National co-op week
Sask co-ops focus on collaboration, community
In many ways, the co-operative business model in Saskatchewan came into existence before the province itself existed. This is because of the Indigenous people who for thousands of years prior had lived as a collaborative society.
A co-op organization is owned and democratically controlled by its members and is designed to meet its members’ needs. The members of co-ops use the services or products of the co-op and control the direction the co-op takes.
As Saskatchewan Co-operative Association (SCA) executive director Victoria Morris explains, a co-op is about people working together toward a common goal or purpose and this is a mentality that Saskatchewanians have always embraced.
“In the early days, people had a lot of big needs and they really needed to work together to meet their needs. There were struggles when it came to accessing housing, food or banking services,” Morris said. “People in Saskatchewan felt that their needs weren’t being met and realized that by working together they could gain better access.”
There are approximately 950 co-operatives in the provinces and around one million members. One of the common types of co-ops is retail/wholesale co-ops, which sell groceries, gas, hardware and building supplies. Another common group of co-ops is credit unions, which provide financial services to its members.
However, there is a larger variety of co-ops in the province that not everyone may be aware of. For example, there are over 100 childcare co-ops that provide families with an opportunity to be more actively involved in decision making; almost 30 housing co-ops that provide more options for affordable housing/seniors’ housing; and four health care co-ops.
Morris said that “co-ops can serve any need that its members have” and added that there are always new ideas for co-ops being explored in the province.
“In the last couple of years, the province has been changing its relationship with some of the public pastures and there’s been more co-operatives forming around grazing. There’s been a lot of interest in making sure farmers can access that land and work together,” she said. “There’s also been some Indigenous communities looking to the co-op model for economic development. There have also been developments in areas like car sharing and beer brewing – things that aren’t core needs but are things people are interested in.”
The co-op model has proven to be very successful in Saskatchewan. This is evident in how well they fare in the annual Top 100 Companies in Saskatchewan list published by Saskbusiness Magazine. Since 2013, for example, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. has been awarded the top spot. In 2017, over 30 co-operatives earned a spot on the list.
Co-operatives provide employment to 15,000 people in the province and there are numerous other benefits for members and the public.
For-profit co-operatives give part of their profits back to members, based on how much they have used the co-op. Additionally, when something is bought at the co-op, members sometimes pay less than non-members. Not-for-profit and community service cooperatives, on the other hand, reinvest their surpluses back into the organization and community.
“If there is a co-operative in Saskatchewan, it’s owned by people in Saskatchewan,” Morris said. “In every co-op, there’s a belief in the need to try and make the community a better place. In the case of the SCA, when we have surplus our profits are reinvested into creating more community programming or education opportunities.”
National Co-op Week 2018 began on Sunday and runs through Saturday. Morris said it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the power of co-ops.
“When we’re shopping at a co-op or utilizing the services of a credit union, we don’t necessarily stop to think about the bigger picture of what it means and celebrate all the wonderful things about co-operatives,” she said. “It’s really important to recognize that co-ops have a big impact on the provincial and national economy and provide benefits to the community.”
There are plenty of events in Saskatchewan to mark the occasion. A flag raising ceremony will take place at the Legislative Building today at 11:45 a.m., followed by a free luncheon at the Travelodge Hotel Regina at 12:15 p.m. The Travelodge Hotel is also playing host to the Saskatchewan Co-operative Merit Awards ceremony and banquet today, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m.
A film screening of A Silent Transformation, a film about the transformative power of the co-operative model, is scheduled for Wednesday, noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon. Thursday is International Credit Union Day and there will be numerous events taking place at credit unions across the province.
For more information on co-op week events, visit www. sask.coop/events/co-op-week.