By Hazel Corcoran Worker Co-op Academy/Mixers/Conference/Lobbying As we move towards summer, CWCF has many projects underway. I’m excited to announce the recent launch of the third iteration of our Worker Co-op Academy. Four groups are participating in this cohort, with experienced co-op developer Russ Christianson continuing to serve as our lead instructor. Past participants, including … Report from the Executive Director, May 2024
By Kenzie Love The problems with the big social media platforms are well known: the concentration of ownership, the lack of control or privacy, the ability to spread misinformation, and more. Despite these and other problems, however, “their use is still practically compulsory in order to advertise a person’s work or spread urgent news.” The … Fediverse Model Offers Social Media a Second Chance
Simon Kinsey is a graduate student at Carleton University pursing an MA in Political Economy with a focus on work and labour. Simon took an interest in worker cooperatives when researching workplace democracy in Canada, and has focussed his research towards grassroots assertions of worker autonomy in the Canadian economy. He is joining the CWCF … CWCF Welcomes Simon Kinsey
By Hazel Corcoran The federal budget 2024 announced that sales of businesses to worker co-operatives would be eligible for a capital gains tax exemption of up to $10 million! This was previously announced for employee ownership trusts (EOTs), and CWCF with the support of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada has strongly advocated the addition of worker … A Win for the Worker Co-op Sector in the Canadian Budget!
Janielle Maxwell recently concluded her position as coordinator of CWCF’s JEDDI Business Conversion Project. Funded by Canada’s Investment Readiness Program, the project was a continuation of the work done by the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation & Resiliency’s Legacy Leadership Lab (L3). The L3 project focused on raising awareness around social acquisitions to combat Canada’s … Interview With Janielle Maxwell
Overview Location: RemoteCompensation: USD$20,000Time commitment: ContractApplication deadline: March 28, 2024Start date: Beginning April 2024 Hypha Worker Co-operative (Hypha) and Sutty.nl are looking for a Business Development Lead to join the Distributed Press team on a contract basis. The ideal candidate will work closely with our team to clarify Distributed Press’ product offering, and to identify and target valuable partners in the decentralized web, … Business Development Lead Contract: Distributed Press
Founded in 2021 by five Vancouver-based graduates from the Co-operative Management Education Masters of Management program at the International Centre for Co-operative Management Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, GIA Consulting Co-op works to serve new and established co-ops by providing support for operations and governance grounded in the co-operative principles and values. Coming out of … Love of Co-ops Unites Members of GIA Consulting
Like all businesses, worker co-ops are obligated to pay their workers a minimum wage. As recent studies have shown, however, paying the bare minimum is no longer sufficient to cover even basic expenses such as rent in many cities across Canada. Hence the concept of the “living wage”, a figure which theoretically covers the actual … Even for Worker Co-ops, Paying a Living Wage Is a Complex Issue — Kenzie Love
Toronto worker co-op movie night and mixer JEDDI Business Conversions project info session Committee exploring challenges for equity-denied groups in worker co-ops As we enter into spring, CWCF looks forward to continuing connections with our members. For those living in the Greater Toronto area, we hope many of you will be able to join us … Report from the Executive Director, March 2024
By Kenzie Love Growing up in Canada as the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Andria Barrett was familiar with the Jamaican concept of “partner”. What she only learned later in life was that while it has sometimes been overlooked in Western histories of the co-operative movement, partner is just one name for a Rotating Savings and … ROSCAs Are an Overlooked But Vital Part of the Co-operative Sector