Saskatchewan Co-operativesSupporting Economic Growth

and Sustainability

Table of Contents

About Co-opsCo-ops by the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Types of Co-ops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Public Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Co-ops Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Co-operative Successes and OpportunitiesHow Co-operatives Can Support Our Growing Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Co-operative Housing: More than Four Walls and a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Co-op Refinery Complex: Bigger and Better, Year After Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Co-operative Model Supports Aboriginal Skills Training & Employment . . . . . . . .11What We Can Learn from Sangudo, Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

About SCA and Our Members About Saskatchewan Co-operative Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Co-operative Development Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Our Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

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About Co-ops

What Is A Co-op?A co-op is an organization that is owned by its members and is designed to provide goods or services. Being involved in a co-operative usually means that people are working together for a common goal or purpose. Co-ops are democratically controlled, where each member has one vote.

Co-ops are Different: The Co-op PrinciplesCo-operatives all believe in and adhere to the same seven principles:

1. Voluntary and Open Membership

2. Democratic Member Control

3. Member Economic Participation

4. Autonomy and Independence

5. Education, Training and Information

6. Co-operation Among Co-operatives

7. Concern for Community

Why Do People Form Co-ops?1. because people feel a lack of power in

the marketplace. Corporations and private businesses are concerned with their own profit, so they sometimes ignore the needs and wants of the customer. The customer has very little power to change or improve things. In a co-operative, members are the owners. They control the co-op. They have the power.

2. because no one is providing a service they need. By getting together to form a co-operative, they can provide themselves with that service.

3. Because their jobs or their communities would disappear if they did not join together to save them. Often a business will close down for good “business reasons,” but not for good “people reasons.” In a co-operative, people are the business. The people involved in the co-operative work for the benefit of the co-operative, and their community.

4. because they want to keep the control and profits of a business in the community. Often a business is owned by people who never use its services. They may never even see the business, but they benefit from it. A co-operative is locally owned and controlled, and the profits stay in the community.

How Does the Money Work?Profits are given back to the members, based on how much they have used the co-op. Because co-ops are owned by their members and part of the profits are given back to them, more money comes back to the members and the communities they live in. In some co-ops, members may pay less than non-members for products and services.

Co-ops Defined

Conexus Credit Union staff members participate in a Habitat for Humanity build during the Saskatchewan Co-operative Week of Volunteering, 2012

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Many of the same forces that drove earlier generations to form co-operatives are still at work:

REDUCING PRESSURE ON INFRASTRUCTURE

• Providingaffordable,qualityhousing As more people move to Saskatchewan for work, pressure on housing infrastructure increases. Many communities are investigating seniors housing co-operatives as a way to allow seniors to remain in their communities while freeing up existing housing stock for new residents. Other communities are looking at co-operative housing as a way to provide safe, quality, affordable housing for low and moderate income families.

• Aginginplace As our population ages, more services will be needed for seniors, such as home care and personal services. Tisdale Home Care Co-op is an example of a co-op which is assisting seniors to age-in-place by taking on home and yard maintenance chores and personal services.

• MobilizingandempoweringtheFirstNationsworkforce The co-operative model has many points of agreement with First Nations culture and tradition. The co-operative business model has been used to start new on-reserve businesses in recent years, including the Cree 8 Workers’ Co-op which runs a market garden on the Flying Dust First Nation.

• Businesssuccessionplanning Collective entrepreneurship can ensure that businesses that might otherwise close when the owner retires continue to provide services and employment as a co-operative.

• Efficientandaffordableservices Co-operatives can make it more affordable to access goods and services, such as car sharing.

SERVICES TO RURAL COMMUNITIES:

• Co-opsserveruralareasthatcorporationswillnot Co-operatives can provide services such as grocery stores, gas stations and credit unions to rural communities. For example:

• 161 communities in Saskatchewan have a credit union as their only financial institution.

• Access Communications Co-operative provides high speed internet to over 220 rural communities that would otherwise not have this service.

