BC Co-op Association

📢 Are you passionate about the co-operative space? We're seeking candidates to join our Board of Directors to support our purpose: to unite and empower co-operatives to thrive in British Columbia. BCCA is seeking candidates to fill four Board vacancies for two-year terms. To strengthen our Board’s leadership and expertise, we encourage nominations from individuals with experience in: 🧩 Strategy Development 💰 Finance and Accounting 🏛️ Government Relations 🔄 Change Management ⚖️ Legal Expertise Why join our Board of Directors? In addition to supporting the advancement of the co-operative movement in BC, board directors benefit from: 📚 Opportunities for peer-learning and professional development 💪 Showing solidarity 🤝 Advancing Principle 6: Co-operation Among Co-operatives Who's on our Board? Samantha L. (Realize Solutions) Kirsten Forsch (The Co-operators) Jane Hope (Modo) Naveed Nadri Jack Nicholson (Otter Co-op) Maureen Young (Coast Capital Savings) Jarrett Hagglund (CHF Canada) Olivia Champagne (New Roots Worker Cooperative) Susanna C. (GIA Consulting Co-operative) Chris Galloway (Coactive Worker Co-op) Ready to Shape the Future? Nominations are due by April 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm PST. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gevRRTiS

Last week, the BC Co-operative Association was invited to present “Building Stronger Communities: The Power of Co-ops in BC” to 12 members of the BC NDP caucus. We highlighted the incredible work our members are doing across the province—demonstrating how co-ops are already building solutions to some of BC’s biggest challenges. The MLAs' insightful questions and genuine interest in the co-operative model made for a meaningful conversation about how co-ops strengthen local communities and contribute to economic inclusion, local resilience, and community well-being. We look forward to continuing the conversation about how co-ops can help tackle some of BC’s most urgent challenges—together. Thank you to the following MLAs for your time, attention, and enthusiasm: Rohini Arora (Burnaby East), Jennifer Blatherwick (Coquitlam-Maillardville), Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, Susie Chant (North Vancouver-Seymour) Paul Choi, MLA (Burnaby South-Metrotown), Parliamentary Secretary for Asia-Pacific Trade, Sunita Dhir (Vancouver-Langara), Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials, Stephanie Higginson (Ladysmith-Oceanside), Nina Krieger (Victoria-Swan Lake), Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, Steve Morissette (Kootenay-Monashee), Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, Joan Phillip (Vancouver-Strathcona), Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits, Janet Routledge (Burnaby North) Harwinder Sandhu (Vernon-Lumby), and Deborah Toporowski (Cowichan Valley), Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health #CoopsBuildCommunity #CoopEconomy #BCCA #StrongerTogether #BCNDP #SocialEconomy #RuralDevelopment #CommunityLedSolutions

🌎 Co-ops Build a Better World: BC Tour 2025 is designed to spark change and build connections across the BC co-op community. A heartfelt thank you to our generous and engaged sponsors—you make this possible! 🎬 Thought-provoking film screenings will spotlight how co-ops are leading the charge against challenges like sustainability and food insecurity, inspiring fresh ideas and meaningful action. 💡 Post-screening sessions—complete with networking opportunities and expert panels—provide space for co-op leaders and community members to connect, collaborate, and share transformative ideas and insights. ✨ This tour is more than an event—it's a movement to energize community, strengthen bonds, and illuminate the unparalleled power of co-operation in 2025: The International Year of the Co-operative. 💪 Together, let’s amplify BC’s cooperative ecosystem when local economies need the co-op model more than ever. Stay tuned to our website and social channels for tour updates and screening details. Let’s build, together! Learn More 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gFNd_5iN ✨ Thank you to our Sponsors ✨ ⭐ Federated Co-operatives Limited ⭐ ✅ Co-operators ✅ Modo ✅ Vancity ✅ Haddock & Company Lawyers ✅ Co-operative Housing Federation of BC ✅ Nelson & District Credit Union ✅ Integris Credit Union ✅ Union Cooperative Initiative (UCI) ✅ Mid Island Co-op ✅ SASCU ✅ Sunshine Coast Credit Union ✅ First Credit Union ✅ StellerVista Credit Union ✅ Otter Co-op ✅ Slocan Valley Co-op ✅ Peninsula Co-op ✅ Four Rivers Co-op

Deadlines extended for some CWCF grants.

