Experience the Co-operative Difference during Co-op Week October 17-23, 2010

OTTAWA, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - If you have never shopped in a co-op store, banked at your local credit union or bought food produced by a farmers' co-op, now is the time to try it out.

October 17-23 is Co-op Week, a national celebration of Canada's 9,000 co-operative businesses.  This year's Co-op Week theme is Experience the Co-operative Difference, which focuses on the values, principles and practices that make co-operatives different from other enterprises.

"Co-op Week 2010 will be a celebration of the co-operative difference:  the advantages co-ops have over  other business models, and the enormous difference co-ops have made, and continue to make, to the lives of Canadians and their communities," said Carol Hunter, executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA). "We want as many Canadians as possible to experience the co-op difference first-hand, not only during Co-op Week but all year round."

A co-operative - or co-op - is a business owned by its members. In consumer co-ops, such as retail co-ops, housing co-ops or credit unions, the members are the co-op's customers. In producer co-ops, such as farmers' co-ops or artists' co-ops, the members produce the product and form a co-op to process and/or market it. And in worker co-ops, the co-op's members are its employees.

Anyone can belong to a co-op, and Canadian co-operatives have a total of 17 million members.  More than three million Canadians belong to Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada's best known supplier of outdoor gear and clothing.  More than five million individuals and business owners do their banking at their local credit union.  A quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops. And hundreds of communities across Canada have co-op grocery stores, farm supply stores or gas stations. 

Here are some of the ways Canadians can celebrate Co-op Week:

• Visit a co-op in your community.  If your community doesn't have a retail co-op or credit union, find out if there are any producer or worker co-ops in your area.
• Open an account at a credit union or caisse populaire and find out about the services these financial co-operatives have to offer.  October 21 is International Credit Union Day, and many credit unions hold special activities on that day.
• Find out which food products you buy are made by co-ops.  Some of the better-known Canadian co-op brands are Co-op Gold (various products), Gay Lea, Scotsburn, Northumberland, Farmers Dairy, Sealtest, Yoplait and Organic Meadow (dairy products), Olymel (meat), St. Albert's (cheese), Just Us! (coffee and tea) and Camino (chocolate).
• Attend a Co-op Week or International Credit Union Day event. You can find some of the events taking place across Canada by viewing our Co-op Week map at www.coopscanada.coop/en/orphan/coopweekevents2010. Keep zooming in on the map (press the +) until you see all the events listed in your community, and click on the push-pins to read about the events.
• Read up on the history of co-ops in Canada. Go to http://tinyurl.com/CoopHistory.
• Make a donation to the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF).  This is a registered charity that helps people in developing countries improve their lives and livelihoods through co-operatives.  Go to www.cdfcanada.coop for more information.

For more information on Co-op Week 2010, go to www.coopscanada.coop/CoopWeek2010. You can also find out more about experiencing the co-operative difference by watching CCA's Co-op Week video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxM9iDHiTIE.

Visit our website at www.coopscanada.coop

The Canadian Co-operative Association is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than nine million co-operative and credit union members across the country.  CCA members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health and the service sector. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world.

For further information:

Donna Balkan, Communications Manager
Canadian Co-operative Association
613-238-6711, ext. 206
Cell: 613-314-1032
[email protected]