How Co-operatives Can Support Our Growing Economy

Compared to other businesses, Co-oPsArElEsslikElytoFAil,torEloCAtE,ortoDOwNSIzE when the economy is in trouble. Being rooted in places and devoted to members’ needs, Co-oPsrEFlECtthEloNg-tErMGOALS OF COMMUNITIES AND REGIONS.

They provide jobs that are stable and relatively well paid, with good working conditions and opportunities for learning and advancement. Co-oPsArErEPEAtEdlyrECogNizEdAsBEiNgAMoNgthEBEstworkPlACEsiNCANADA.

Thanks to co-ops, our cities, towns, and villages are more welcoming, viable, and sustainable. Co-operatives are one of the “secret ingredients” that help make Canada a success as a nation and Saskatchewan a success as a province.

Co-operative Successes and Opportunities

Photo courtesy Access Communications Co-operative Ltd.

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The recent period of strong economic growth in Saskatchewan and corresponding rise in population has increased pressure on the province’s infrastructure and created more demand for housing. Saskatchewan communities are growing as more young people stay in Saskatchewan, more families move home and new families from across Canada and around the world choose Saskatchewan as the place to be. While the supply of housing in Saskatchewan is increasing, more housing options are needed for low-income and moderate-income families.

The co-operative business model can provide innovative solutions to address infrastructure issues such as the shortage of safe, quality, affordable housing.

Co-ops are used around the world to make (and keep) quality housing affordable. In Sweden, housing co-ops make up over a fifth of the national housing stock. The U.S. has 6,400 housing co-ops which are home to 1.2 million households. In Canada, 250,000 Canadians live in over 2,200 housing co-ops. They come in all shapes and sizes: townhouses, apartments, and detached buildings.

Housing co-ops are not a new part of the housing mix in Saskatchewan. There are currently 17 housing co-operatives in Saskatchewan, providing 841 homes. All housing co-ops in Saskatchewan are currently Continuing Housing Co-operatives, where housing units are owned and managed jointly by the members who pay a monthly fee to live there, similar to rent. Members enjoy security of tenure, and can participate in decision making about how the co-op is run, who can live there and how much it costs to live in the co-operative.

In many jurisdictions, Home Ownership Co-operatives are also available. In this model, co-op members own their individual housing unit and also own a share in the co-operative, which holds the common property, such as parking, courtyard or playground areas. Some Home Ownership Co-ops allow members to sell their units at market value when they leave the co-op; others cap the selling price to keep housing affordable over time. This model of co-operative housing is not available under existing legislation in Saskatchewan.

Co-op housing is less expensive and qualitatively different from the norm. The first difference is that, in a housing co-op, there is no landlord. Each housing co-op is developed, owned and governed by and for its members. They each purchase an ownership share in the co-op. This serves as a damage deposit and allows members to have a say in how the co-op is run. Because the co-op operates at cost, fees only go up when maintenance costs do.

There are other, intangible benefits, too. Housing co-ops come with community already built in. There is no such thing as “not knowing the neighbours” in a housing co-op. Members regularly meet and serve on committees to help manage the property and plan social events.

After all, housing at its best is way more than four walls and roof. Housing is about sharing, growing, and caring in community.

In the community of MossBANk,sAskAtChEwAN, a plan to build a 12-unit SENIORS’ RESIDENCE with around the clock support services is now entering phase 2 of construction.

FurrowsANdFAithhousiNgCo-OPERATIVE is providing a place for local seniors to live out their retirement safely and comfortably in the community, while also freeing up local housing for younger homeowners. Residents, staff, members’ families, and community supporters can all become co-op member-owners.

It’s a LOCALLy DESIGNED AND OwNED strategy to break the gridlock in the housing market.

Co-operative Housing: More Than Four Walls and a Roof

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Co-operative Successes and OpportunitiesCo-op Refinery Complex: Bigger and Better, Year After Year

It’s one of the oldest, largest, and most innovative players in the country’s petroleum sector and – you guessed it – it’s a co-op. Covering 575 acres in Regina’s north end, Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) has been in an almost constant state of growth and upgrade over the past 78 years.

