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| CANADIAN CO-OP, CU LEADERS MEET ON IYC 2012 |
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Leaders of the co-operative movement from across Canada met in Ottawa today to take stock of how Canada has been celebrating the International Year of Co-operatives and look toward the future.
The Canadian National Committee on the International Year of Co-operatives is made up of 28 representatives of Canadian co-ops, credit unions and co-operative associations as well as Michaela Huard, executive director of the federal government's Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat.
"There was a lot of excitement about the grass-roots activities that have been taking place across the country," said Denyse Guy, executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), who co-chaired the meeting with Brigitte Gagné, executive director of the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité (CCCM).
The committee reconfirmed the three priorities it established for IYC back in August 2010: generating awareness of co-operatives; creating an enabling environment for co-operative development; and creating legacies that will live beyond 2012. The committee also appointed a five-member advisory group to provide ongoing advice to CCA and CCCM on International Year activities.
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| HONOURING CO-OPERATIVE EXCELLENCE: CCA AWARDS DEADLINE IS APRIL 16 |
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The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) has launched its call for entries for its annual awards recognizing excellence and achievement in the Canadian co-operative sector.
There are four types of CCA awards:
The Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award, which honours outstanding individual contributions to the co-operative movement in Canada.
The Global Co-operator Award, which honours an individual or organization who has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the international development work of CCA and the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF).
The CCA Co-operative Governance Awards, which recognize co-operatives and credit unions that demonstrate excellence in governance leadership and/or practices.
The Canadian Co-operative Hall of Fame Pioneer Inductees are deceased individuals who were fundamental in shaping co-operation in Canada.
The deadline for entries/nominations for all the awards is April 16, 2012.
The Hall of Fame Pioneers will be inducted into the virtual Canadian Co-operative Hall of Fame, while the other awards will be presented during the CCA/CCCM National Congress in Montreal, June 27-29, 2012.
For more information about each award and how to apply, click the above links for each award or go to http://s.coop/ccaawards for an overview of the awards. |
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| MANY BANK CUSTOMERS DISSATISFIED WITH SERVICE CHARGES: FIRSTONTARIO CU SURVEY |
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A new, national survey conducted by FirstOntario Credit Union reveals that the average Canadian has been with the same bank for more than 15 years, yet more than 40 per cent of those surveyed are unhappy with the high service fees their bank charges them.
The survey, conducted in November 2011, also showed that 10 per cent of the dissatisfied customers are reluctant to switch to another financial institution because it was the only bank they ever had or they feel that switching would be too much trouble.
"There are serious misconceptions among Canadians about what's involved in leaving your bank for another institution, and for many people even the thought of switching is daunting," said Dave Schurman, FirstOntario's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "The reality is that if you are unhappy with your bank, switching is simple and straightforward."
FirstOntario recently launched a campaign to educate consumers about the benefits of joining a credit union; the campaign website is http://www.myownbank.ca/.
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| CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEK: FEB. 5-11 |
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Next week is International Development Week in Canada, an opportunity to highlight the work that Canadians -- including Canadian co-ops and credit unions -- are doing in the area of international development.
The theme of this year's International Development Week is "Empowering women and girls", reflecting the importance of gender equality in promoting sustainable economic growth.
In celebration of this special week, the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is urging co-operators to tweet stories about international development and/or gender equality using the hashtag #IDW2012. The tweets could include links to videos, articles or just statements on why international co-operative development is important.
You can see CCA's tweets throughout the week by following its Twitter account CoopsCanada (https://twitter.com/#!/CoopsCanada). CCA will be also posting International Development-related links on its Co-operatives in Canada Facebook page. For more information about International Development Week, go to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) website at http://s.coop/idw2012. |
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| QUEBEC BUSINESS NEWSPAPER FOCUSES ON CO-OPS |
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At a time when co-ops aren't frequently covered by business media, Quebec's most important business publication, the weekly tabloid newspaper Les Affaires, has devoted the front page and three inside pages of its January 28 edition to co-operatives.
As a follow-up to the launch of the International Year of Co-ops, Les Affaires cover story was entitled Le nouveau visage de la coop ("The new face of the co-op"). The front-page "teaser" translates as "The co-operative model attracts young people, penetrates new sectors and emerges as a solution to succession and regional development".
