His involvement within the Canadian credit union system extended beyond CUMIS; as a Director on both the Canadian Co-operative Credit Society and the Co-operative Trust Company of Canada boards. Outside of CUMIS and the credit union system, Harvey was committed to numerous volunteer business, social and youth-oriented organizations including Big Brothers, United Way of Canada, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement of Burlington.

On October 8, 2005, Harvey passed away peacefully at the age of 81. In 2001, Harvey, received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

Ian then began his career in academia, teaching history at the University of Winnipeg (1968-1976), where he founded the Canadian Studies program. In 1976, Ian joined the history faculty at the University of Victoria where he taught until his retirement in 2005. During his tenure Ian served as chair of the Department of History (1982-89), Dean of the Humanities Faculty (1992-2000), and founding director of the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies (2000-2008).

In addition, Ian is the author/editor/co-editor of some twenty books and the author of over 150 articles, most of them on the Canadian and international co-operative movement. Ian has participated in over 350 conference sessions, workshops, and co-operative meetings in over 75 countries. Founding President of the Canadian Co-operative Association, Ian also led the consultation process and wrote the background documents for the International Co-operative Alliance Statement on the Co-operative Identity.

In 2001, Ian received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

As a young man, Charlie was heavily involved with the local 4-H club and received many awards, including the T. Eaton gold watch and the top beef member in Manitoba in 1956. For many years, he operated a family farm near Brookdale, producing cereals, special crops and beef cattle. His agricultural interests and strong community ties continued throughout his life. He served on many boards from his local church, volunteer fire brigade, and agriculture societies to Manitoba Pool Elevators/Agricore.

In 1984-87, Charlie was a member of the first board of directors of the Canadian Co-operative Association following the merger of the Co-operative Union of Canada and the Co-operative College of Canada.

Upon being elected Vice President of Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1990, Charlie and his wife Kathleen moved to Winnipeg. In 1998, with the merger of Manitoba Pool Elevators and Alberta Wheat Pool, he was elected the first President of Agricore.

In 2001, Charlie received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

Alice’s vision was to demonstrate that women could contribute in important and meaningful ways to the success and growth of the co-operative movement. This is perhaps best demonstrated by the resolve and leadership that she displayed in 1998-1999 when Calgary Co-op faced a major crisis and when she, as the Board Chair, lead the Board through numerous difficult but necessary decisions and changes. During part of this period she served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer, providing leadership and inspiration to the Board, management and staff. The Calgary Co-op recovered from this crisis as quickly as it did due to Alice’s leadership, without which it is difficult to imagine what the result might have been.

A strong advocate for the Co-operative Retailing System, she served as a director of Federated Co-operatives Limited from 1987 to 1996, one of the first women to be so elected. Her accomplishments have been recognized by the Alberta Co-operative and Community Association (1998), a bursary in her name at Mount Royal College (2004), for retirement from the Board of Calgary Co-op, and the Governor General’s Award (1998).

In 2001, Alice received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

In 1976, Leland was elected as a director of FCL and served as such for 20 years. He was elected president of FCL in 1978, and remained in this position until his retirement in 1996. It was during this time that Mr. Leland also served as president of Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Ltd. For 18 years. He was a director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan for 10 years and member of the Canadian Co-operative Association Government Relations Committee for 9 years.

Mr. Leland contributed nationally and internationally to co-operatives as a director, delegate and vice-president of the Co-operative Union of Canada for 6 years. In 1996, Vernon was recognized with the Saskatchewan Award of Merit, for a lifetime of promotion and dedication to co-operatives.

In 2005, Vernon received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

In 1960, Dennis Banda also began his career in Federated Co-operatives Ltd., then returned to full-time farming the following year. In 1993, Mr. Banda was elected as a Director of FCL, after serving as a delegate for FCL through the board of the Marcelin Co-operative Association (a co-operative he served on the board for 29 years). Then, in 1997, Mr. Banda was elected President of FCL, a post he was re-elected to until his retirement in 2005. During this time, he was also President of Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Ltd. and Director and Officer of numerous FCL subsidiaries and affiliates.

Mr. Banda served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1975 to 1982), he chaired the Provincial Farm Support Review Committee (1992 to 1996), and later represented FCL on the provincial Action Committee on Rural Economy (2000 to 2005).

