I am proud to have founded my legal practice in 2017 as a full service law firm providing legal services to the cooperative community, small businesses, social enterprise throughout Alberta.

I represent and advocate for organizations that are socially responsible community leaders, and I share the vision of thought leaders around the world that the global economy is changing and more democratic, and sustainable, economic solutions are possible and necessary.

For over three decades, Russ has been working with communities, co-operative enterprises, unions, environmental organizations and private businesses to meet their strategic goals and develop good governance practices. He has helped launch over two hundred co-operatives, with a seventy percent success rate (for which he gives the founders credit).

Russ is the creator of the Co-operative Sustainability Scorecard, and has volunteered on the Ontario Co-operative Association’s Co-op Development Committee since the 1990s.  Russ is co-chair of the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation’s Business Succession Committee, and is the Treasurer of CoopZone.

In his own community of Campbellford, Russ was the founding President of the Aron Theatre Co-operative and the Campbellford Seymour Community Foundation.  He is currently the Chair of the Northumberland County Food Policy Council.

Russ has a business degree (Queen’s Commerce) and a Masters of Industrial Relations (University of Toronto).

We are a team of technologists, designers, and community organizers who value working with mission-oriented organizations in order to help them redesign their relationships with digital technology.

Since 2018 YellowTree has worked with clients to find, prepare for, and successfully apply to funding opportunities, raising over $50 million and saving them valuable time and internal resources. We work with national, provincial and front-line non-profits and social enterprises across Canada. Our clients are active in many fields, including the arts, the environment, housing, social services, education, healthcare, Indigenous communities, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and human rights, to name a few.  YellowTree works closely with Denis Simard of Consultant Simard Consulting, who is a leader in the French language community specializing in governance, grant writing and management as well current affairs and political strategies.

Catherine is a social enterprise coach and sector developer, a former editor of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide, and founder of the Rural Social Enterprise Constellation (RSEC). She’s consulted with and mentored numerous social enterprises, including co-operatives. Currently she is an advisor to the Centre for Change Making and Social Innovation at Georgian College. Her services include capacity building and coaching in ideation, feasibility and business plan development, program design, facilitation of co-operative group development, strategic planning, and impact evaluation.

GIA Consulting Co-op was founded in 2021 by a group of graduates of the Co-operative Management Education Master’s program at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. GIA was founded to serve new and established cooperatives by providing support for operations and governance that is grounded in the cooperative principles and values. The members of GIA bring expertise in fields including Member Engagement, Marketing, Human Resources, Purchasing, and Supply Chain Management, Executive Leadership, Retail Marketing, and Social Environmental Sustainability.

OCA offers business development support to those wanting to start a new co-operative, or to grow an existing co-operative. If you want to know any of the answers below, you’ve come to the right place!
Do you want to know if the co-operative model is the right one for your business idea?
Do you want to know how to incorporate your co-operative?
Are you interested in learning where you might be able to tap into funding for your business venture?
Do you need tools to effectively govern your new co-operative?
Do you want some pointers on how to expand, change, or revitalize your established co-operative?

Saskatchewan Co-operative Association is a provincial coalition of co-operatives and credit unions. We work together to educate people about co-operatives, promote co-ops, and support the development of co-operatives. Find out more at www.sask.coop.

I have been offering co-op development and support services for the past 10 years working mostly with small to medium size co-ops on Vancouver Island and Vancouver area. I have experience with agriculture and on-line marketing co-ops, worker co-ops, shared services co-ops, consumer co-ops, and more. A lot of my work has been to support co-ops through incorporation and the start-up stage of operations. I have worked on business development, business plans, strategic plans, etc. Please see my website for more info on my work.