The three-page feature includes a general story about co-operatives in Quebec, interviews with Monique Leroux of Desjardins Group and Hélène Simard of the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité, Quebec's co-operative association. There are also profiles of four co-ops in different economic sectors.
The article can be downloaded at http://s.coop/lesaffairesjan2012 (large .pdf file). |
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| CU BLOGGERS SHARE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE |
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They have braved rerouted flights, traffic jams, long journeys and technical issues, but the Canadian credit union professionals who will return home from Africa this week have been telling their stories through the magic of the Internet.
Ten of the 22 volunteer coaches who are participating in the Canadian Co-operative Association mission to Ghana, Uganda and Malawi have created personal blogs about their journey. Mark Ventry, Co-op Community manager of the Ontario Co-operative Association is also on the mission and has quarterbacked CCA's official mission blog, The View From Here.
Find out more about their adventures in co-operation at http://theviewfromherecca.blogspot.com/ |
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| LIBRO FINANCIAL GROUP WINS ADVERTISING AWARD |
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An Ontario credit union and its ad agency have won a national award for excellence in advertising.
Libro Financial Group was the only Canadian financial services institution, including commercial banks, to receive a Cassie Award at the recent Advertising Week event in Toronto. Libro shared the award with its agency, Tenzing Communications.
The Cassie Awards are given annually by the Television Bureau of Canada to recognize "the business effectiveness of advertising."
"For a comparatively small, $1.4 billion financial institution to win at that level means a lot," said Libro Vice-President Tania Goodine. "Our evolving Be Libro TV and print advertising along with our new video-based, educational web presence suggests we've continued to excel since." |
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| DESJARDINS OPENS OFFICE IN PARIS |
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Desjardins Group is making its first international foray outside the United States by opening an office in Paris to help Canadian businesses boost their activities in Europe.
Canada's largest financial co-operative said it will also provide services to European businesses looking to break into the North American market.
Monique Leroux, who was recently elected by acclamation to her second term as Desjardins' chair of the board, president and CEO, said Desjardins is establishing itself in Europe to better meet the needs of their members and clients.
"This objective is a key motivator behind our European representation office, as it will enable us to more effectively support businesses in their international business projects," she said.
The new office will be located at the headquarters of the French co-operative group Crédit Mutuel, and will have two employees. |
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| PAUL HAZEN NEW HEAD OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL CO-OP DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL |
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Paul Hazen, who recently stepped down as president and CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) in the U.S., has been appointed executive director of the Overseas Co-operative Development Council (OCDC).
The OCDC brings together eight U.S. co-op sector organizations involved in international development, as well as the World Council of Credit Unions.
Mr. Hazen has some 30 years' experience in international and domestic co-operative development and was appointed to his position at NCBA in 1998. His appointment to OCDC was effective February 1. |
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| WOMEN'S MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SEEKING CU HOSTS |
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The Canadian Co-operative Association is looking for credit unions across Canada to host female managers from Africa and Asia for 10 days in May as part of its Women's Mentorship Program.
This popular training program provides female overseas staff of financial co-operatives with a unique opportunity for professional development.
Each Canadian credit union would host one of the 14 women for 10 days, from May 10-20, 2012. During that time, the woman would be immersed in the credit union and the community, receiving general leadership training and learning the ins-and-outs of day to day operations. At the same time, staff of the Canadian credit unions would learn about another culture, how credit unions operate in other countries and help fulfil the sixth co-operative principle, Co-operation Among Co-operatives.
If your credit union is interested in hosting, please apply via e-mail by March 1st to Sarah Feldberg, volunteer coordinator, at sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop. CLICK HERE for more information about the program, as well as application forms. |
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| HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY, DOTCOOP! |
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Ten years ago this week, on January 30, 2002, an event took place that created a unique space for co-operatives on the Internet: the launch of the .coop Internet domain.
Today, thousands of co-operatives around the world use .coop in their web and email address - the only Internet domain dedicated to a specific business model.
Carolyn Hoover, executive director of DotCoop, the organization which sponsors the domain, said the creation of a domain for co-ops was not without its challenges.
