Co-operative Links

International

Associations

The ICA is an international non-governmental organisation which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide.

ACE is a membership organization that brings together educators and cooperators across cooperative sectors as well as national boundaries. The resulting cross pollination of ideas enhances cooperative development, strengthens cooperatives, promotes professionalism, and improves public understanding.

Most ACE members come from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico with membership from the rest of the world growing.

The National Cooperative Business Association is the lead U.S. membership association for co-ops in all sectors of the economy. Our mission is to develop, advance and protect cooperative enterprise. NCBA provides quality cooperative educational programming, successful domestic public policy and development programs, and an effective international program that helps people in developing countries create member-owned businesses.

International Centres of Co-operative Studies

Centres for Co-operative Studies are fabulous resources for research papers, new models and tool. There are some great international and national centres to choose from including:

The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives develops, promotes and coordinates educational programs, technical assistance and research on the cooperative form of business. The UWCC serves as a facilitator for faculty and staff within the University System who engage in education, research and extension activities involving cooperatives.

National

Associations

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national umbrella organization representing co-operatives and credit unions. We are a not-for-profit co-operative owned by our members.

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The Co-operative Secretariat is an arm of the federal government under the Ministry of Agriculture. The current Minister is the Honourable Andy Mitchell.

The vision of CWC is to be a growing, cohesive network of democratically-controlled worker co-ops that provide a high quality of worklife, and support the development of healthy and sustainable local economies, based on cooperative principles.

A national resource to assist those wanting to start a housing co-operative.

The membership of CCEDNet is made up of Community Economic Development (CED) community-based organizations and practitioners from every region of Canada. Our members bring urban, rural and northern experience and a diverse range of community economic development expertise to the work of CCEDNet.

Our mission is to promote and support community economic development for the social, economic and environmental betterment of communities within Canada.

Tools

A website to promote the development and growth of the co-operative sector. Has numerous resources for both grassroot community members and co-op developers.

Information on 'how' to incorporation into a federal co-operative.

The federal act itself.

National Centres for Co-operative Study

University of Saskatoon

University of Victoria

Coady Institute - Nova Scotia

Regional

Associations

The Ontario Co-operative Association is a cooperative and is one of eight affiliated regional offices serving regional and national co-op member organizations across Canada.It's member organizations include agriculture, finance, insurance, consumer, and supply and services coops. Currently, there are more than 1900 co-ops, credit unions and caisses populaires in Ontario with over 2.3 million members

The Ontario Worker Co-op Federation (OWCF) helps in the development of new and existing worker co-ops. It also lobbies governments on behalf of established worker co-ops, and disburses information about the benefits and goals of co-operatively owned businesses.

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Tools

On-line copy of the Ontario Co-operative Act which oversees all co-operatives that are registered with the Province of Ontario.

This site provides information on how to register a Co-operative

The Ontario Region of CHF Canada is the provincial voice for the 125,000 people living in 550 co-ops across Ontario.

Co-operative Funding Opportunities

The Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) is the Government of Canada's new program to help people develop co-ops, and to research and test innovative ways of using the co-operative model. CDI will make the co-op option more readily available to Canadians, to respond to their present-day challenges.

Click on "Media Centre" and you will find Charitable Foundation. Also, if you look under 'About Credit Unions', then 'Corporate Citizens' you will find a link to the application form. In partnership with the Ontario credit union system, the Charitable Foundation's mission is to help people, credit unions and communities improve themselves through co-operation, education and personal development.

Click on "In the Community" and you will find C.E.D. Fund and Co-op Development Fund. The purpose of our Fund is to support community enterprises and initiatives that create local employment and promote local self-reliance. Our company is proud to assist with initiatives that support self-reliance through innovative, co-operative, community-based solutions

The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF) is the charity of choice for Canadian co-operators. CDF provides an important link through which Canadian support is channeled to the sustainable development of credit unions and co-operatives in less developed countries, and innovative small-scale co-operative ventures in Canadian communities.

Other Funding Sources

As one of Canada's leading charitable grant-making foundations, the Ontario Trillium Foundation works with others to make strategic investments to build healthy, caring and economically strong Ontario communities.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario's charity casino initiative.

Ontario Trillium Foundation grants are awarded to fund capital, operating and/or specific project costs in support of: Arts & Culture, Environment, Human & Social Services, and Sports & Recreation. The Foundation makes grants that have province-wide impact as well as grants in local communities across Ontario.

MCFDC's mandate is to encourage orderly economic growth and job creation throughout Muskoka by facilitating projects that strengthen the region's economy; and to empower entrepreneurs to succeed through experienced guidance and financial investment in their ventures

Research, Tools and Template Links

Centres for Co-operative Studies carry a large number of co-operative research papers as well as:

Has a number of reports including those on Health and First Nations; Adaptation to the New Agriculture and Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada

A website to promote the development and growth of the co-operative sector. Has numerous resources for both grassroot community members and co-op developers.

Refer to Publications and Resources. There are some excellent research documents.

Up to the minute news about what's happening with co-operatives around the world. Many good articles.

Helps communities look at social, financial, human, physical and personal assets that they can draw on to assist them in their work.

Information on the University of Wisconsin' Centre for Co-op's site, cooperatives are grouped by topic which may be of interest to all cooperative sectors, for example, management, member relations, or the legal basis of cooperatives. Also included are topics such as the role of cooperatives in rural and community development and cooperative case studies.

Papers on innovative co-operatives in Ontario

Study Tours

The BC Regional Associations has been offering annual educational tours to Bologna for the last few years.