CRC’s origins lie in the very heart of the Great Depression. Existing petroleum refiners in southern Saskatchewan had control of the market. Fed up with what members were having to pay for gasoline and lubricating oils, co-operative wholesale associations in the Regina area decided to build their own refinery. They pulled together $32,000, with one member even putting up his farm as collateral, and the plant went on stream in May 1935.

Processing 500 barrels of light crude a day – imported from the U.S., no less – the world’s first co-operative refinery was a small and simple affair. Not for long, however. In 1939, the addition of a cracking

plant enabled it to tackle heavier grades of oil. Output rose to 1,500 barrels per day.

In 1944, the refinery amalgamated with the Saskatchewan Co-operative Wholesale Society, representing co-op wholesalers across the province. The Society’s close ties to sister organizations in B.C., Alberta, and Manitoba – and their decision to eventually merge and form Federated Co-operatives Limited – gave the refinery a direct line to the demands for petroleum products from hundreds of co-op retailers throughout western Canada. Production at CRC ballooned in response. In 1951 output reached 5,000 barrels per day.

The building of a catalytic cracker in 1954 again widened the refinery’s repertoire in terms of raw materials and products. Output rose to 12,000 barrels per day. By the late 1970s, still more expansion and modernization brought plant capacity up to 50,000 barrels per day.

“The most amazing and possibly the MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE iNthEhistoryoFthECoNsuMErCo-oPErAtivEMOVEMENT IN wESTERN CANADA was the development of Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Limited (CCRL) at Regina.

The story is amazing because, under the desperate circumstances of the Depression, a small group of farmers with no experience and little money entered in the oil business, ultimately taking on the giants of the private oil trade. It is important because petroleum became the dynamo of the Co-operative Retailing System, the lucrative commodity that powered the system’s expansion and sustained it down to the present day.”

Brett Fairbairn Building a Dream

Photo courtesy Federated Co-operatives Limited

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It was in the early 1980s that the path of CRC development took another dramatic shift. The growing demand for petroleum products worldwide was causing refineries to lean on light crude oil reserves. It made sense to find ways to refine heavier, more sulphurous grades of crude oil instead. That’s the sort of oil that Saskatchewan had a great deal of, around Lloydminster, for example, but to date had merely processed into asphalt.

The answer: a heavy oil upgrader. At $700 million, it was a massive undertaking for the day. But the provincial government (backed by federal loans) was up for it, and found in CRC the ideal joint venture partner. Construction began in 1985 and the plant went on stream three years later, supplying what’s called “synthetic crude” not only to CRC but to refiners in central Canada and the U.S. CRC was able to buy out the Province’s share and return the whole operation to co-operative hands in 2007.

CRC’s throughput increased again to a total of 100,000 barrels per day during the last decade as a result of expansions in 2003 and 2006. Still another expansion was completed last year giving the refinery the capacity to process approximately 130,000 barrels per day of crude oil. Total investment in the most recent expansion and associated revamps at the refinery was more than $2.7 billion and brought approximately $5 billion in economic activity to the province.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a permanent workforce of 800 people, CRC is able to produce more than 7 billion litres of gasoline and diesel annually. These products are delivered to 230 retail Co-ops that in turn offer them to individual Co-op member owners and other customers at approximately 380 gas bars, 313 cardlock and 140 bulk fuel locations in communities large and small across Western Canada.

It is the partnership with these retail Co-ops and their hard work, supported by their members and customers, that keep the wheels turning and economy growing in Western Canada.

