Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives

10/20/2026

Our next Co-op Conversation will take place on November 4 and it will feature Mario Cimet Dattoli and his talk, "Solidarity Over Self-Reliance: Why Co-ops Should Raise Capital Together". Register to this free online talk here: https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9mHgvuZm39On02y

10/16/2026

Co-op Week DYK: In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, Father José María Arizmendiarrieta, a young Catholic priest, arrived in the impoverished Basque town of Mondragón. Determined to combat poverty without embracing either unfettered capitalism or state socialism, he focused on cooperation, education, and local ownership.

The Curiosity: In 1956, Arizmendiarrieta and five graduates of the technical school he founded launched Talleres Ulgor, a small cooperative workshop making paraffin heaters. It became the first co-op in what would grow into a much larger movement.

The Legacy: That modest workshop evolved into the MONDRAGON Corporation, widely recognized as the world's largest worker co-operative federation, which today boasts industrial firms, retail businesses, a university, a financial institution, and a co-operative social welfare system, employing about 70,000 people worldwide.

10/15/2026

It's Credit Union Day, so today's edition of "did you know?" is on-point.

💡DYK one of North America's most influential credit union founders was a woman?

Dorimène Roy Desjardins co-founded the first caisse populaire, but her contributions went unrecognized for decades.

The Curiosity: Alphonse Desjardins served as the French stenographer in Parliament, residing in Ottawa half the year while his wife, Dorimène Roy Desjardins, managed the household in Lévis, Québec (Alphonse called her his family’s “Minister of Finance”). Together, they co-founded the first caisse populaire on December 6, 1900, from their home in Lévis. Dorimène helped finance the venture with her personal savings and handled much of the bookkeeping and day-to-day administration from the family home, but for decades her contributions went unrecognized.

The Legacy: Today, Dorimène is recognized as a co-founder of the caisse populaire movement, which inspired the growth of credit unions across Canada and beyond, and the Desjardins Group—the foremost financial cooperative in Quebec and the largest cooperative financial group in Canada.

Learn more about Dorimène and the fascinating history of Desjardins and the Canadian credit union and co-operative financial services movement. https://www.desjardins.com/sk/en/about-us/who-we-are/dorimene-desjardins.html -risk

10/14/2026

Did You Know?

In 1844, 28 weavers and artisans in Rochdale, England, pooled their savings to open a small store on Toad Lane after growing frustrated with poor-quality goods and unfair treatment from local merchants.

The Curiosity: When the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society opened, many local shopkeepers dismissed the venture, and the store's initial inventory was remarkably small: flour, sugar, butter, oatmeal, and candles.

The Legacy: The pioneers established a set of operating principles based on democratic control, member ownership, and sharing profits with members. These Rochdale Principles became the foundation of the modern co-operative movement and continue to influence co-operatives around the world today.

10/13/2026

Most people use "gung ho" to mean enthusiastic or highly motivated—but it really means “work together.”

Set up in the 1930s during the second Sino-Japanese War to support the war effort, the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives adopted the abbreviated name "Gung Ho" (工合), meaning "work together." These worker-owned cooperatives mobilized thousands of people to create jobs, support communities, and sustain production during a time of crisis.

The phrase was later picked up by U.S. Marine officer Evans Carlson, who admired the co-operatives' spirit of collective action and introduced "gung ho" into English. Over time, it evolved into the expression we know today.

And now you know that one of the English language's most enduring expressions of enthusiasm has its origins in a simple co-operative principle: people achieve more when they work together.

10/09/2026

The recording of our most recent Co-op Conversation featuring Lisa Zentner of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada and her talk, "The Power of Visibility: Building Recognition for Canada's Co-operative Economy" is now available.

Click below to watch the talk! 👇

The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' (CCSC) monthly ...

10/08/2026

If you can be in Saskatoon and are available November 17, join us for an in-person seminar, Critical Payment Infrastructure and Canada’s Prosperity & Stability: The Role of Credit Unions, with our friend Joshua Lerner, Manager of Policy at Payments Canada.

11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Tuesday, November 17
Diefenbaker Building, 101 Diefenbaker Place
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

This dynamic, interactive, in-person, educational seminar proposes a framework for understanding critical payment infrastructure as a pillar of Canadian prosperity and stability. We will examine how credit unions interact with these systems and their role in supporting Canada’s economic wellbeing.

💡Develop your understanding of critical payment infrastructure; how it supports Canadian prosperity & stability; and debate the evolving role of credit unions within that system.

Registration: https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a03npkgK9hudOdw

Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

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👉Not able to make it to Saskatoon? Check out the recording of Josh’s recent webinar, “Credit Unions, Co-operatives, and Canada’s Critical Payment Infrastructure” on our Youtube channel: ▶️https://lnkd.in/g-FS-hMz

10/08/2026

The recording of our recent webinar, “Credit Unions, Co-operatives, and Canada’s Critical Payment Infrastructure” featuring Joshua Lerner of Payments Canada is now available on our Youtube channel.

Click below to watch the talk 👇

In this educational webinar, we:Explore Payments Canada’s critica...

10/06/2026

There's still time to register to join us (online or in-person) for Public Procurement and Social Economy: An Impossible Love? with visiting researcher Dr. Javier Mendoza Jiménez from Universidad de La Laguna - University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 2:30-3:30 pm (SK/CST/GMT-5)

Attendance Options:
In-Person: Diefenbaker Building, 101 Diefenbaker Place, Saskatoon
Online: via Zoom

Registration (to attend in-person or online): tinyurl.com/SENS-CCSC2026

In this talk, Dr. Javier Mendoza Jiménez shares lessons from Spain's experience leveraging public procurement for social impact. He will focus on social economy public procurement policies, including how reserved contracts work and criteria for organizations to participate. He will share factors for success, mistakes to avoid, and illustrate examples of social economy public procurement in action.

This talk is presented by the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) and Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (CCSC), Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan.

10/01/2026

In case you missed it, our next Co-op Conversation takes place on October 7, 2026. Our featured speaker is Lisa Zentner, Director of Communications at Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada. Lisa will present "The Power of Visibility: Building Recognition for Canada's Co-operative Economy," exploring how evidence-based storytelling, a shared identity, and collective action can help strengthen public awareness of the co-operative model and position co-operatives as a larger and more influential part of Canada's economy.

Register to this free online event here: https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rg5iKtZJpf4zI2

📢 We're pleased to share that Lisa Zentner, Director of Communications at Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC), will be speaking at the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' next Co-op Conversation on October 7, 2026.

Lisa will present "The Power of Visibility: Building Recognition for Canada's Co-operative Economy," exploring how evidence-based storytelling, a shared identity, and collective action can help strengthen public awareness of the co-operative model and position co-operatives as a larger and more influential part of Canada's economy.

October 7, 2026 I 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST (Saskatchewan)
💻 Online via Zoom
✅ Register for free: https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rg5iKtZJpf4zI2
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📢 Nous sommes heureux d'annoncer que Lisa Zentner, directrice des communications de Coopératives et mutuelles Canada (CMC), participera à la prochaine Co-op Conversation organisée par le Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives le 7 octobre 2026.

Lisa présentera "The Power of Visibility: Building Recognition for Canada's Co-operative Economy", une conférence qui abordera la façon dont la narration fondée sur des données probantes, une identité commune et l'action collective peuvent renforcer la sensibilisation du public au modèle coopératif et accroître la visibilité de sa contribution à l'économie canadienne.

7 octobre 2026 I 12 h à 13 h (heure de la Saskatchewan)
💻 En ligne via Zoom
✅ Inscription gratuite : https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rg5iKtZJpf4zI2