Worker Co-op Profiles

Worker Co-ops are actively involved in the economic and socio-economic fabric of their communities. This page gives a sampling of worker co-ops.

 The Aster Foundation Provides Valuable Support to New Brunswick’s Environmental Movement

By Kenzie Love Aster Group Environmental Services Co–op was formed in Sackville, New Brunswick in 2013 with a mandate to donate 10 percent of its profits to an environmental charity. In the absence of an existing charity suited to this purpose, however, the Aster Foundation was created in 2017, charged with making annual grants to …  The Aster Foundation Provides Valuable Support to New Brunswick’s Environmental Movement


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Co-op Sets Conventional Thinking Ablaze

By Kenzie Love Ablaze Services began in 2019 in New Westminster, BC, the brainchild of two women who’d initially come together through the Feminist Campaign School, an organization designed to support candidates for municipal office. The founders subsequently began to take on more project-based work, and with the addition of a third member to their … Co-op Sets Conventional Thinking Ablaze


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Lichen Celebrates Community-Led Design

By Kenzie Love Lichen Community Systems was founded in 2024 by four people dedicated to growing the practice of community-led design. Building on the principle of “nothing about us without us”, community-led design goes beyond consultation and co-creation.  It supports technologies and systems that are designed by, accessible to, and ownable by communities. The Co-op’s … Lichen Celebrates Community-Led Design


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Worker Co-op Seizes Opportunities

By Kenzie Love Seize the Means of Production Video Co-op is a unionized video production worker co-op based in Vancouver, BC. Established in 2022, it was founded by five long-time collaborators who saw an opportunity to do art-based, nonprofit work. “We wanted to start a business, but were also thinking about the co-op model as … Worker Co-op Seizes Opportunities


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BWP Co-op’s Members Succeed by Coming Together

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


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Cleaning Co-op Offers Empowerment Over Exploitation

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


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Worker Co-op Development Program Empowers Black Women

By Kenzie Love  Black women in Canada face significant barriers, including high levels of violence, lack of access to employment, higher education, and housing, and disproportionate rates of incarceration. Research shows that the cumulative impact of racism, discrimination, poverty and other structural and systemic inequalities profoundly impact the physical, emotional and mental health of all … Worker Co-op Development Program Empowers Black Women


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