Educational Programs

(Masters of Management – Co-operatives and Credit Unions)

Co-operative Young Leaders

Co-operative Young Leaders Program, or CYL for short, is an integral part of the Ontario Co-operative Association's broader education strategy. This summer camp/conference experience brings young people ages 14 to 18 together from all across Ontario to learn about and practice communication and co-operative leadership through co-operative activities.

Youth in Schools

The Ontario Co-operative Association and its members would like to create awareness of co-operative enterprise in public schools and educate young people regarding their career choices. The association has developed pilot projects, materials, and curriculum to encourage young people to consider co-ops and credit unions in their career planning and job searches.

Co-operative Internship Program

For many years the Ontario Co-operative Association and its members have been working with young people. An initiative and perhaps one of the most important steps in the integration of young people into the co-op and credit union sector. Co-operative Internship Program was introduced in Spring 2002.

We promote that co-ops and credit unions can and do combine a commitment to broader social and economic principles with a successful dedication to professional excellence, innovation and growth. Overall, our initiative responds to the need for tangible, realistic, accessible information and opportunities about co-op and credit union careers.

Ontario Cooperative Association invites you to be a partner with us as we promote the co-operative sector to young people as a career path to explore. With your participation this will be a successful endeavor for On Coop, for you as an employer, and of course for young people.

Newsletters

Co-op Advantage Newsletter profiles our (Ontario) members' innovative activities and communicates the idea that given these changing and economic times, co-ops are a viable model for business, communities and public services.

CCA Update is a quarterly newsletter geared to informing our members, government and the public about the latest events and news about co-operative activity in Ontario

Co-op Funders' Facts is an occasional newsletter informing funders of co-operatives and financeers about relevant news and upcoming events. Co-operatives and community-based organizations will also enjoy this publication.

Co-operative News Briefs, an electronic newsletter of the Canadian Co-operative Association, is published every two weeks and distributed by e-mail. It is available free of charge to anyone with an e-mail address and an interest in co-operative developments in Canada and around the world.

InterSector is the flagship publication of the Canadian Co-operative Association. Published three times a year, InterSector provides CCA members and interested Canadians with in-depth analysis of issues and trends facing the co-op sector and highlights of co-operatives and credit unions that are meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.

CCA's International Development Digest aims to put a human face on the international co-operative development efforts undertaken on behalf of CCA's Canadian credit union and co-operative members and with the full participation of our co-operative partners overseas.

The GAP Update is a monthly electronic publication that highlights key developments in public policy and government relations of interest to the co-operative sector. It contains analysis of major stories and updates on programs and issues, appointments, release of new reports, and the status of relevant federal government legislation.

Becoming an active board that is intentional about its leadership, stewardship, monitoring and reporting, and an independent board that is able to think, function, and act independently of management are the ultimate governance goals. This requires a continued focus on intentional leadership and a clear understanding of the governance guidelines, practices, and models available to co-operative leaders.

Our Governance Matters e-newsletters and e-toolkits throw the spotlight on key governance issues imperative to the co-operative leader. Governance Matters is available to CCA members and their members by subscription.

Concern for Community e-newsletters and e-toolkits bring you stories about how other co-ops and credit unions contribute to their communities. It also gives you information on community involvement best practices, measurement and reporting practices and tools, resources on corporate social responsibility (such as "best reads," journals, websites, think-tanks, and conferences), as well as awards granted by the co-op and credit union sector that recognize the community contributions of co-ops

The vision is to strengthen cooperatives and the cooperative movement by promoting innovative educational responses to social and economic changes.

The Atlantic Co-operator is a newsletter targeted at the Atlantic provinces but has interesting information that is not geographically related.

The Digest provides a brief weekly update of the latest activities undertaken by ICA including events in which the ICA has participated and organised. It also highlights upcoming events that may be of interest to members.

Information on International co-operatives, including various sectors and areas of current interest.

The Review of International Co-operation is the official journal of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). The Review presents in-depth discussion of issues that effect co-operatives around the world.

Published in English and Spanish, the Alliance (formerly known as the ICA News) is designed to give information on the activities of ICA, its member and specialised bodies organisations and co-operatives worldwide. It supplements ICA's other regular publication, the Review of International Co-operation which is published twice a year in English and Spanish and contains in-depth articles on vital developments within the worldwide co-operative movement, papers presented at the ICA's major meetings and research conferences.

NCBA's Cooperative Business Journal is your one-stop source for the latest in cooperative news and information. CBJ is the only national publication covering co-op happenings across all industries.

Cooperative Life Leader is the (U.S) nation's first electronic monthly newsletter covering all types of cooperatives.
Its primary readership is co-op managers, directors, active members, community leaders, educators, and others interested in cooperative enterprise. It is simply formatted for fast download time. Most items are short and accompanied by web links and other contact information for readers who want more.

Other Great Sites

To advance the rural non-profit and voluntary sector, build sustainable rural capacity and enhance the quality of life for rural citizens – through the growth and development of community investment in the form of philanthropy, citizenship and collaboration.

Rural Online Communications is a dynamic website can help you plan your calendar, discuss your areas of interest, keep on current issues relevant to rural Ontario, receive news releases and newsletters, and locate key people across all sectors of Ontario.

The Ontario Rural Council is a trusted forum which brings together those who share a commitment to building strong rural communities and organizations. The Council provides a unique and important opportunity for multi-sector co-operation within the rural sector.

Quarterly National Newsletter for Rural Canadians