At the beginning of October, Dan had the opportunity to break bread in Rigaud, Quebec, with Pascal Billard, a Board member of Canada Co-op and CoopZone Developers’ Network Co-operative.
Now mostly retired, Pascal spent more than 30 years as a consultant and co-op developer. During their conversation, he shared his perspectives on the evolving needs of the co-operative sector and on co-op solutions that align with the priorities of the Government of Canada.
The two also took the opportunity to snap a photo in front of rue de la Coopérative, which was named in 1982 in recognition of the former Coopérative agricole de Rigaud.
While co-operative-themed street names may not be as common as Main Street, Bridge Street, or other location-themed street names, the amateur triviologist feels compelled to point out that there are quite a few examples to be found. These include Co-op Road in Clarington, Ontario; Co-op Street in Plympton-Wyoming, Ontario; and rue de la Coopérative, or a similar variation, in Rigaud, Mont-Laurier, Frampton, Rivière-du-Loup, Pincourt, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Sherrington, Saint-Hyacinthe, Les Jardins-de-Napierville, Sainte-Justine, and Fjord-du-Saguenay, Quebec.
A few weeks later, Dan also had the opportunity to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of Réseau.Presse, formerly known as the Association de la presse francophone (APF). Since 1976, Réseau.Presse has been the only network of French-language newspapers serving French-Canadian minority communities across the country.
Its new Executive Director, François Hastir, is a well-known champion of the co-operative movement. He is recognized, among other contributions, for his leadership with the Fédération québécoise des coopératives en milieu scolaire (FQCMS), the provincial organization that represents and supports its school-based member co-operatives (COOPSCO). He also serves as their representative on the Co-operators Board.
Dan was also pleased to learn that the Consortium de coopération des entreprises collectives provides customized, behind-the-scenes support to Réseau.Presse, as it does for nearly 300 collective enterprises, including NPOs, co-operatives, and groups of all sizes, primarily across Quebec.
Founded in 2011, the Consortium is a nonprofit multi-stakeholder cooperative and the brainchild of its Executive Director, J. Benoit Caron.
Dan is pictured here with Boveda Kolen, Executive Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer at the Consortium; François Hastir, Executive Director of Réseau.Presse; and J. Benoit Caron, CEO of the Consortium.
Canada Co-op would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Caron on his election as Board Chair of Socodevi, a Quebec-based international cooperation organization established in 1985. Socodevi works to improve the living conditions of millions of people around the world by advancing a sustainable and proven model for development: co-operatives!
One of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to meet Gilles Carrignan, Executive Director of the Coops de l’information indépendante (CN2i), pictured here with J. Benoit Caron of the Consortium and Dan.
CN2i was created through a co-operative conversion to preserve six local media outlets: Le Soleil, Le Quotidien, Le Droit, Le Nouvelliste, La Tribune, and La Voix de l’Est. The co-operative also includes Les As de l’info, a media platform dedicated to young audiences.
Those interested in learning more about CN2i’s journey can read its fascinating case study, published in 2021 as part of the Conversion to Co-operatives (CoopConvert) project. It was particularly enlightening to hear about the evolution of CN2i directly from someone who was at the heart of its transformation.
The co-operative members of Réseau.Presse include L’EAU VIVE, officially the Coopérative des publications fransaskoises Ltée, as well as CN2i. Both organizations had finalists in numerous award categories. L’EAU VIVE’s Ghita Hanane received the award for Indigenous recognition, while Le Droit, part of CN2i, earned numerous accolades.
Le Droit received awards of excellence for its Business Model, Photography of the year, recognizing the work of Étienne Ranger, and Diversity and Inclusion, recognizing the work of Lise Denis. To top off an impressive list of achievements, Le Droit was also named Newspaper of the year!
Across Canada, many media-focused co-operatives play an important role in serving the needs of their local communities, operating in areas ranging from newspapers and radio stations to television broadcasting.
You can discover these media co-operatives using the Products and Services codes available through the Advanced Search filter on Canada Co-op’s Find a Co-op map.
Dan also had the opportunity to meet with Kevin Dorse, Director of Communications for the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), the national trade association representing Canada’s credit unions and caisses, excluding the Desjardins Group. CCUA supports its members through advocacy, education, strategic initiatives, and collaboration across the sector.
CCUA recently released its 2026 Credit Union Community & Economic Impact Report, which highlights the significant economic and community contributions of credit unions and caisses across Canada. Among the report’s key findings:
- Credit unions and caisses generate more than $7.5 billion in total economic activity each year.
- They provide banking services to more than 11.5 million customer-owners.
- They provide 21% of small business lending in Canada, representing a larger market share than any of the country’s big banks.
- They contribute an average of 4% of their pre-tax profits to community causes.
- They generate more than $2 billion in taxes.
- They lead Canada’s financial services sector in gender parity, with women accounting for 33% of CEOs.
- They provide 40,000 full-time jobs across Canada, demonstrating an economic footprint that extends well beyond Bay Street.
Canada Co-op would also like to specifically recognize CCUA for its instrumental role in developing the list of Canada’s largest credit unions and caisses. The list can be found as an appendix to Canada Co-op’s recently released Power the Economy: Canada’s Co-operative Advantage report.
If you would like to invite Dan to visit your co‑operative, credit union, caisse, or mutual during his travels, please contact him at dbrunette@canada.coop. He will be in the Edmonton, Alberta area for the 2026 Alberta Co-operatives Conference on 17-18 November, 2026.