Core Principles for the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC)

There are four Core Principles for the CRC. These Core Principles, in order of priority, are to:

1. Ensure the safety of all personnel and the public at large.

2. Ensure that all equipment is of high integrity and is maintained and operated to mitigate safety risks.

3. Ensure that the management of environmental affairs and responsible stewardship is always at the highest level.

4. Ensure that quality products and services are provided by all Co-op Refinery Complex work groups.Co

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Co-operative Successes and Opportunities

growiNgANddEvEloPiNgsAskAtChEwAN’slABourFORCE

In 2009, FlyiNgdustCrEE8workErCo-oPErAtivE was just 8 people growing organic vegetables on 2 acres. Since then this market garden has grown from 6 to 14 acres, and currently spans more than 20 acres. The quality and quantity of its fruit and vegetables have attracted the attention of outside buyers. The co-op, incorporated in June 2011, is soon expected to have 40 members, many of them interns or graduates of the Green Certificate Farming Training Program.

In April 2013, work began on a new, 4,000-square foot storage facility for Flying Dust Riverside Market Garden. “By having a storage facility in place, we’ll be able to expand every year in terms of our capacity,” says Bill Gladue, Cree 8 president. The new building will include a storefront, office space and processing plant and will allow the market garden to remain open year-round.

The $500,000 to $600,000 project is being funded by an Aboriginal Agriculture Initiative grant, which will also cover the cost of purchasing a potato harvesting machine, two potato trucks, a potato seed cutter and more. Since its inception, the market garden has received funding from AgriFoods Canada, Flying Dust First Nation and Inroads. Its believed, however, if the garden’s current level of success continues, it could become entirely self-sufficient in a few short years.

Cree 8 hopes to share its expertise with other First Nations so that they too can start market garden co-operatives, make homegrown fruits and vegetables part of their diet, and gain much-needed work and employment skills.

Supporting this success is the co-op network. All members of Cree 8’s board have been trained in worker co-operative management by Marie Prebushewski, a co-operative developer. She was sponsored by the Aboriginal Business Service Network (ABSN) and the federal Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI). As executive director of the Thickwood Hills Business and Learning Network (THBLN), she assisted Cree 8 with their proposal to Agriculture Canada. She is also helping them learn how to add value to their product line and implement a marketing strategy.

EduCAtiNg,trAiNiNgANddEvEloPiNgAskillEdwORkFORCE

Another recipient of assistance from ABSN, CDI and THBLN is the whitEFishoPPortuNitiEsworkErCo-oPErAtivELIMITED (WOWC). A partnership between the Big River First Nation, the Co-op and Thickwood Hills succeeded in securing

Co-operative Model Supports Aboriginal Skills Training and Employment

The co-operative model can assist FIRST NATIONS AND MéTIS PEOPLE in Saskatchewan to achieve GRASSROOTS SOLUTIONS to IMPROVE EDUCATION AND EMPLOyMENT OUTCOMES.

A number of co-operatives across Northern Saskatchewan are gaining momentum and creating a range of BENEFitsForCo-oPMEMBErsANdthEirCoMMuNitiEs.

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Photo courtesy Scott Kim

$2.5 million in funding to construct a Centre of Excellence for Education and Business Development. The total project cost of $2.7 million was also supported by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Big River First Nation. Of Big River First Nation’s 2,223 members currently living on-reserve, around 1,000 attend elementary and high schools. It was important to create an incentive for them to move forward in higher learning. The Centre will bring academic training to the people instead of the other way around.

The 6,500 square-foot facility incubates small businesses, promotes entrepreneurship and offer skills development, job training and counseling for job opportunities. It also offers post-secondary training: the Indian Teacher Education Program B. Ed. and M. Ed programs and Access to Nursing, a two-year prehealth Science program. Two other wings house a number of small businesses: a restaurant and catering business, a laundry, a recycling store, a taxi business, a market garden, an enviro/tourism business, and a sewing centre. The Centre also displays handicrafts and art by local artisans. All the businesses are owned and operated by members of Whitefish Opportunities Worker Co-operative.

ohPAhowwAwEsECikiwAkArtsMArkEtiNgCo-oPErAtivE is another intimate group. Artisans of Big River First Nation established it in 2008. As the name indicates, part of the idea is to make a better living from artwork by marketing it collectively. But the point is also to develop the members’ skills in authentic works of Cree art. It is a space where elders and younger generations connect to share time-honoured knowledge and techniques for working with paint, hide, fur, wood, and beads.

