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Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC), in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC), is proud to announce the winners of the annual scholarships for 2024. Each year, CMC encourages and honours individuals studying in the co-operative and mutual sector to recognize their interest and contribution to the sector. All winners were announced during CASC’s 40th Annual Conference, Sustaining Shared Futures: The Co-operative Way, held at the HEC Montréal. Congratulations to this year’s recipients:

Amy and Tim Dauphinee Scholarship ($3,000) 

The Ontario Credit Union Foundation established the Amy and Tim Dauphinee Scholarship in recognition of the outstanding contribution these two leaders made to the development of the credit union movement and the Ontario Credit Union Foundation. Tim, a retired scientist from the National Research Council, and Amy, who passed away in 2010, had a strong commitment to co-operatives, education, and research.  Both served as local directors on several organizations. Amy was the first woman elected to the board of directors of Credit Union Central of Ontario and served for 22 years. The award, currently valued at $3,000, is available to graduate students only.  

Recipient: Kaci Hopkins – Ph.D. Candidate – Joint Communication and Culture Program, York and Toronto Metropolitan Universities

Kaci’s research is entitled “Rooted like the Iris and Flying like the Wildflowers: A Feminist Journey to Rural Women’s Economies.”

Alexander Fraser Laidlaw Fellowship ($1,000) 

The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada established the Laidlaw Fellowship to honour Dr. Alexander Fraser Laidlaw, the father of the non-profit co-operative housing movement in Canada. An outstanding Canadian adult educator and co-op leader, Dr. Laidlaw served the cause of the co-operative movement for over 40 years. Author of Co-operatives in the Year 2000, Laidlaw fostered the social purpose of the co-op movement while always advocating sound business methods for co-operative organizations. The Laidlaw Award, valued at $1,000, is available to graduate students only. 

Recipient: Smith Djihoui GNEPA – Ph.D. Candidate – Development Economics, University of Sherbrooke

Smith’s research is entitled “Macroeconomic Analysis of Risk Management in Microfinance Institutions.”

Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award ($1,000 each) 

Louis Lemaire, a co-operative pioneer, dedicated much of his life to organizing co-operatives in Saskatchewan and willed part of his estate to the Co-operative College of Canada (now the Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada) to support co-operative studies. Available to both undergraduate and graduate students, the Lemaire awards are intended to encourage students to undertake studies and research which will help them contribute to the development of co-operatives or to support students who have been involved in co-operatives, preferably in leadership positions as volunteers or employees. This award is managed by the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada.

Recipient: Marcelo Cohen – Master of Management and Co-operatives – Saint Mary’s University

Marcelo’s goal is to build, launch and develop 15 co-op enterprises owned and operated by low-income racialized migrant people who are currently precariously employed in occupations such as cleaning, laundry, delivery, cooking, construction, and warehouse labour.

The winners are carefully chosen by members of the Scholarship Committee. The committee reviews all applications which were submitted by various applicants. The committee is comprised of:

Applications for next year’s scholarships will open soon. In the meantime, you can find all the information related to the application process here