GUELPH, ON, Oct. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - The Co-operators announced today that Tignish Health Co-operative Association LTD of Tignish, P.E.I. and Coopérative de développement régional-Acadie Ltée of Caraquet, New Brunswick have each won $25,000 as the Atlantic Region winners of The National Co-op Challenge.
Tignish Health Co-operative Association LTD has been in operation since 1974, when residents and businesses banded together in the small community to build their own health care centre and recruit doctors. The co-op, which currently serves more than 3,500 patients, will use the prize money to resolve issues with the basement and foundation of its building.
Coopérative de développement régional-Acadie Ltée is a group of co-operatives united to develop and support French-speaking communities in New Brunswick. Its 40 member organizations include caisses populaires, a funeral co-op, consumer co-ops, and co-ops in the fisheries, forestry and agricultural sectors. It will use the prize money to create three new youth service co-operatives, which are educational projects for 12 to 17 year-olds.
"Every co-op in this contest makes an impact on its local community, providing needed goods and services and contributing to the overall strength and resilience of the community," said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators. "The contest helped promote these wonderful enterprises, which operate in a wide range of sectors, from urban farming and culture to health care and alternative energy – a true representation of the great diversity of the Canadian co-op sector."
Sixteen small and emerging co-ops from across Canada were selected as finalists, four from each of four regions. Each created a video to raise awareness of their enterprise while also educating the public about the co-operative business model. The Canadian public was able to vote for their favourite co-op through the contest website from September 3 to October 1, with the two co-ops in each region garnering the most votes declared the winners.
About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $36 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt; Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada; and the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada by Sustainalytics and Maclean's magazine. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.
SOURCE: The Co-operators
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Leonard Sharman, The Co-operators, 519-767-3937
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