CWCF's 2019 Conference in beautiful Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia is coming up October 24-26, and your last chance to register is October 10. The conference will feature a great keynote speaker, compelling forums, informative workshops, and all the great networking and social activities you've come to expect. So don't delay...

Register for the Conference now!

For more information about our Conference, including registration details and the program, click  here.

CWCF and Green Jobs Oshawa funded a preliminary feasibility study on transitioning to electric vehicle (EV) production under democratic ownership at the GM plant in Oshawa. Converting this plant to EV production would not only save or create about 15,000 direct and indirect jobs, but it would also maintain manufacturing capacity and demonstrate leadership in the transition to a sustainable economy, critical in the face of the current climate crisis.  There has been excellent media coverage of this possibility, including by Jennifer Wells ( here and here ) and Linda McQuaig in the Toronto Star. The full study as well as two summary versions are available on the CWCF website. CWCF encourages you to sign the Green Jobs Oshawa petition , to visit and share their web site , and to like their Facebook page .   

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Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) and the Centre for Excellence in Accounting and Reporting of Co-operatives (CEARC) of St. Mary’s University are partnering to complete a study titled Measuring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Impact in the Co-operative Sector . CMC and CEARC would like to know if and how the sustainability practices of co-operatives are aligned with the SDGs. They are seeking the participation of co-operatives of various sizes and industries, whose leaders would like to engage in this important endeavour. To learn more, see information at the CMC website , or the CEARC site , or contact Dr. Daphne Rixon, Daphne.Rixon@smu.ca or 902-496-8212.

Coopératives et mutuelles Canada (CMC) et le Centre for Excellence in Accounting and Reporting of Co-operatives (CEARC) de St-Mary’s University s’associent pour mener à bien une étude intitulée Mesurer l’impact du secteur coopératif sur les objectifs de développement durable (ODD). CMC et CEARC aimeraient savoir si et comment les pratiques de durabilité des coopératives sont alignées aux ODD. Ils recrutent des coopératives de différentes tailles et industries, dont les leaders voudraient s’engager dans cet effort important. Pour apprendre plus, voyez le site web de CMC ou de CEARC (en anglais seulement), ou contactez le Dr. Daphne Rixon, Daphne.Rixon@smu.ca ou 902-496-8212. 

Did your co-op participate in the climate strikes earlier this month? If so (or if not), you might be interested in joining our ongoing conversation about co-ops and climate change on the Loomio discussion platform. Share how your co-op is responding to climate change, and how you think CWCF can help. And while you're there, feel free to chime in on our conversation about why you chose the co-op model for your business. Please contact Communications and Member Services Manager Kaye Grant at communications@canadianworker.coop to receive your invite if you don't have one yet. See you online!

CWCF is pleased to welcome Laura MacDonald as our new RRSP Program Assistant. Read more about her here.

By Iler Campbell

Urbane Cyclist Worker Co-op is more than your average bike shop. Since opening in 1997, this shop has been part of a movement towards human-powered transportation that promotes, in their words, “the awesomeness of bicycles.”

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By Northern Policy Institute

Co-ops are businesses of a different breed - they are a type of social enterprise owned by a group of people with common needs and/or a common goal. As such, their set of common values steer the direction of the enterprise.

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CWCF’s strategic plan identified increased member engagement as a priority, and one of the ways we’re seeking to do this is through our newsletter. We’ve already made some changes: switching to a monthly schedule, adopting a sleeker layout, adding new content such as our member profiles. But if there are things we can do to make it even better, we want to hear from you — after all, this is your newsletter. Completing this very short — seven minute — survey will help us ensure you get what you want from it.

Co-ops are everywhere, from housing, to health, to art, to finance … to radio! But co-ops are a secret hiding in plain sight. People know the word but little about what they are and the work they do. Each For All is changing that, one show at time!

Each For All: The Co-operative Connection is a one-hour weekly current affairs program, Tuesdays at 11 p.m. ET bringing you profiles, interviews, and reports from the world of co-ops and social economy organizations. Chris Nichols from Woodshop Workers Co-op hosts a section on worker co-ops the third Tuesday of every month.

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