The Common Share

The housing market can be uncertain: housing co-operatives are a way to provide stability. In this episode we speak to Tim Ross, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, about the impact of non-profit housing co-ops in Canada. We then catch up with Hazel Corcoran, ED of the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation, about what it's like to live in her equity housing co-op i...

It's a challenge we hear about a lot: that co-operative businesses struggle to obtain the financing they need. However, recent Stats Canada data shows that, when it comes to debt financing in particular, existing co-ops are quite successful with getting funds they request.  In this episode we spoke to two co-op experts from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives: Dr. Dionne Pohler...

In this episode we asked one of our favourite co-op experts, Dr. Brett Fairbairn, to reflect on a recent study on the impact of co-operative businesses. We asked him about the landscape of co-ops in western Canada, how that landscape has changed over time, and how we should think about the place of co-operatives in the economy. 

 Kye is a farmer. But he's not your usual farmer. The acres he grows on depend on numerous locations and convincing people to let him grow his produce in their backyard. To market his products, he helped form and joined a co-op . In this episode of The Common Share , Kye shares some of the struggles, learnings and adventures of urban farming and starting up a co-operative . Give it a listen. 

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking to Carol Kitchen, former President and CEO of United Farmers of Alberta. During Carol’s tenure with UFA she turned its balance sheet and membership engagement around. In this illuminating discussion, Carol talks about her highly successful efforts to refocus the co-op on its core mandate, and to reach out to members (one combine ride at a time).

In this episode, we spoke to Sturgeon Lake Developments CEO April Roberts-Poitras and our own Indigenous Relations Lead Trista Pewapisconias about the opportunities and challenges of setting up co-operative businesses in Indigenous communities. They provide excellent and practical insights.

The legalization of cannabis in Canada hasn't been the boon to small producers that many expected. It's been difficult for small cannabis growers to obtain licences and compete in the market - but a group in BC is exploring how the co-op model could help.  In this episode we speak to David Hurford with the BC Small Producers and Processors Co-op. David has extensive experience in cannabi...

Meet two founders of one of British Columbia's newest and most innovative co-ops! In this episode we speak to Adele Therias and Leah Karlberg of Neighbour Lab about how their worker co-op develops community infrastructure that can provide resources during a disaster, and promotes community connections. 

In this episode we speak to three people about the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association's annual youth Co-op Camp: an organizer, a participant, and a camp staff member from the co-op sector. This youth programming has been around for over 90 years, and we talk about how camp benefits both its participants and the co-op sector as a whole.

In this episode we spoke with Shaun Soonias, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network ( http://sfnedn.com/ ) . Shaun has had a long career in social and business development, and gives some great insights about both the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship in emerging sectors. He talks about the great potential of sectors like tourism and agricu...

In this episode we speak with Cecile Green and Rebecca Fisher-McGinty from consulting firm Round Sky Solutions. Round Sky is a worker co-op that trains co-operative leaders in democratic, self-managing processes; we had a great discussion about the unique attributes and challenges of leadership in co-ops.

In this episode we speak to long-time co-op developer and advocate, Patrick Lapointe. As the former Executive Director (and now board member) of the Community Health Services Association of Saskatoon, recipient of a Saskatchewan Cooperative Association Co-operative Merit Award in 2011, and an SCA co-op developer, Lapointe knows a great deal about getting co-ops started. He talks to us about some i...

Welcome to Season 2 of The Common Share! We're starting this season with an exciting guest that we know you'll enjoy. Academic and journalist Nathan Schneider recently stopped by the Co-operatives First office to talk about his latest book, Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that is Shaping the Next Economy , as well as his 2018 MacPherson Talk at the University of Saskatchew...

The holidays are a time of giving, when people often think about donating to charitable causes. As businesses rooted in their communities, co-ops are great at giving back and responding to the needs of local people.  For this special holiday episode we speak to people from three different co-operatives about how they work to improve the lives of people in their communities. 

Aasa and Kyle are joined in this episode by Sisan Fregene, who spent the summer working on The Backroad Diaries . This Co-operatives First project uses video and other media to highlight Western Canadian communities and how they are impacted by their co-operatives. We talk to Sisan about his travels around the Western provinces, what he’s learned about co-ops, and get some insights into his love o...

Fred Khonje’s career has spanned the areas of community economic development, non-profit co-op housing, co-op and social enterprise business development, housing policy development, and social financing. As a former Co-op Development Officer with the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association, Fred supported the development of more than 25 emerging and existing co-ops. He joined us in the studio to off...

Dr. Brett Fairbairn has been researching co-operatives for over 30 years; as a Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, he has become one of the most notable academics in his field, with over 80 publications. Dr. Fairbairn will be leaving the University of Saskatchewan this year to take the position of President and Vice-Chancellor at Thompson Rivers University in BC; before he goes, w...

Kyle, Dan, and Aasa discuss what member engagement looks like for co-operatives, given how many difference types of co-ops – and different types of members – there are. Is membership engagement just about getting messages out to members, or do co-ops need to be actively listening to members as well? What are the best ways to do that? 

In this episode, Aasa sat down with Dr. Dionne Pohler (https://dionnepohler.com/biography) to discuss her keynote speech from the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association’s 2018 conference. Dr. Pohler’s address touched on five big ideas that co-operatives should keep in mind, given the unpredictable social, economic, and technological atmosphere in which we currently live. Her five ideas are: • Good...

In the last episode in our series on board governance, Audra, Kyle, and Aasa talk about the importance of diversity on boards. Having people with different backgrounds, life experience, and skills helps ensure fresh perspectives on planning and problem-solving; we draw on personal experiences to discuss issues around recruiting diverse boards and making sure there is space at the table for people...

In this episode, Audra, Kyle, and Aasa tackle what happens when things get contentious on a board. We discuss the kinds of conflict that boards of directors may have to deal with, and whether or not conflict is always a negative thing. We also talk about strategies for mitigating conflict in board situations, some ‘noinky’ information on the procedures around dealing with conflict, and things to a...

We dive right into the discussion of working vs policy boards with a controversial question: Why do working boards suck? Being on a working board – where most of the work of an organization is done by the board rather than a manager or executive director – can be taxing and stressful. However, it can also allow you to be involved in the creation of something cool and rewarding. Is it worth it? On...

This episode kicks off our four-part series on co-operative governance with Co-operatives First’s Executive Director Audra Krueger. Kyle, Aasa, and Audra talk about why people join co-op boards, how to find good board members, and why board governance is about more than a love of bylaws and egg salad sandwiches – though those may be the best parts. Links to topics mentioned in this episode: MEC go...

In this episode, Kyle and Aasa from Co-operatives First talk to Paul Thompson, Research Officer at the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, and creator of the Good Governance Matters course. We talk about the actors involved in governance, some of the challenges involved in getting governance right, and why governance is like steering a ship…and also like marriage. L...

What is a co-op, anyway? In this episode, Kyle, Dan, and Aasa from Co-operatives First discuss the different definitions of co-operatives, the seven co-operative principles, and the ways co-ops are different from other business models. Co-ops are often a great alternative for business development in rural and Indigenous communities, but there are fewer starting up now than in the past. We talk abo...