The Latest News From Canada's Worker Co-op Sector
June 2019 Volume 11 Issue 5
In This Issue
·       Report from the Executive Director
·       CWCF Conference 2019: Introducing Keynote Speaker Hannah Martin
·      Calgary Co-operative Restaurant to Open In August
·       Over 50 Co-operators Gather for Summit in Quebec City
·      New Worker Co-op Benefits from Technical Assistance Grant
·       Iconic Gay Bar Changes Business Model to Survive Gentrification
·       ILO "Centenary Declaration" Supports Co-ops
·      Saint Mary's University Master's, Graduate Diploma, and Certificate in Co-op Management

Report from the Executive Director
CWCF has had a full May and June. Areas of significant focus have been to co-organize and hold the Quebec Worker Co-op Summit on June 17, and to continue planning for CWCF’s Conference in Tatamagouche, NS, to be held on Oct. 24 – 26. See separate articles for both. Further, our technical assistance grants are being placed; see the article on one of them, in the Ecosystem Collective Co-operative.

CWCF Conference 2019: Introducing Keynote Speaker Hannah Martin
CWCF is pleased to announce that Hannah Martin will be the keynote speaker for our upcoming conference in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, October 24 - 26. Hannah will speak on the challenges of climate change and on First Nations communities. Hannah is a recent graduate of McMaster University, where she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies. She has extensive public speaking experience on topics including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, reconciliation, and the Leap Manifesto. Look for more info about her in the next newsletter.

 Calgary Co-operative Restaurant to Open in August
After graduating with a master's degree in sociology, Jared Blustein (centre) needed a job. So he combined his intellectual area of interest — contemporary economic issues — with his own personal experience, working in the restaurant industry. He came up with The Allium , a restaurant where every single staff member is the boss.

It's an elevated, vegetable-forward restaurant on 12th Avenue S.W. that will be collectively run by a team of co-owners when it opens in August.

Over 50 Co-operators Gather for Summit in Quebec City
With the theme of “Meeting Worker Co-op Challenges of 2019”, over 50 co-operators gathered for the Worker Co-op Summit in Quebec City on June 17.  It was a rare and special opportunity for members of worker co-ops belonging to the Quebec Forestry Co-op Federation, Quebec Paramedic Co-op Federation, Réseau COOP and CWCF to be able to meet and learn from each other. 

New Worker Co-op Benefits from Technical Assistance Grant
When Daimen Hardie (pictured) and his coworkers at Community Forests International set out to build a multi-stakeholder co-op to combat climate change in Atlantic Canada, they knew they would need some help. What they didn’t yet know was that a source for such help was readily available — the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation’s Technical Assistance program. Through small grants, the program matches CWCF members with co-op developers who can assist them with any issues they might be facing.
Iconic Gay Bar Changes Business Model to Survive Gentrification
The Stud, a gay bar and performance space in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, turned 50 in 2016. But, it was also in the news that year for another reason: The owner was calling it quits after a new landlord upped the rent by nearly $6000 — from $3800 a month to $9500. 

To keep the doors open, The Stud’s loyal patrons banded together to buy the business and formed a worker co-op. That, as it turns out, was the easy part.

ILO "Centenary Declaration" Supports Co-ops
During the 108th International Labour Conference on the occasion of the Centenary of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the "ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, 2019" has been adopted today. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) welcomes the Declaration and the recognition of cooperatives and social and solidarity economy in the final version.

Master's, Graduate Diploma, and Certificate in Co-op Management
The International Centre for Co-operative Management (ICCM) at the Sobey School of Business (Saint Mary's University) offers international management programs designed to provide the skills needed for exceptional co-operative management. Designed for professionals currently or aspiring to be in a leadership position in a co-operative business, mutual or credit union, the programs are offered online and part-time. Students, faculty and researchers are drawn from around the globe, and from a diverse range of co-operatives, enriching the learning community with their experience. Deadline to apply is June 30.
The Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation (CWCF) is a national, bilingual grassroots membership organization of and for worker co-operatives, related types of co-operatives (multi-stakeholder co-ops and worker-shareholder co-ops), and organizations that support the growth and development of worker cooperatives. CWCF's e-newsletter is available free of charge to anyone with an e-mail address and an interest in worker co-operative developments in Canada.    
Please send any comments and suggestions to:  
Kenzie Love
Editor of CWCF Newsletter 
(204) 276-8250