TTAWA, June 21, 2017 – Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) held its annual awards ceremony in Ottawa on June 21 as part of Co-operative Congress 2017. The Congress is a yearly gathering of members of the national apex representing co-operative organizations from all sectors of the economy.
Four Awards were presented this year. The Large Co-operative of the Year prize is given to an organization that is innovative, that has national and international recognition for its impact on the co-operative movement in Canada. This year’s recipient, UNI Financial Co-operation is a very exciting Canadian co-operative that fulfills these criteria and more.
The Emerging Co‑operator Award honours men and women 35 years of age or less who have made outstanding contributions to co-operative organizations and objectives. This year’s recipient, Domanique Grant, was nominated by the Toronto Co-operative Housing Federation for her outstanding contributions in the housing sector.
The Small Co-operative of the Year Award was presented to Winnipeg’s outstanding health care co-operative, Norwest, for their tremendous impact in their community and for the example they set nationally and internationally.
The Achievement Award honours men and women who have made a career contribution to the development of co‑operative and mutual enterprises or the co-operative movement in Canada. This year’s recipient has made significant contributions to the co-operative movement in New Brunswick and in Canada. The 2017 winner is non-other than the recently retired Executive Director of UNI Financial Co-operative, Camille Thériault.
“My time at UNI was one of the happiest periods of my life. I loved working with a wonderful group of people… I don’t receive this honour personally – I want to dedicate this award to all the employees and volunteers of the movement who had the courage and vision to work together to be the first one of its kind in Canada, to be the first caisse federally regulated in Canada,” said Mr. Thériault upon receiving the award.
CMC wishes to congratulate all the 2017 nominees and winners for their outstanding work and contributions.
About CMC: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada is the national, bilingual association for co-operatives and mutuals in Canada. Through advocacy with the federal government, CMC provides a knowledgeable voice committed to improving the economic and regulatory environment for co-operatives and mutuals on behalf of our members. CMC’s members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health, forestry, education, funeral services, public utilities and community development. CMC provides leadership to support, promote, and develop the co-operative economy in Canada. The co-operative and mutual movement in Canada counts more than 18 million memberships from approximately 9,000 co-operative and mutual enterprises.
– 30 –
For further information:
Brendan Denovan, Communications Manager
T: 613.238.6712 x206 Email: bdenovan@canada.coop
Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada 275 Bank Street, Suite 400 Ottawa ON K2P 2L6