Neechi Foods Co-op is a worker co-operative that operates Neechi Community Store, located in Winnipeg’s impoverished, inner-city “North-End” amidst Canada’s largest urban Aboriginal population. During the 1990s, unemployment, abandoned housing, drug dealing, prostitution and other gang activities became rife in Neechi’s immediate neighbourhood. In spite of this the worker-owned co-operative managed to keep its business afloat, without any operating subsidies. Part of this lies in Neechi’s enduring commitment and connection to its broader community. ‘Neechi’ means ‘sister/brother/friend’ in Cree and Ojibwa. The Co-op is well known for its commitment to community economic development. In addition to employment and business ownership, Neechi subsidizes a ‘kids-only’ fruit basket at their front counter, a diabetes awareness program, and has initiated community patrols and community policing.

Louise Champagne served as the initial Prairie representative on the board of the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation, and as the CWCF representative on the Manitoba Co-operative Council. In 2002, Louise was honoured as the recipient of the CWCF Worker Co-op Merit Award.

In 2006, Louise received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

After a move to British Columbia with her husband, Pearl was elected to the board of Island Savings Credit Union. By 1994, she wanted to be further involved in the BC system and, with the encouragement of the CEO of Island Savings, she ran as a Regional Director of Credit Union Central of British Columbia. She served as one of BC Central’s delegates to the Canadian Co-operative Association from 1996 t0 2003. For Pearl, a rewarding by-product of being involved with CCA, was chairing the board of the Co-operative Development Foundation.

In 2006, Pearl received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

Peter first became involved with The Co-operators’ Board of Directors in 1989 and served as Chair for seven years. He also served on the Board Council of Nationwide Insurance Mutual, and was Director and CEO of Credit Union Central of British Columbia. Peter also took part in the World Council of Credit Union delegations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Peter led the merger between British Columbia’s Delta Credit Union— of which he was President and CEO for 15 years— and First Heritage Savings Credit Union to form Envision Credit Union.

Peter has received many awards for his dedication to co-operative and community development. After retiring as CEO of Envision, he was named President Emeritus of the board, and was inducted into the Credit Union Hall of Fame in 1999. BC’s Kwantlen University bestowed an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree on Peter for his commitment to community work and education, and, in 2003, Peter received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for community service.

In the 1960s co-operatives in the North began developing, but they had no money and no assets. But Andrew had a vision of what could be and a commitment to work with the Inuit people to achieve that vision. Today, local co-ops in Canada’s Arctic have combined assets of more than $126 million.

For over 50 years, Andrew’s commitment to Arctic co-operatives has involved living in the communities, working with institutions and government agencies, developing and promoting organizations owned and controlled by the people that use the services, all of which enhanced their abilities to improve and control the economic influences which impact their lives.

In 2008, Andrew received the Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.

Glen began working in the co-operative sector at Federated Co-operatives Ltd., following his graduation from the University of Manitoba with a diploma in Agriculture. At Federated, Glen quickly gained an understanding of the business of agriculture and retail co-operatives.

Throughout the ensuing years, Glen’s commitment and vision has influenced co-operatives and credit unions locally, nationally and I internationally. Glen’s list of co-operative involvements and contributions are lengthy and he has taken on countless leadership roles in his many involvements. Glen has been a member of Marquette Consumers Co-operative for over 40 years and served as its President from 1988 to 2005. He has been a member of Sunova Credit Union for decades, serving on the board for 10 years (1977 to 1987), as President for 4 years and as the branch manager in Stonewall from 1990 to 1995.

Since 1995, Glen has been a Manitoba director of Federated Co-operatives Limited and in 2005, became the full-time President of FCL, a position he continues to hold today.

Glen’s passionate support and promotion of consumer, producer and financial co-operatives is evident in his service to the Manitoba Co-op Council, the Manitoba Co-op Promotion Board and as a director and President of the Canadian Co-operative Association from 2001 to 2004.

Glen’s supports and involvements of co-operatives have also extended into the global co-operative movement, when Glen represented Canada on the board of the International Co-operative Alliance and was a key leader in the ICA Task Force on Restructuring.

Through all of his involvements, Glen has still found time to operate a grain farm, although today it is partially sold and rented.

Glen’s remarkable achievements have not gone unrecognized, and in 2005 he received the Manitoba Distinguished Co-operator Award and in 2007, in honour of his outstanding contribution to the agricultural industry and to his community, Glen was awarded a Certificate of Merit from his alma mater, the University of Manitoba.

Glen’s leadership in Canada’s co-operative system is an inspiration to co-operators and he is a worthy recipient of the CCA’s Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award.