Bonjour, CWCF members and others,

The highlights that I’d like to tell you about this month are: the CCA/ CCCM Congress which took place last week, the upcoming CoopZone developer training program about which there is a free introductory webinar on Friday, July 8th and progress on CWCF-CICOPA Conference planning.

I have recently returned from the CCA / CCCM Congress in Halifax, followed by a day and a half in Quebec City to visit the venue for the October conferences and meet with CWCF President Alain Bridault and others.

The Halifax Congress was an interesting one, notably because of the focus on the UN International Year of Co-ops (IYC) 2012, and because of the discussions about the potential merger of CCA and CCCM, which are the anglophone and francophone apex co-op organizations in Canada for all co-op sectors. On the International Year: there were presentations on IYC plans from the international and Canadian co-operative apex organizations, and also from a member of each of the CCA & CCCM youth caucuses. What really struck me at the break-out group in which I participated is the excitement that many people are feeling about the potential in the IYC to promote the co-op model. We learned that CCA, CCCM and the Co-operatives Secretariat have just launched their IYC web site: www.canada2012.coop. A feature to be added later this year is an interactive page where people can post their own IYC2012 messages.

[Another point to note on the IYC is that there are in-person meetings being held by the Alberta Co-op Café project in Calgary on July 5th, and in Edmonton on July 7th, each at 5-8 pm. CWCF members in Alberta are encouraged to attend; you need to RSVP. To learn more about this IYC project or the meetings, see: http://canadianworker.coop/projects/alberta-co-op-cafe .]

With regard to the potential merger of CCA and CCCM, CCA’s News Briefs of June 30th stated: “The proposal, the result of two years of discussions by a Partnership Study Group composed of representatives of both organizations, sets out possible guiding principles, membership and governance structures and a preliminary action plan for a single organization representing both anglophone and francophone co-operatives.” There was a lot of constructive feedback provided in break-out sessions which the Study Group will consider. A significant point for the worker co-op sector which we and others brought forward is that the proposed Board structure would make it very challenging for smaller co-ops and smaller sectors to have representation on the Board. Currently CWCF has a member on the CCA Board, Yuill Herbert of Sustainability Solutions Group. Perhaps the most significant concern raised by many of the CCA participants is that CCA’s international development unit would not be part of the merged organization. Additional consultation will occur with CCA member organizations before any final recommendation is made.

[Board member of CCA (representing CWCF) Yuill Herbert of Sustainability Solutions Group at the podium during the CCA Congress.  Thanks to John Julian of CCA for the photo.]

The CoopZone Developers' Network Co-operative, which is administered by CWCF, is offering a two-level on-line training program on co-operative development, starting this September. It is scheduled to take 2-3 hours / week over the course of the next academic year for the Foundations level, and the next two academic years for the Advanced level. Peter Hough is the Course Director. If you think you may have interest, I encourage you to participate in a webinar on Friday, July 8th at 1-2 pm that will describe the program in more detail. CoopZone will be offering bursaries for those who qualify, for up to one-half of the tuition. For more information about it, please see: http://www.coopzone.coop/en/node/3705.

Planning for the North American Worker Co-op Conference in Quebec City is going well and rather dominating CWCF’s work plan right now. The same is true for the tandem, prior Conference on Business Successions using the Worker Co-op model which is aimed primarily at co-op developers, economic development officers, etc., and less so at worker co-op members – although everyone is welcome. The information on both Conferences is available here: www.cooperation2011.coop ; the site is now available in Spanish as well as English and French. We will be launching the on-line registration process very soon, within the week, and early-bird registration will last until September 12, 2011. We are doing more and more promotion of both events as time goes on; please share the information on both events with those who may have interest.

For worker co-op members, it is normally important to keep the costs of attendance of CWCF Conferences modest and this one will fit this mold even though it’s at a more upscale venue than usual for us. It’s at the Clarion Hotel, which has a worker-shareholder co-op in its ownership structure. For those who find the hotel room rates a bit high at $113/night, I encourage you to opt to share a room with a double bed as the rates are the same whether for single or double. As usual, we will offer the ½ plane fare travel subsidies to those worker co-op members of CWCF who request it.

A reminder: if you’d like to submit a resolution to CWCF’s Annual General Meeting this year, the deadline for submission of resolutions is on August 13th.

If ever you have a question or comment, as always do not hesitate to contact us. Si jamais vous avez une question ou un commentaire, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter.

In Co-operation,

Hazel