"The first challenge was getting the system infrastructure in place and actually being able to activate our first .coop websites and email addresses in January 2002," she said. "Today there are a number of companies that offer these services but at that time the systems had to be developed from scratch. In addition, we had to build the verification process that ensured that the names were being registered and used only by co-ops - and that was unique on the Internet at that time."
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the .coop domain, the Co-operative News Global News Hub has devoted a special section to its history and its future. To find out more, go to www.thenews.coop/spotlight/celebrating-ten-years-dotcoop. |
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| AWARDS LAUNCHED FOR PROMOTING FAIR TRADE |
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Are you a consumer co-op that sells and promotes Fair Trade products in your store?
Or a worker or producer co-op which sources raw materials from Fair Trade producers in the developing world?
Or a credit union or co-operative association that has actively promoted Fair Trade among its membership?
If so, your contribution could be recognized with a Canadian Fairtrade Award. Fairtrade Canada, the organization responsible for certifying Fair Trade products in Canada, has launched the awards to honour businesses and organizations that promote Fair Trade. Awards will be offered in six categories, including a category exclusively for co-operatives and co-operative associations.
For more information about the awards, go to http://fairtrade.ca/en/business-centre/canadian-fairtrade-awards. The deadline for submitting entries is May 15, 2011 and the winners will be announced by June 2012. |
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| CALL FOR POSTERS: RURAL RESEARCH WORKSHOP |
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A workshop on rural community investment planned for Ottawa in May has issued a "call for posters", but it's not an artwork competition.
Among researchers, a poster is a visual representation of a research project, usually containing both text and graphics.
The workshop, which will take place May 24-25 in Ottawa, is co-hosted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and the Canadian Rural Health Research Society.
Posters addressing the following themes and other related topics will be considered for display at the workshop:
- implications of globalization;
- evolving systems of governance;
- challenges of place-based approaches;
- rediscovery of the role and relevance of the social economy;
- role of innovation, learning and knowledge mobilization;
- transformative development;
- capacity development; and
- changes in our demographic profiles.
CCA would particularly like to see posters illustrating research on the impact of co-operatives in rural communities. For more information about the workshop and the call for posters, go to
http://www.crrf.ca/?page_id=720. |
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| EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
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The Agency for Co-operative Housing is seeking a Relationship Manager to work out of its Vancouver office. Deadline for applications is February 5. CLICK HERE to see the posting.
The Saskatchewan Co-operative Association is seeking an Events and Administrative Coordinator. The position is part-time (about 20 hours per week) with the option of some full-time work in 2012. Deadline for applications is February 21. CLICK HERE to see the posting. |
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| CO-OP CONNECTIONS |
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In each issue of Co-operative News Briefs, we offer a selection of web links, including articles, websites, blogs, reports and videos, of particular interest to the co-op sector. If you have any interesting Co-op Connections to suggest, please send them to Donna Balkan at communications@coopscanada.coop.
Paul Kelly's Journey out of Poverty - Paul Kelly, president and CEO of First Calgary Financial, went to Sri Lanka last year as part of a mission with the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada. Read about his experiences in Axiom News.
Lights, camera, co-ops! - Popular Atlanta-based chef Kevin Gillespie takes viewers on a tour of U.S. food co-ops in the premiere of a video series celebrating the International Year of Co-operatives.
New Pioneers - This animated video tells the story of the Rochdale Pioneers, who created one of the world's first modern co-ops in the U.K. in 1844. |
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| THE MEETING PLACE |
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February 14, 1 p.m. EST: Webinar on Co-operative Accounting and Key Performance Indicators, organized by the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network. For more details and to register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/188379904.
February 20-23: Co-operatives in Canada: 11th Conference on Canadian Studies, Havana, Cuba
February 29-March 2: Managing the Co-operative Difference, a conference organized by the Université de Moncton and Mount Saint Vincent University, Moncton, NB
March 14, 2 p.m. EST: Webinar on People-Power-Profits: The Emergence of Renewable Energy Co-operatives in Canada, organized by the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network.
For more details and to register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/843927648
March 16-17: Promoting the understanding of cooperatives for a better world - international conference organized by the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises, Venice, Italy.
Having an upcoming event? Let News Briefs know! Send your events to communications@coopscanada.coop. |
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