In a nutshell, Ohpahow (Cree for s/he “takes flight”) enables these artists to “paint, sew, and carve their way to cultural revitalization and stable incomes.” In the process, they get familiar with some very non-traditional subjects: technology, customer service, and networking.

Co-ops put the grassroots in touch with a network of mentors and trainers – people with skills, experience, and connections who want you to succeed.

Left: Members of Cree 8 Worker Co-operative share their knowledge with the younger generation; Above: Founding board members of Ohpahow Wawesecikiwak Arts Marketing Co-operative. Below: Centre of Excellence.

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Co-operative Successes and OpportunitiesWhat We Can Learn from Sangudo, AB

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Dan Ohler has a lot of explaining to do. Over the last eight years his hometown, Sangudo, Alberta, has become a poster child of what’s called “rural revitalization.”

Unlike many other small places, Sangudo refuses to wither away. First, the townsfolk got the school board to rescind a decision to close the local high school. Next they built a community playground. Then Dan and a couple dozen neighbours figured out a way to channel their own savings into the incubation of local businesses.

Instead of parking their money with far-off financial managers and ventures, residents built the SANGUDO OPPORTUNITy dEvEloPMENtCo-oPErAtivE(sodC). Since 2010, they’ve been using it to locate promising business opportunities, find

An Opportunity Development Co-operative is a co-op that POOLS AND MANAGES CAPITAL RAISED FROM LOCAL INVESTORS through the sale of shares to people within a defined community. The funds raised are RRSP ELIGIbLE and are INVESTED IN LOCAL bUSINESSES.

Opportunity Development Co-ops empower communities to INVEST LOCALLy, direct their own ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT and REDUCE DEPENDENCy ON GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS by directing outward-bound investments towards local businesses, keeping local capital flowing through local communities.

entrepreneurs to run them, and arrive at deals that benefit both the business and Sangudo.

Sangudo Custom Meat Packers, a business once on the point of closing, now has new owners and has expanded to employ a dozen people. The old Legion Hall has been transformed into Connections Coffee House, where locals hold meetings or pass the time on their way to or from the grocery store, liquor outlet, and meat shop.

So far, SODC has had approximatly $400,000 invested. That’s about to change, thanks to efforts of the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association. It has secured from Canada Revenue Agency a clarification that investments in vehicles like SODC are RRSP-eligible. This could divert even more local capital to any small town that has an investment co-op to receive it.

That’s why Dan and friends have so much explaining to do. People want to know “how Sangudo (population 400) does it.” For the last 14 months a major research project, Unleashing Local Capital, has been exploring ways to make local investment co-ops like SODC more commonplace. In Saskatchewan, legislative changes to make it possible to form local investment co-operatives are already under discussion.

With a motivated population, strong local leadership and Opportunity Development Co-operatives, many Saskatchewan communities could soon be putting their local capital back into their own communities to ensure a prosperous future for themselves and their families.

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About SCA and Our MembersAbout Saskatchewan Co-operative Association

SCA’S MiSSion StAteMent:

A strong & thriving co-operative presence in Saskatchewan communities.

WhAt iS SCA?

Saskatchewan Co-operative Association is a provincial coalition of co-operatives, and credit unions. We are incorporated as a community service co-operative that is working to Support And promote the co-operative Model for CoMMunity And economic development.

You can find out more about our members on the following pages.

What does SCA Do?

co-operative developmentSCA promotes the co-operative model as a mechanism for community and economic development:• Providing advisory services, information about the co-op model

and training courses related to co-op development, governance and understanding co-operatives.

• Providing leadership to encourage the development and growth of new, emerging and existing co-operatives.

• Participating in development initiatives that benefit the co-operative sector.