Curious about how to successfully fund your co-op's goals? Join Solid State Community Industries and GIA Consulting Co-operative on May 7th at 12 PM for an exclusive Mentorship Hour—a free, virtual event for BCCA members. Register for Leveraging Member Engagement to Raise Capital! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gcFCfZuF 💡 What’s on the agenda? ✅ Susanna C. from GIA Co-operative shares her expertise on executing capital campaigns with co-op member engagement. ✅ Wei Chun Kua of Solid State Community Industries reveals how sociocracy strengthens grant-writing efforts. Mentorship Hour is a unique opportunity for BCCA members to share knowledge and support one another, featuring real-world strategies and practical advice to help your co-op thrive. Interested in mentoring opportunities? Email connect@bcca.coop for more details. #Mentorship #Coops #BC #ConnectingCoops

✨ Member Spotlight: StellerVista Credit Union ✨ StellarVista believes in building success together. By sharing members' prosperity, they reinvest profits directly back into those same members and the communities they call home. Their offerings include loans for businesses, mortgages for landowners, and personalized advice tailored to locals—support the big banks often overlook or can't provide. In 2024, StellarVista proudly gave back nearly $700,000 to the seven small communities they serve. Financial co-ops work for you, and work for the communities they serve. #MemberOwned #Coop #Cranbrook #Castlegar #Elkford #Fernie #Sparwood #WestBoundary #Slocan

Are you passionate about the cooperative movement and ready to make an impact in BC? We're looking for dedicated individuals to fill several positions on our Board of Directors. As a board member, you'll have the opportunity to help shape the future of co-ops in BC, champion shared values, and work alongside inspiring people in the co-op sector. Want to learn more? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gevRRTiS Still curious or have questions? Register for our information session on April 14, 2025 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d7Pc6xUc About the BCCA The British Columbia Co-operative Association (BCCA) is a not-for-profit co-operative dedicated to uniting and empowering co-ops across BC. Representing a diverse membership of co-operatives and credit unions, we are the leading voice for the sector in the province. Ready to lead, inspire, and grow the cooperative movement? Register for the information session to learn more! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d7Pc6xUc #Cooperatives #BC #Leadership #BoardOfDirectors #BCCA

Are you passionate about the cooperative movement and ready to make an impact in BC? We're looking for dedicated individuals to fill several positions on our Board of Directors. As a board member, you'll have the opportunity to help shape the future of co-ops in BC, champion shared values, and work alongside inspiring people in the co-op sector. Want to learn more? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gevRRTiS Still curious or have questions? Register for our information session on April 14, 2025 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d7Pc6xUc About the BCCA The British Columbia Co-operative Association (BCCA) is a not-for-profit co-operative dedicated to uniting and empowering co-ops across BC. Representing a diverse membership of co-operatives and credit unions, we are the leading voice for the sector in the province. Ready to lead, inspire, and grow the cooperative movement? Register for the information session to learn more! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d7Pc6xUc #Cooperatives #BC #Leadership #BoardOfDirectors #BCCA

✨ Member Spotlight: Waterline Consulting ✨ In a world where conflict and uncertainty are on the rise, progressive organizations often discover that the very challenges they strive to address externally begin to appear within their own teams. Internal conflict can create frustration, erode trust, and weaken alignment between values and actions. Waterline Consulting Co-op steps into this gap, helping teams transform these challenges into opportunities for growth, creativity, and collective resilience. By engaging conflict with clarity, courage, and compassion, Waterline empowers teams to move through painful patterns and build healthier, more equitable dynamics. Through this journey, teams don’t just address internal tensions—they unlock new potential for alignment, resilience, and deeper impact in the communities they serve. Waterline Consulting is a worker-owned co-op that helps leaders and teams transform conflict into opportunities for learning, creativity, and resilience. Learn more, browse courses, or schedule a 30-min free consultation: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g4G3T9Cs #CoopsSolveProblems #MemberSpotlight #BCCA

Member Spotlight: ✨ Nanaimo Forest School Co-op ✨ At Nanaimo Forest School, children don’t just learn—they embark on a journey. Guided by the inspiring words Wander, Wonder, Grow, every day unfolds like a storybook, with the natural world as both the setting and the teacher. Rooted in the standards and best practices of Forest School Canada, Nanaimo Forest School ensures every program is led by passionate, qualified teachers (ECE or B.Ed). Their commitment to small class sizes allows children the space to connect deeply—with nature, with each other, and with themselves. Through every muddy boot, every wide-eyed discovery, and every leap of imagination, children here learn to believe in their own abilities while exploring the boundless wonders of nature. Learn more 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gWzS-JTm Nanaimo Forest School is 100% Canadian-Owned. Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada -- Coopératives et mutuelles Canada #MemberSpotlight #CoopsSolveProblems #ForestSchool #OutdoorSchool #Nanaimo