The Latest News From Canada's Worker Co-op Sector
April 2022 Volume 14 Issue 4
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In This Issue
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Coopérative Tënk Celebrates Documentaries, by Hannah Rackow
- Profil de la Coopérative Tënk, par Hannah Rackow
- Solidarity Economy Principles Call for Transformative Change, by Kenzie Love
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Worker Co-ops featured on CBC radio's The Current
- Update on Worker Co-op Academy
- CWCF Co-hosts Successful Screening of Atautsikut/Leaving None Behind: la Fédération des coopératives du nouveau Québec (FCNQ)
- Upcoming CWCF Events
- Member Updates
- Round-up of Canadian Co-op News and Events
- Infolettre Avril 2022 du Réseau COOP du Québec
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By Hannah Rackow
For coopérative Tënk in Montreal, bringing lesser-known documentaries to audiences across Canada is both a passion and a mission.
Profil de la Coopérative Tënk
par Hannah Rackow
Pour la coopérative Tënk à Montréal, la diffusion de films documentaires moins connus pour un public divers à travers le Canada est une passion et une mission.
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Solidarity Economy Principles Call for Transformative Change
By Kenzie Love
A set of Solidarity Principles are in process of being developed by a US group in response to the realization that such guidelines could lead to more cohesion among the various types of groups and entities involved in the solidarity economy.
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Worker Co-ops on CBC's The Current
As part of its series Work In Progress, CBC radio's The Current has taken a closer look at employee ownership including worker co-operatives. The Current today, April 25th, covers employee ownership trusts (EOT's) which were noted in the 2022-2023 federal budget, as well as worker co-ops. Interviewed were Jon Shell of Social Capital Partners, which has proposed the EOT approach with tax and other incentives and Prof. Marcelo Vieta of the Co-op Convert project at the University of Toronto; Marcelo spoke about co-operatives owned fully or partially by workers. If you've missed the program live, once it's posted in the near future you can listen to it on podcast here.
Note that CWCF, with the support of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, has been advocating that the federal government that, if incentives are given to any type of employee ownership, it only makes sense that there should be a level playing field. In other words, whatever is done to encourage EOT's should be done to encourage worker co-ops and multi-stakeholder co-ops with substantial worker control (in Quebec, called coopératives de solidarité à prédominance travailleurs-euses). We have also been in discussions with Social Capital Partners on this and appreciate the excellent collaboration with them.
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Update on Worker Co-op Academy
CWCF’s online Worker Co-op Academy is offering a phased process for developing and launching worker co-op enterprises. In addition to working online with an experienced work co-op developer, your group will also receive coaching from a co-op developer in your province.
After completing the application process, your worker co-op group will participate with others in Phase 1. Before moving to Phase 2, your group needs to complete a shared vision, mission, purpose and values document for your worker co-op enterprise. Before moving to Phase 3, your group will need to determine the feasibility of your worker co-op enterprise. And, before entering Phase 4, your group will need to complete a written business plan and incorporate your co-op. The fees for the Academy will be incremental, based on the Phase your group is enrolled.
The next session of the Worker Co-op Academy will launch in the third week of May. Applications are due on May 4th. For more information, please see the link above, or write to Kaye Grant.
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CWCF Co-hosts Successful Screening of Atautsikut/Leaving None Behind
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Upcoming CWCF Events
Image courtesy Molly Graham, artist
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Member Updates
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Oasis Lavenders Co-op of Summerland, BC is CWCF's newest member. Please join us in welcoming them!
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Woodshop Vancouver is hiring a sales coordinator.
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SSG's latest newsletter discusses its expansion to Latin America and the climate action plans recently adopted by the city of Regina and the Canadian government.
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Canadian Co-op News
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Young Adult Arts and Culture Granting Program: Thanks to the generosity of the late CWCF president Mark Goldblatt, CWCF is once again offering a small grant, up to $1,000, to help pay for an arts and cultural projects to promote co-operatives (preferably worker co-operatives). Applications are due by April 30, 2022. The project must be youth-generated (individual or a group/organization) and take place within Canada during the year following the application deadline (between May 1 to April 30).
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Allyship and Equity in Co-operative Development: Join CoopZone in partnership with Freedom Dreams Co-operative Education for a 90-minute working session April 28 at 7 pm ET that will interrogate why the co-op sector in Canada remains predominantly white given how, historically, co-ops in BIPOC communities, rooted in resistance to racial violence and oppression, have presented true alternatives to mainstream racial capitalism. Deadline to register: April 26 11:59pm EDT CoopZone members: $60 CAD + tax. Non-members: $80 CAD + tax. Click here to register.
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CMC’s national bilingual congress is taking place in Calgary from June 14-16, 2022. This annual event gathers co-operative, credit union and mutual sector leaders from across Canada to connect, network, discuss and look forward, together. As members of a CMC member, members of CWCF qualify for the member rate. The early-bird deadline is April 30th.
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Le congrès national et bilingue de CMC aura lieu à Calgary du 14 au 16 juin 2022. Cet événement annuel accueillera les leaders canadiens des coopératives, des CUs et des mutuelles afin de connecter, réseauter et discuter et regarder ensemble vers le futur.
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Infolettre Avril 2022 du Réseau COOP
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Chaque mois, nous vous proposons de faire rayonner avec nous la coopération du travail, en vous partageant nos actualités, formations, événements, activités et conférences; ainsi que des nouvelles de nos membres.
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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, or news about your co-op, to:
Kenzie Love
Editor of CWCF Newsletter
.(403) 276-8250
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