Co-op Week 2009

16 Nov 2009

Across Canada, co-ops and credit unions celebrated Co-op Week from October 11-17. BC was no exception and from Victoria to Vancouver and to communities in the interior co-ops took the lead in highlighting the contributions that co-ops make to their local communities, day in and day out. In Vancouver, BCCA once again sponsored the annual Co-op Week luncheon, which featured a keynote address from Mike Lewis of the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal. The subject of the talk was Reweaving Local Economies: Solutions for Sustainability.

Focusing on the central role that co-operatives play in generating new models of sustainable development, Lewis spoke about the work of such groups as the Seikatsu Club Consumer Union in Japan, and the JAK co-op bank in Sweden that are remaking how consumption and credit are viewed in a way that places sustainability and community health above returns on investment.

BCCA also sponsored a special screening of Capitalism: A Love Story, the new film by Michael Moore that shines a spotlight on the damage done by contemporary capitalism and how co-operatives are challenging mainstream models of how economies can work. The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring Geoff Meggs, Vacouver City Councilor; Mark Lee, from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and John Restakis, Executive Director of BCCA.

Category: Community