Youth education and involvementSCA engages youth in activities and development opportunities that strengthen their capacity and the co-operative sector through over 85 years of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program. This includes:• Arranging and coordinating interactive, education programs

including the Co-op Camp summer youth leadership program.• Supporting youth employment through entrepreneurial and

internship programs.• Curriculum and learning material development.

communitY, Business and Government relationsSCA encourages, initiates and participates in activities that represent and advance the collective interests of the co-operative sector. • Informing community, business and government agencies about

the value and significance of co-operatives and the co-operative model.

• Encouraging government agencies to develop policies, programs and legislation that supports the development of co-operatives.

• Building effective business relationships with elected government officials and bureaucrats.

memBer services and communicationsSCA provides quality information services that communicate the value of co-operatives and SCA, through events and activities such as the Co-op Merit Awards, Co-op Classic Golf Tournament, and the Co-operative Spotlight newsletter. Our communication strategies include:• Utilizing co-operative and public media to communicate

messages of significance to co-operatives.• Creating awareness and understanding amongst members and

potential members with initiatives that demonstrate the value and benefit of membership.

• Providing opportunities for members to share, to collaborate and to advance common interests.

Approximately 200 youth aged 12 to 18 attend SCA’s Saskatchewan Co-operative Youth Program (SCYP) each summer.

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Beginning in 2010, Saskatchewan Co-operative Association has employed a full-time, in-house Co-operative Development Officer. This position was made possible through partnerships with the Government of Saskatchewan through the Ministry of the Economy/Enterprise Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada through the Co-operative Development Initiative. SCA members have also made significant contributions to supporting our Co-operative Development work.

Our Co-operative Development work focuses on providing co-op business development supports for new and existing co-operatives.

SCA’s Co-operative Development goals are:

1. co-operative development support: Provide co-operative development support to interested groups/individuals and developing co-operatives through technical and advisory services.

2. co-operative development resources: Develop resources and materials for emerging and existing co-operatives, and co-op developers.

3. Building awareness: Raise awareness among the public of the co-operative model and development support services available through SCA.

4. strategic partnership development: Build partnerships and a network of co-operative developers and resource people to encourage co-operative development.

As the charts demonstrate, the efforts of Saskatchewan Co-operative Association have resulted in an increase in both incorporations and inquiries during the past 4 years. The number of new groups seeking help is still increasing. As demand grows, we need to ensure groups can access the help they need to get incorporated and get their business running.

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Our Membersaccess communications co-operative limited http://www.myaccess.ca

Access Communications is a community service co-operative that supplies cable television, internet and digital services to 219 communities in Saskatchewan, and has over 400 employees and volunteers. Access Communications is one of the largest cable companies in Canada and generates annual revenues of over $70 million for the Saskatchewan economy.

canadian Worker co-operative Federationhttp://www.canadianworker.coop

The Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation represents the interests of worker co-operatives and promotes, facilitates and supports employee ownership based on co-operative principles. In Saskatchewan, Hullabaloo Publishing Co-operative, the publisher of two alternative city newspapers, prairie dog in Regina and Planet S Magazine in Saskatoon, is a co-operative owned by seven worker-owners. Both magazines are free publications and today, Planet S and prairie dog reach a combined readership of 120,000.

the centre For the studY oF co-operatives http://usaskstudies.coop

Known for community-based research and experiential learning, the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives is an internationally recognized institute that focuses on the economic and social roles of co-operatives at provincial, national, and global levels. Through interdisciplinary inquiry and a graduate program in co-operative studies, the Centre supports the development of co-operative leadership and governance, and analyses how co-operatives promote mutual self-help, sustainable local and regional development, and policy innovation. The Centre is based in the Diefenbaker Building at the University of Saskatchewan.

co-operative housinG Federation oF canada (chF canada) www.chfcanada.coop

CHF Canada is the organized national voice of co-op housing. CHF Canada’s mission is to inspire, represent and serve its member co-ops in a united co-operative housing movement. Canada’s housing co-ops are successful, community-oriented and serve members with a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, ages and incomes. Operating on a non-profit basis, co-ops are the most cost-efficient form of affordable housing and a crucial element in the mix of solutions for millions of Canadians currently living in core housing need. There are 17 housing co-operatives in Saskatchewan with 841 co-operative housing units.

