By Kenzie Love Vancouver’s Wood Shop Workers’ Co-op produces a wide variety of products out of reclaimed wood, crafting everything from bed frames to kitchen tables. The unifying theme, however, is to create furniture that looks good, feels good, and does good. Incorporated in 2014, Wood Shop emerged out of a local social enterprise incubator … Vancouver’s Wood Shop Workers’ Co-op Builds with Community
By Kenzie Love Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op began in 1995 as the brainchild of a small group of friends (hence the name “Just Us!”). The founders had little in the way of business experience or resources, but they shared an interest in owning their own business and promoting fair trade, which was still a … Just Us! is a Coffee Roaster with a Mission
By Kenzie Love Vancouver worker co-op Shift Delivery launched in August, 2011, with a vision of reducing the impact of goods movement and creating empowering green jobs. To all appearances, the co-op has succeeded on both counts. Shift estimates that in the five years from 2012-2017, it avoided 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions that would … Shift Delivery Promotes Sustainability
By Kenzie Love Like many developmental services workers, Claire Maxwell faced a difficult choice when it came to breaking into the industry — working for a large, private company that would offer her little or no say in its operations, or working on her own, isolating her from others in the field and offering no … DSW Co-operative Embraces Co-op Alternative for Developmental Services Work
By Kenzie Love Queer spaces are scarce in Halifax these days, and until recently, queer-owned worker co-ops were non-existent there. And then along came Glitter Bean Cafe, which while still in its infancy, has succeeded by being both. The Cafe, a member of CWCF, is the successor to predecessors at the same location that operated … Glitter Bean Cafe Offers Safe Space for Halifax’s Queer Community
By Kenzie Love From its humble beginnings in the community kitchen of an Ottawa church to its current location in a 10,000 square foot warehouse, La Siembra has come a long way over the past 20 years. As it marks the two decades since its founding in 1999, the co-op faces its share of challenges … La Siembra Co-op Celebrates 20 Years
By Kenzie Love For many breweries, fulfilling a goal of creating and selling great-tasting beer might be reason enough to celebrate. Not so, however, for London Brewing Co-operative. The first co-op brewery to open in Canada outside Quebec, London Brewing wanted people to enjoy its products, of course. But they also wanted to use organic … London Brewing Succeeds by Emphasizing Community
By Kenzie Love As in many other countries, Canada’s print media are in the midst of challenging times. A growing concentration in ownership has meant that just a few companies publish the vast majority of the nation’s daily newspapers, while a slew of weekly and monthly newspapers have recently closed. Alternative weeklies, one of the … Hullabaloo Publishing Talks about Challenges Facing Canadian Media
When Fourth Pig Construction launched in 2007, its founders were out to make a difference, both in the type of buildings they made and the type of business they established. They were going to make and renovate buildings using green building methods that would reduce carbon emissions. And they were going to be a worker … Fourth Pig Construction Cuts Carbon Emissions Through Green Building Techniques
A New Cooperative Press for a New Media Age September 2012 marked an important historical milestone for Saskatoon and the province’s co-operative movement—Planet S magazine’s first ten years of independent city journalism. Published by an award-winning, home-grown workers’ co-op, its triumph will be remembered as one of this province’s great co-operative campaigns—like the pooling, retail … Planet S Magazine Turns 10!
