Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada held their first annual awards ceremony to recognize co\u2011operators and mutualists who made a distinguished contribution to the development of the Canadian co\u2011operative sector. The late Mark Goldblatt, the Desjardins Group, and Fran\u00e7ois-Michel Hastir were the recipients honoured at the ceremony, which took place on Thursday, June 18 at the Delta Bessborough Saskatoon. The CMC Awards Committee selected recipients for recognition from nominations made by member co\u2011operatives from across Canada.<\/p>\n
The Award for Co-operative Excellence<\/strong>, which honours an individual who has contributed significantly to the development, promotion and unification of co-operatives in Canada and\/or internationally, was awarded to Mark Goldblatt posthumously. Mr. Goldblatt was deeply involved in many co-op sectors as the founder or director of several co-operative endeavours including the Canadian Co-operative Association, CHF Canada, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation, and the Funeral Co-operative of Ottawa. Mark Goldblatt played a leading role in the development of the Canadian co-operative movement. He passed away suddenly on February 3, 2015. His wife, Linda, was in attendance to accept the Award.<\/p>\n The prize for Canada\u2019s Emerging Co-operator<\/strong> went to Fran\u00e7ois-Michel Hastir, past President of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise des coop\u00e9ratives en milieu scolaire (Coopsco\/FQCMS). A Board Member, Vice President and then President, Mr. Hastir has been deeply involved in the development of COOPSCO and sits on several boards and committees, including Canada\u2019s Emerging Co-operators (CEC) for ardent co\u2011operators 18-35 years of age. He is now working for Conseil de la coop\u00e9ration de l\u2019Ontario as a co-operative developer for Northern Ontario.The Award is reserved for co-operators under 35 years of age who have dedicated their efforts to the development of co-operative and mutual enterprises.<\/p>\n