Blog

An ongoing series examining issues in the worker co-op sector.

Black History Month a Chance to Recognize Overlooked Co-operative Tradition

By Kenzie Love February is Black History Month, and while the contributions of Black Canadians to the worker co-op movement are deserving of recognition all year round, they haven’t always been accorded this. Despite a rich history within the Black community (and other BIPOC communities), the history of co-operatives is often confined to a narrative Black History Month a Chance to Recognize Overlooked Co-operative Tradition


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Worker Co-ops and the First Co-op Principle

By Kenzie Love When it comes to the first co-op principle, voluntary and open membership, the International Co-op Association’s Statement of Co-operative Identity is quite succinct: “Co-operatives are voluntary organisations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.” This Worker Co-ops and the First Co-op Principle


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Lack of Awareness a Barrier for Co-op Education on Campus

By Kenzie Love Among the obstacles the co-operative movement faces, education — or a lack thereof – is often cited as a key factor, with co-operators pointing to neglect of the model in many business schools’ curricula. As Simon Berge of the University of Winnipeg observes, “most business schools currently present the neoliberal capitalist model Lack of Awareness a Barrier for Co-op Education on Campus


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Principle Three and the Co-operative Values

By Kenzie Love The third co-operative principle is Member Economic Participation.  It states, “Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their co-operative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the co-operative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members Principle Three and the Co-operative Values


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Concern for Community Last But Far From Least Among Co-op Principles

By Kenzie Love Adopted in 1995, the seventh co-op principle, concern for community, may be the most recent addition to the list, but in some ways it is the foundation on which the other six principles are built. England’s Rochdale Pioneers, originators of the modern principles, may not have explicitly included concern for community in Concern for Community Last But Far From Least Among Co-op Principles


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Worker Co-ops Offer Advice on Surviving Common Struggles

By Kenzie Love CWCF introduced our member profile series in 2019 with the goal of highlighting our members’ successes and challenges. The members profiled so far have shown the full spectrum of diversity on display in Canada’s worker co-op sector, and this wide variety of co-ops is something worth celebrating. But despite their differences, worker Worker Co-ops Offer Advice on Surviving Common Struggles


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