By Kenzie Love A group of fellow immigrant professionals started the Expertise Hub Cooperative in 2024, inspired by a problem they’d encountered in their home of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador that is also common across Canada. “We kept seeing the same pattern happening again and again,” says Roxana Fazli. “Newcomers come here with advanced … Expertise Hub Helps Its Members Put Their Experience to Use
By Kenzie Love When he settled in BC’s Lower Mainland as an immigrant from Nigeria, John Atoyebi knew he wanted to get back into farming. A farmer in his country of origin, as well as a lawyer, Atoyebi had the experience and the desire to resume his trade, but he needed farmland, a relatively scarce … African Canadian Agricultural Producers Cooperative Helps Diaspora Plant New Roots
By Kenzie Love Pansy Club started in Calgary in 2021, inspired by the legacy of previous grassroots queer parties. From modest beginnings, it has since grown to become an important part of the city’s queer culture, with the aim of eventually becoming a queer cafe and social space actually owned by the queer community. Pansy … Pansy Club Helps Queer Community Blossom
By Kenzie Love Black Women Professional Co-operative (BWP Co-op) is a multi-stakeholder co-op that aims to empower women professionals and entrepreneurs to operationalize their businesses and scale up products and services to mainstream local channels and international markets. Founded in March 2020 by ten Black women professionals, the Co-op was formally incorporated in 2024. Ada … BWP Co-op’s Members Succeed by Coming Together
By Kenzie Love The Cleaning Co-op’s journey began in late 2022, born out of a desire to create a different kind of work environment. Cofounder Lulu Hernández was working for an exploitative cleaning company in Vancouver whose clients included the company for which another cofounder, Hayley Postlethwaite, was managing, an Airbnb. Postlethwaite saw an opportunity, … Cleaning Co-op Offers Empowerment Over Exploitation
Transform Practice, a not-for-profit consulting group, is a worker co-op that specializes in design, facilitation, reflective practice, evaluative learning, and strategy, working with community, non-profit, philanthropic, government and private sectors. As its name would suggest, however, the members of Transform Practice seek to go beyond merely tinkering with the framework of the organizations they serve. … Transform Practice Works Towards Change One Organization At a Time – Kenzie Love
By Kenzie Love For Vancouver Island-based worker co-op Weaver Digital Design & Storytelling, the year since its launch has been one to remember, with the impact of the pandemic offering both challenges and opportunities. Initial concerns about whether there would be enough work to go around were soon replaced by the realization that there might … Creating Websites Just the Starting Point for Weaver Digital Design & Storytelling
It’s sometimes said that “if you love what you do, you’ll never ‘work’ again.” It might seem like a cliche. But for the members of Toronto’s Urbane Cyclist, it’s not very far from the truth. Urbane’s founding in 1997 was led by the late Eugene Yao, who wanted to establish a repair shop specifically for … Urbane Cyclist Places Passion Over Profits – Kenzie Love
When it comes to building houses, Winnipeg’s Sun Certified Builders Co-operative firmly believes that less is more. By building “passive houses”, well-insulated buildings that require little energy for heating or cooling, Sun Certified’s builders are able to deliver houses that have a lower carbon footprint than ones heated or cooled with conventional technology. “If you … Sun Certified Proves That Less Can Be More – Kenzie Love
By Kenzie Love With its physical demands, always-present risk of injury, and sometimes unpleasant weather, bicycle courier work might not seem like a dream job. And for an employee of a traditional business, it probably isn’t. But when it comes to working for Toronto’s SendIt Courier worker co-op, Kat Exner couldn’t be happier. “I just … SendIt Courier Offers Deliveries with a Difference