Nick Orton resides in Sointula, BC. Currently he is the manager of Sointula Wild Seafoods & Smokehouse, an artisan fish-smoking facility on Malcolm Island off the north end of Vancouver Island, B.C. Sointula Wild Seafoods works directly with local fishermen to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship where they are paid above-market rates for their catch and, in return, they receive the freshest fish. Currently he sits on the board of Fair Trade Canada.

Pictured: Jerome Watson, Nick Orton and Hazel Corcoran (1993)

Q: How did you first get involved with worker co-operatives?

A: In Victoria, I got involved through member run food co-ops in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Out of that formed a housing co-op in Victoria. At that time many older houses were being demolished. Many thought that these should be preserved or at least recycled. A group formed to recycle some of these houses. In the mid 1970s, with the help of a government grant, the housing co-op recycled 13 houses and moved 4 of them. Recycled materials were used to duplex the co-op housing units. The housing co-op was the legal entity through which this business operated, but was governed as a worker co-operative collective called House Savers.

The worker co-op would meet 2-3 times a week and was very inclusive. They would not exclude anyone. Everything was done by consensus. I found it extraordinarily rewarding to feel free to talk and be listened to. We had a consensus mentor to help with the process, in particular how to act respectfully. We never had to resort to a vote situation ever. The worker co-op ran for a little over 5 years.

It took us over 2 years to build the houses at the housing co-op. We earned a salary at the worker co-op. When we were laid off, when the work slowed down, we would collect EI and work on our own homes at the housing co-op. In the recession of the early 1980s, the co-op became very politically active and lobbied the City of Victoria to have an anti-demolition bylaw. The bylaw passed, but the worker co-op lost its business because of this and House Savers co-op was wound done. The members of the co-op believed so strongly in this cause that it was more important than their job.

I was also very interested in local food. At about the same time, there was a food co-op, Pacific Share worker co-operative. The co-op started a bakery. As we began buying supplies, we saw that bulk buying saved a lot of money. We then started buying organics in bulk and selling it. Eventually the food wholesale part of the co-op spun off separately from the bakery. I joined the food wholesaler in the mid 1980s. It did well, it provided work. Everyone got the same pay. Those with children received a bit more. Eventually the co-op was profitable and growing.

At about this time there was a movement to create a worker co-op federation. We had a meeting in Ottawa. When the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation started in 1992, I became the Prairie Regional Director, even though I was from BC. There were no representatives from the prairies. In this role I had the opportunity, with funding from the Co-op Secretariat and the co-op I was working for, to travel and meet people on the prairies who were starting worker co-ops. The highlight was meeting Louise Champagne at Neechi Foods in Winnipeg. At that time there was a different kind of atmosphere on the prairies. In BC we were very radical, but on the prairies there was no practical worker co-operative experience or examples.

At that time we had a great hope that a federation would be a unifying factor and would greatly increase the communication between co-ops. For to me it is all about humanity. I believed that if we are engaged in an activity, the philosophy and practical application of worker co-operatives could overcome these differences. It was difficult though because Quebec was light years ahead the rest of Canada. It was more difficult than initially thought to bridge differences across the country.

Q: How come there are not more worker co-operatives in BC?

A: There are more than people really see. The reason for this is that worker co-ops give an opportunity for people who have similar skills and who see that individual efforts are sometimes not enough, to get together collectively to do better. Worker co-ops bring together a lot of strong individuals who are attracted to a model that says everyone is equal. If they get going and are successful, sometimes these individuals will limit membership or to get financing to expand, which often requires them to surrender worker co-operative ownership to a different model. I also think that many are not interested in political activity of say a federation.

For example, the Pacific Share wholesaler worker co-operative was privatized. Worker co-ops get people to work hard for years to build the business, with lots of sweat equity. There is no way to extract that value as you get older. We had the general attitude that you do not rip people off, workers or clients. With a philosophy like this, the business was run close to breakeven. The result was that there was no accumulated asset value. We were not making enough for retirement. Another factor was that the price of housing and things increased substantially. Inflation in the 1980s was huge, which made it really hard to get by. Prior to this, the cost of living was low, you could live comfortably not making much money. On top of this, the food distribution business is one of the most competitive sectors. The profit margins are small. We were risk adverse too. When the co-op was looking to buy land, prices were rising quickly. Ideologically many in the co-op did not believe people should be making money off land and housing. We believed that one should be able to afford land and maintain it, that the next person should not be burdened with a high cost because of rising land values. When you start applying your principles and beliefs it gets difficult because the economic world does not hold those beliefs. We were minnows in a shark tank.

Pictured: Jackie Somerville and Nick Orton (2001). Previous Picture: Marty Frost and Nick Orton (2001)

Q: What attracts you to worker co-ops?

A: The beauty of the worker co-op model. It offers individuals the ability to achieve a goal. It is a positive practical way of addressing (in a small local way) the many inequities seen in the world. The worker co-op model allows for the dignity and right of each individual to be respected as an equal.