The Co-operators Group Ltd has expanded its membership to include La Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec (FCNQ). Thirty-two Canadian organizations are now member-owners of The Co-operators group of companies.

Incorporated in 1967, FCNQ serves member co-operatives in the14 Inuit villages of Nunavik, a 500,000 square-kilometre region in the northernmost reaches of Quebec. FCNQ’s business includes retail stores, marketing of Inuit art, banking, post offices, cable television, hotel and travel services, fuel storage and distribution, and construction

“The addition of FCNQ brings a new voice and perspective to The Co-operators governance table and helps to strengthen our presence in Quebec,” says Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. “It helps us achieve our vision of being a national co-operative financial services organization that serves the needs of Canadian communities in all regions, and which supports a strong co-operative system from coast to coast to coast.”

Long-time Manitoba co-operator, Rudy Comeault died suddenly over the weekend. Born in St. Jean Baptiste, MB, Mr. Comeault was General Manager of Westboine Park and Carpathia housing co-ops from 1997 until his retirement in 2003. Prior to this he worked for the Province of Manitoba as a Co-operative Housing Officer with the Department of Co-operative Development. Mr. Comeault has served as a consultant for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and the Housing Co-operative Council of Manitoba. He was also a member of many organizations in the co-op housing area and was one of the early members of the Manitoba Cooperative Council (now the Manitoba Cooperative Association). He served on the Executive of the Council, as well its interim Executive Director from June 2004 until September 2005.  “Rudy was a true co-operator and a pleasure to work with,” says Barry Gosnell, Manitoba Co-op Association President. “He will be missed by all who knew him.”

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) has issued A Call to Action, encouraging co-operative supporters to use the current election campaign to raise co-operative issues that need action by the Federal Government. CCA’s election website provides a number of ideas that individuals, local co-operatives, and co-op associations and federations can do to profile co-operatives during the campaign.

In addition, as the campaign progresses, a number of issue papers will be added to the site that put a co-op lens on some of the subjects making headlines. And, CCA has started to compile a list of co-op friendly candidates.

Finally, if you can’t wait until January 23 to cast your ballot, you can vote now for what you think the new Federal Government should do to help the Canadian co-operative movement by going to www.CoopsCanada.coop.

Federated Co-operatives Limited achieved record sales of $4.438 billion and its 14^th consecutive year of record earnings on operations of $372 million. Sales increased by $612 million and earnings on operations increased by $40 million over last year.

CEO Wayne Thompson attributed the strong sales to the strength of the 286 autonomous retail co-operatives’ marketing programs and the excellent service being provided to their customers, the promotion of co-op membership benefits, and to the growth of retail co-operatives due to their continued commitment to raise their standards on facilities, merchandising, and selection.

Canadian credit unions reported a record net income of $124.8 million in the third quarter of 2005, up 12.1 per cent from the third quarter a year ago. Net income for the first nine months was a record $338.5 million, up 8.2 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, says a report by Credit Union Central of Canada.

Total assets of affiliated credit unions and caisses populaires outside Quebec were $84 billion, up 10.6 per cent from $75.9 billion in 2004. Total savings or deposits were $74.7 billion, up 9.9 per cent from

$68 billion in 2004 and loans were $69.4 billion, up 11.4 per cent from $62.3 billion.

The total number of credit unions declined by 5.8 per cent to 533 from 566, but the number of locations increased 0.9 per cent to 1,809 from 1,792.

Common Wealth Credit Union has acquired the naming rights of Lloydminster, Alberta’s new sports multiplex. The project has been billed as a community project and local media report that it is fitting that a local organization has stepped up as the title sponsor. Construction of the $25 million Common Wealth Centre is on target for a March grand opening.

The Canadian Co-operative Association has concluded its Asia Reconstruction Fundraising Campaign, which raised over $750,000 from Canadian co-operatives and credit unions to aid tsunami-affected communities in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. “We are grateful for the many donations received from co-operatives, credit unions and caring individuals across the country,” said CCA spokesperson and The CUMIS Group Senior VP Jim Barr, who visited Sri Lanka shortly after the tsunami and spearheaded the campaign. “This money is hard at work helping SANASA — the credit union movement in Sri Lanka — rebuild and deliver needed services to communities. CCA is also working with Transparency International Indonesia in that country to establish new co-operative enterprises in communities devastated by the tsunami.”

Mr. Barr says that donations to the campaign have positioned CCA to leverage additional monies to help even more people. For further information about the campaign and the work CCA is doing in Indonesia and Sri Lanka visit www.coopscanada.coop.

The Co-operators Group has announced the following grants from its Co-operative Development Program.

Basket Weavers of PEI Co-operative Ltd, in Richmond, PEI, was founded in 2004 to preserve the cultural traditions of Acadian and Mi’kmaq basket weaving. The Co-operators grant of $6,500 will provide training for eight persons in this rural area with high unemployment. The project also includes a marketing plan to attract tourists to a museum where the traditional art form can be viewed in a year-round facility.

The Bay Growers’ Co-operative Inc was formed in the early 1990s by a group of Georgian Bay apple growers who sought to provide a new storage complex that would offer better facilities to the farmers. The grant of $12,900 will help to support the introduction of the HACCP certification (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), which is a food safety check. The co-operative, employing 50 full time staff endeavours to be on the leading edge of technology to meet the requirements of its business.

Looking for Christmas ideas for your hard working directors and volunteers? How about a t-shirt with an image of a jail cell and the tag-line “Help! I’m on the Board”? This is just one option in a new line of ‘prison garb’ for co-op and condo board members who feel they are in jail.

The garments are the brainchild of Adrian Adams, who decided it was time to reward volunteers with a line of gifts dedicated exclusively to directors, managers, and board/committee members. He created an online store with items that express their feelings and energize their meetings.

“I’ve been listening to board members grumble for years, but they are really dedicated to their communities and deserve some recognition,” says Mr. Adams, an attorney whose firm represents over 400 community associations. Boards of directors of homeowner, condominium and co-op associations often complain that they feel like they are in prison because of the large amount of labour they perform at no charge.

We, at the Canadian Co-operative Association, wish you and your family a happy holiday season.

Co-operative News Briefs, an electronic newsletter of the Canadian Co-operative Association, is published every two weeks and distributed by e-mail. It is available free of charge to anyone with an e-mail address and an interest in co-operative developments in Canada and around the world. Click SUBSCRIBE to have News Briefs delivered to your desktop. If you no longer wish to receive this e-publication, click UNSUBSCRIBE. You can view CCA’s privacy policy at www.CoopsCanada.coop/privacy.

We welcome comments about the publication, about stories we have run, or suggestions for stories we should run. Send your correspondence to Brenda Heald, editor of News Briefs at Brenda.Heald@CoopsCanada.coop.

Next Co-operative News Briefs: Thursday, January 12, 2006