a group of co-operators to explore opportunities for how a tool like this can be used to advance Principle #6: Co-operation among Co-ops, and serve as a … Continued
Welcome to our newest series “We Are Co-ops” in which we profile our diverse membership and demonstrate the innovation the flexible co-op model supports and enables! This week, our Co-op Champion Madelyn Read, connected with Marc Baumann, member-owner of Shift Delivery, to learn about how they have been adapting to the COVID-19 crisis. Marc … Continued
Daniel Brunette, Director of Advocacy and Partnerships at Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) led our May 8th Co-op Meetup and shared his vast knowledge of federal financial programs and supports are currently available to co-operative businesses. Along with reiterating that co-ops have equal access to all federal COVID-19 emergency financial programs and supports, Daniel highlighted that … Continued
The B.C. and Alberta Provincial Governments have both recently released their strategies for restarting local economies by outlining phases for businesses to re-open over the coming weeks and months. But are you ready to re-open? Have you been operating an essential service since the outbreak began but are wondering what you may need to do … Continued
For this week’s edition of “We Are Co-ops”, we are excited to feature our member Golden Community Social Services Co-op (Golden Community Co-op) and their new hire Lori Baxendale who was brought on to fill their newly created role as Community COVID-19 Response Coordinator. Our Co-op Champion Madelyn Read, connected with Golden Community Co-op to … Continued