About SCA and Our Members

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the co-operators www.cooperators.ca

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $40 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, in communities across the country. The Co-operators has offices throughout Saskatchewan, where it employs 800 people, including the head office of Co-operators Life Insurance Company in Regina.

communitY health co-operative Federation limited http://www.saskatooncommunityclinic.ca http://www.reginacommunityclinic.ca http://www.coophealth.com

Community Health Co-operative Federation Limited is made up of four co-operative health centres located in Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, and Wynyard). These centres provide community based member/patient directed health care services to approximately 70,000 people. The centres have 275 employees and revenues of $25 million. The principal features of the community sponsored health care model include the provision of a variety of health care professionals in one location, interdisciplinary team based approaches to care, group medical practice and health support programs tailored to the special needs of groups such as the elderly, the impoverished, new Canadians and our First Nations populations.

ConCentrA finAnCiAl http://www.concentrafinancial.ca

Founded on partnership and thriving on co-operation Concentra Financial works with credit unions, centrals and strategic partners to enhance the success of the Canadian credit union system and its members by delivering a full suite of competitive, high-quality financial intermediation and trust services solutions. Concentra provides employment to 269 people. Concentra and is a Platinum Club Member of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, one of Saskatchewan’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Top 100 Financial Institutions. Concentra has $27.9 billion in assets under administration and $5.8 billion in corporate assets.

CuMiS www.cumis.com

The CUMIS Group Limited is the leading provider of insurance-related products and services to the Canadian credit union system, serving approximately 380 credit unions with a total of more than five million members. CUMIS is jointly owned by Co-operators Life Insurance Company, based in Regina, and Central 1 Credit Union. 18

About SCA and Our MembersOur Members

Farmer direct co-operative limited www.farmerdirect.coop

Farmer Direct Co-operative Ltd. is a farmer owned business that provides the world with ethically grown and traded food. The co-operative’s 60 Certified Organic, Fair Trade family farms with 120,000 acres of farmland, produce high quality, 100% Certified Organic, Fair Trade grains, oilseeds, pulses and meats for food manufacturers, distributors, and food service providers in Canada, the United States, the European Union and Japan. FDC is a bulk supplier of organic grains specializing in containers, truckloads, railcars and 25lb bags of grain for retailers’ bulk bins.

Federated co-operatives limited http://www.coopconnection.ca

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) provides wholesaling, manufacturing, marketing and administrative support to its 225 owner-member retail Co-ops across Western Canada including 125 in Saskatchewan. The company’s strategic business sectors include energy, food, home and building supplies, crop supplies and feed.

FCL, with its home office in Saskatoon, is the largest wholesaler and non-financial co-operative in the country and the 48th largest company in Canada. FCL is ranked the largest company in Saskatchewan based on sales of $8.8 billion in 2012.

FCL also owns the Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina. With the recent completion of a $2.7 billion expansion and associated revamps, it now has the capacity to process up to 130,000 barrels per day.

FCL employs almost 2,000 people in the province with local co-ops employing 7,500 people throughout Saskatchewan.

Together, retail co-ops and FCL serve almost 400,000 Co-op members and many other customers in more than 200 communities in the province.

SASkAtCheWAn Credit unionS http://www.saskcu.com

Saskatchewan credit unions are independent co-operative organizations owned and controlled by their members. Saskatchewan credit unions build lives and fulfill dreams by helping their 502,000 members achieve financial well-being and investing in their communities. There are 53 credit unions in Saskatchewan serving 255 communities through 288 service outlets. In 2012, credit union assets reached $16.9 billion with revenue of over $815 million, and they returned $16 million to their members in the form of patronage equity contributions and dividends. Credit unions are major contributors to Saskatchewan’s economy, employing more than 3,500 people.

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1515 20th Street West Saskatoon SK S7M 0Z5 P: 306-244-3702 www.sask.coop