Co-op Week 2022

OTTAWA, Tuesday, 13th September 2022. CMC is proud and happy to celebrate once again Co-op Week (from October 16 to October 21 2022). This year, our theme is “Co-operation in the World of Tomorrow.” As the Canadian co-operative movement faced the difficulties of a global pandemic and many other hurdles in the last few years, we, as a community, are looking at how we can build a better future through co-operation.  

“The future of co-operation lies in building relationships within our communities,” explains Hugues Bourgeois, Executive Director of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC). “Building bridges and fluid communication between each valued member of the co-operative movement in Canada is a sure way to ensure inter-cooperation, knowledge sharing and best practices to make ourselves stronger and better equipped for the future in an ever-changing world.”

CMC will highlight this very special week with some events and an online contest:

JEDI Roundtable: How Co-operatives Can Become Allies?

Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) are important pieces of the puzzle for a bright co-operative future. As CMC wants to encourage discussion surrounding this primordial part of today’s and tomorrow’s world, a JEDI Roundtable will be hosted on Wednesday, October 19th at noon EST. This hour and a half open roundtable will be moderated by Iva Jankovic, board member of CMC, and the discussion will be opened by six JEDI experts:  

• Mary Nirlungayuk, Board Member of CMC and Corporate Secretary and Vice President of the Corporate Services Division of Arctic Co-operatives Limited
• Dr. Caroline Hossein, Associate Professor of Global Development at the University of Toronto Scarborough
• Stéphanie Guico, Management Consultant
• Chiyi Tam, Executive Director of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust
• Patrick Nangle, CEO of Modo Co-operative
• Susan Henry, Director, Community Impact & Financial Inclusion at Alterna Savings

These experts will set the tone of the conversation and will encourage the attendees to share their knowledge and experience surrounding JEDI. We hope to exchange concrete solutions to real problems so co-operatives can be JEDI allies. Register now for this free virtual roundtable available in simultaneous interpretation : https://canada-coop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ms2Jk3FXRAy14zq871oBGA  

IRP Workshop 

As an ecosystem builder of the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), CMC is proud to present and explain to the co-operative sector how the IRP can help co-operatives and social enterprises to finance their projects. As such, there will be a workshop surrounding this program held on Tuesday, October 18th at 1pm EST. This hour and a half workshop offered in simultaneous interpretation will help the attendees get acquainted with this financing option. Register now for this free virtual IRP workshop: https://canada-coop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gvpkrwQ7Ta-qB-tW4Jx40g   

Informal Meet and Greets 

To promote exchanges and communication within the sector, CMC is organizing multiple informal meet and greets for different departments so peers can get to know each other and make worthwhile connections. Please note that those informal meet and greets will not be available in simultaneous interpretation. You can attend those informal meets and greet to connect with your peers:

Online contest “Co-operation in your community” 

To encourage the co-operative community to consume local co-op products and/or to visit their local co-op, CMC is hosting during co-op week a social media contest. To participate, people must post a picture of their favorite local co-op or co-op product as a comment on the pinned social media posts on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook or submit their photo via email at info@canada.coop. The 2 best photos will each win a $100 gift cards at their favorite local co-op. Submissions must be posted or sent between October 3rd to October 23rd 2022. Might you need more information, please consult the rules of the contest.  

Co-op week 2022 Media Kit 

Our co-op week 2022 Media kit is now available! You can download it now to promote the upcoming celebration of co-operation! 

About CMC 

Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) is an association, focused on its members, that unites, engages and leads the co-operative movement by advancing its priorities nationally, as well as internationally, through International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). Our goals are to build bridges, break barriers and create durable opportunities for the co-operative sector in Canada.