Research
N1 Survey of co-operatives - measuring longevity, social and economic impact
N2 Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) and innovation
N3 Examining the value and potential of national co-op sector federations
N4 Co-operatives and alternative energy production
N5 170 year history of the Sussex Co-op, New Brunswick
N1 Survey of co-operatives - measuring longevity, social and economic impact
This 5 year project on the National Survey of Co-operatives is led by Dr. Luc Theriault, of the University of New Brunswick and the student researcher is David Bent (PhD candidate in History, UNB). The project is currently mining the national survey data from the Co-operatives Secretariat, focusing on agricultural co-operatives from 1992-2008. The project team has compiled the data and trends for this period and are currently consulting with academics and practitioners about the explanation and background that would cause these trends.Project contact: Dr. Luc Theriault luct@unb.ca
N2 Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) and innovation
This project was initiated by John Anderson of the Canadian Co-operative Association and Dr. Michael Gertler, Director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan and is currently managed by Erin Hancock of CCA. Debbie Dergousoff, PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University is the student researcher on this project. The Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) is a four-year, $16 million partnership program funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and co-managed by CCA and its francophone partner, le Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité (CCCM) to help develop new and emerging co-operatives and innovative co-operative projects. This program began April 1, 2009 and will end March 31, 2013, directly overlapping with this research project. The research team will review the CDI to map and explore trends, dominant sectors and the demographics of those applying for funding.This research aims to better understand the need for funding and/or co-operative development support through mapping and analyzing the applications to the CDI program. This research will provide data and analysis that can help inform future selection within co-op development programs and also explore the gaps in funding where unsuccessful applicants did not meet program criteria and/or other such reasons that excluded them from obtaining desired development funds.
The research team has completed Phase 1 which was using the database developed by CDI program to address: In which sectors are new co-operatives developing? Where are these sectors in terms of geography, language (English or French) or immigrant origins? Why have groups chosen the co-operative model as opposed to traditional private sector or traditional non-profit organization? Now the project is in Phase 2, which entails conducting semi-structured interviews with co-op applicants and co-op developers and then analyse responses thematically to better understand the factors for success in innovative co-ops. Specific questions will be developed in partnership with the academics and the community partners in the spirit of co-operative inquiry underlying the CURA, and based on previous research conducted in Canada and internationally.
Project contact: Erin Hancock erin.hancock@coopscanada.coop
N3 Examining the value and potential of national co-op sector federations
This project is lead by Ian MacPherson (Professor Emeritus University of Victoria) and Quintin Fox (Canadian Co-operative Association). Sarah Amyot (University of Victoria)is the student contributing to this project.
This project will examine the potential for new national co-operative federations and their value in terms of increasing the success and contributions of individual co-operatives. The study would include the following sectors:
Agriculture: The research will examine why, unlike most other countries, Canada has no national agriculture federation of co-operatives although there are over 1200 agricultural co-operatives across the country. (Québec has a strong federation, La Coop Fédérée, but there is no counterpart outside of Québec.) The project will build on initial research on this theme was carried out in the fall/winter of 2008-09 as part of the federally-funded Agricultural Co-operative Development Initiative (Ag CDI). The earlier research identified common needs of agricultural co-operatives, including training and education, and networking. This project will how a support structure works in Quebec and in other countries to help address these needs.
Health Care: Again, a federation exists in Québec and in Saskatchewan, but not at the national level. This project would attempt to understand the potential value of a national federation and why one has not been established to date.
Housing: The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada is a successful national federation serving most of Canada's housing co-operatives and co-operative housing associations. What has been the value added by this national federation, and how has it contributed to the role of the co-operative housing as a successful alternative to municipal social housing?
The project will be guided by the following questions:
System-wide questions
How can a federation build upon the local strengths from which they have emerged and what can other emerging federations learn from this process?
What are the various objectives co-operatives have when forming 2nd and 3rd tier networks or federations?
What is the "bedrock of interest" within a co-operative federation or network?
Specific questions
What has facilitated the growth of co-operative federations in Quebec?
How does a network or federation ensure accountability amongst its members through its governance structure?
Why is there not an agricultural cooperative federation or network in Canada?
Why is there a disconnect between agricultural co-operatives and agricultural financial institutions in Canada? (Will include comparison with European and Asian agricultural co-operatives systems).
How can the organic agricultural sector and the growing local food movement (including co-ops) in Canada establish a larger framework or infrastructure from which to thrive?
N4 Co-operatives and alternative energy production
This project is lead by J.J McMurtry at York University and Judith Lipp, Executive Director of the TREC-Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative. Alternative energy production, especially wind and solar, have become central policy issues for every government in the twenty-first century. However the role that co-operatives have played in initiating policy, developing this technology, and efficiently supplying energy both to local, regional, and national grids remains woefully under-examined. In light of recent hostility to global climate change science and a plethora of health, environmental, and cost concerns about particular alternative energy technologies this lack of examination of the co-operative model as a potential solution to these concerns becomes even more curious. In short, the community/member owned and operated alternative energy policy option is not recognized, especially in Canada.
This project aims to examine the issue of alternative energy production, specifically wind and solar, from a co-operative standpoint. It has three main goals. First the project will outline the current literature on, and history of, the co-operative form in alternative energy production. Second, it will examine current "best practices" of co-operative energy production, specifically in Europe and North America, to best understand the unique benefits that the co-operative form delivers in alternative energy production. Third, the project will examine the current state of co-operative energy production in Canada both from a policy and a practice perspective, and will outline the unique benefits of this form as well as the ways in which it can address current criticisms of this form of energy production. A significant component of this third stage will be a mapping of alternative energy production by co-operatives in Canada, as well as a policy matrix mapping, which will outline similarities and differences between provinces.
The research will be undertaken through standard literature reviews, interviews with key stakeholders and actors, on-site in depth interviews both in Canada and Europe and policy reviews. The project aims to initiate both the first and second goals simultaneously as the lead researcher J.J. McMurtry will be in Europe on sabbatical in year one. Both goals will be completed by the end of year two. Goal three will be initiated in year two, and completed by the end of year three.
Presentation in November 2011 at Ontario Sustainable Energy Association Conference
Renewable Energy Co-op Review: Scan of Models & Regulatory Issues, January 2012
Project contacts: J.J. McMurtry jmcmurtr@yorku.ca , Judith Lipp jlipp@trec.on.ca
Information from March 2012 Webinar
N5 170 year history of the Sussex Co-op, New Brunswick
This project is led by Dr. Luc Thériault (University of New Brunswick) and Wendy Keats (Co-operative Enterprise Council, New Brunswick). David Bent, student at the University of Fredericton will be assisting with this research. Brian McCallum and other members of the Sussex Co-operative (Sussex and Studholm Agricultural Society)will also be collaborating on the project.
Although Rochdale has long been touted as the oldest co-operative in the world, the Sussex Co-op was actually established nearly three years earlier, in 1841, and still continues to operate today. Thirty years ago, a book was written about the history of the Sussex Co-op however it wasn't professionally done nor widely distributed. Our goal is to build on what was done in 1980 by re-writing the book and updating it to include the last 30 years. We believe this will be of tremendous value to the co-operative community as a great deal can be learned by others from a co-operative with history as rich as that of the Sussex Co-op. This book will also be used as a promotion tool for the International Year of the Co-operative.
Written materials, pictures, and stories will be gathered and interviews will be conducted with people from the community who have been involved in the co-operative over the years, including directors, staff, members, and descendant families of the original members. We plan to begin immediately and be completed by the end of September.
Project contact: Dr. Luc Theriault luct@unb.ca
