News & Events

An Equal Exchange Story: When a founding member gets pushed out

Paper posted on March 6, 2011 was prepared for the Babson-Equal Exchange Cooperative Curriculum titled ‘The Worker Cooperative Life Cycle’ by John R. Whitman Ph.D. This is an academic- style paper that explored whether the Cook and Burress’ theory (2009) of the five phases of a co-operative fit the life cycle of Equal Exchange. The paper An Equal Exchange Story: When a founding member gets pushed out


Read more

Media Co-op Wins Best Practice Award from CWCF

The Dominion Newspaper/Media Co-op has been awarded the Canadian Federation of Worker Co-ops’ Best Practice Award for “outstanding contributions to democratic engagement.” For full article: Media Co-op Wins Best Practice Award from National Federation of Cooperatives  


Read more

Archived March 22, 2020 – CWCF President Alain Bridault becomes a member of the CICOPA Executive Committee

CICOPA is the world organization of Industrial, Artisanal and Service Producers’ Cooperatives, or the “international worker co-op confederation”. It is a sectoral organization of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). At the meeting of the Executive Committee of CICOPA held in February, CICOPA appointed Alain Bridault as a member of its Executive Committee. Alain represents North Archived March 22, 2020 – CWCF President Alain Bridault becomes a member of the CICOPA Executive Committee


Read more

CWCF Presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance on February 15, 2011

CWCF Executive Director Hazel Corcoran and President Alain Bridault made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance in Ottawa on February 15, 2011. They recommended that the federal government: Launch a Co-operative Investment Strategy with two components : A Canadian Co-operative Development Fund; and A federal Co-op Investment Plan 2. Make the federal Co-operative Development CWCF Presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance on February 15, 2011


Read more

February 2011 CCPA Monitor Article – The Case For Worker Co-operatives

Attached below, please see CWCF’s article titled ‘The Case for Worker Co-operatives’ in the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ February 2011 issue of the Monitor. For more info on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives go to: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/ CCPA_February_2011_The_Case_For_Worker_Co-operatives


Read more

Archived March 22, 2020 – The Potential of Worker Co-operatives

Alain Bridault October 28, 2010 CWCF Annual Conference Vancouver, British Columbia In the anglophone world of co-operation, the history of modern co-ops began with those who were called the Pioneers of the city of Rochdale, now a suburb of Manchester (England). The Pioneers were issued from the ranks of the proletariat; they were factory workers. Archived March 22, 2020 – The Potential of Worker Co-operatives


Read more

Managing the democratic life in a worker co-op: role of members, the board and managers/co-ordinators

Alain Bridault CWCF Annual Conference Saturday, October 30, 2010 in Vancouver Summary In a worker co-op, one has to have a good understanding of group dynamics. There are two energies within the group.  First: Production energy; the more important the goal or target is, the higher the energy level. When you look at a worker Managing the democratic life in a worker co-op: role of members, the board and managers/co-ordinators


Read more