Directors’ and Officers’ Liability, and Insurance from Co-operators: Co-op Guard and Member Benefits Program
Webinar for CWCF Members – October 1, 2025, 12 noon – 1 pm Eastern Time
Please join us when Lisa Martin, Associate Insurance Advisor, and Joanna Croissant, Co-op Business Development Manager, both with Co-operators, will be hosting a webinar that speaks to their Member Benefit Program and describes the advantages and features of various types of insurance available to CWCF members through Co-operators, including Co-op Guard insurance. CWCF Executive Director Hazel Corcoran will present on D&O liability generally.
Co-operators have created an insurance program, Co-op Guard, which is designed to meet the needs of co-operatives across Canada, including the members of CWCF. One of the many products included in Co-op Guard is D&O insurance specifically to meet the needs of co-ops; another is Group Benefits. Offering group benefits is an excellent strategy to attract and retain key employees and can increase both morale and productivity within your organization.
Learn about Co-op Guard in the Webinar
The information provided in the Webinar will help you understand your risks and what this insurance coverage protects you from.
In addition, the Member Benefits Program provides individual members of your co-op access to exclusive, value-added coverage and savings for a wide range of products, including travel, auto, and home insurance.
Why choose Co-operators?
Co-operators has over 80 years of history as a co-operative. Its focus extends beyond increasing profits and share values to a concern for satisfying the needs of clients, Member Organizations, staff members and communities. CWCF is one of the 46 member organizations of Co-operators, which means that CWCF shares in the financial success of Co-operators.
- Co-operators actively participates in co-operative associations.
- Co-operators has contributed $13.3 million in 2024 through direct community investments to charities, non-profits and co-operatives. They support community investments and partnerships and support innovative and impactful programs that create value and drive change in communities
- The Co-operators provides:
- Customized products & services
- Member Loyalty program
- Support for studies in co-operatives
- Co-op Development Program
- Advocacy for the sector
This webinar is free of charge, and open to members of CWCF – aimed at worker co-op members, and associate members which are co-operatives.
The Presenters
Joanna Croissant (Kry-sant) is a co-operative management professional with 24 years in various roles at The Co-operators, a leading Canadian insurance and financial services co-operative.
Her years as an Advisor owner in Saskatchewan and B.C. brings 20 years of retail sales experience where she worked directly with clients, helping them find valuable solutions for their insurance needs. In her current role at Co-operators, she is a Co-op Business Development Manager where she manages the Member Organization relationships in the four western provinces. She is currently pursuing her master’s in management for Co-operatives and Credit Unions with Saint Mary’s University in Halifax Nova Scotia. She enjoys working with Member Organizations, as well as Canadian Non-profit and Co-operative organizations to find the best solutions for any task at hand while building purposeful customer relationships.
Joanna was born and raised in southern Saskatchewan and today resides on the family farm south of Assiniboia. Outside of work she enjoys golfing, volunteering on a few community non-profit boards, and spending time with Mabel her Bernese Mountain dog.
Hazel Corcoran has served as CWCF’s Executive Director since 1995. She first became interested in the idea of employee ownership while completing a Master’s in Linguistics at Berkeley. She later went on to study law, and discovered the worker co-op model while completing a research paper on various models of workplace democracy. Coincidentally, CWCF was in the process of forming nearby, and Hazel attended the founding AGM and ultimately helped the Federation draft its bylaws.
Worker co-ops appeal to Hazel as a way to empower workers and help them flourish in the workplace and learn new skills. She believes it’s the most humane way to organize the economy. She would like to see Canada’s worker co-op sector grow significantly, and hopes it can partner with government and the solidarity economy to achieve this.
In addition to her work with CWCF, Hazel has also served as a director of a variety of co-operatives, in the past including Calgary Co-op, First Calgary Credit Union, le Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada. She is currently a director of The Co-operators where she chairs the Member and Co-operative Relations Committee.
In her spare time, Hazel enjoys spending time with her family, walking in nature, and cooking Cajun food, a legacy of her origins in New Orleans. She’s also an active member of Prairie Sky Cohousing in Calgary.