Financial Co-operatives
- These co-operatives offer financial, loan or investment services, and insurance services to their members.
- They are owned by user members or by subscribers to insurance.
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Examples
- Caisses populaires
- Credit unions
- Insurance co-operatives
- Mutual companies
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Retail Co-operatives
- They provide their members with goods for their personal use.
- They are owned by the consumers of the goods sold by the co-operative.
- They work in various sectors.
- They range from small purchasing groups to large supermarket-type organizations.
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Examples of sectors
- Food
- Student supplies
- Hardware
- Clothing
- Outdoor recreational gear
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Service Co-operatives
- They provide services to their members (individuals or corporations).
- They are owned by the users of the services.
- They can range in size from small day-care centers to large housing co-operatives.
- They can represent an interesting alternative to public services delivery.
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Examples of services
- Water supply
- Cablevision
- Community recreation facilities
- Electricity, natural gas and wind energy
- Housing
- Day-care centres and nurseries
- Funeral services
- Health care
- Transportation and communication
- Tourism
- Municipal services
- Community and social services
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Producer Co-operatives
- Some co-ops market, or process and market, their members' products and services.
- Others may also provide supplies or services necessary to their members' economic activities.
- They are owned by the members who purchase or sell products and services through the co-op.
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Examples of sectors
- Agricultural processing and marketing
- Farm supply
- Feedlots, pastures, and pooling of equipment
- Seed cleaning
- Arts and crafts
- Taxi industry
- Government procurement
- Fisheries
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Worker Co-operatives
- The purpose of these co-operatives is to provide their members with work through a jointly owned enterprise. They may be found in all economic sectors.
- These co-operatives are owned by their employee members, and they operate mainly in the small- or medium-sized enterprise sector.
- In a worker co-operative, the members obtain jobs and control the management and administration of their enterprise.
- Employees sometimes form a co-operative for the purpose of acquiring voting shares in the corporation that employs them. These are called worker shareholder co-operatives.
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Examples of sectors
- Agri-food
- Natural food
- Arts and entertainment
- Manufacture and sale of clothing
- Communications and marketing
- Construction and renovation
- Education
- Forestry
- Printing and publishing
- Industrial production and manufacturing
- Ambulance services
- Business services
- Home care and nursing services
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Multi-Stakeholder Co-operatives
- The membership of these co-operatives includes different categories of members who share a common interest in the organization, e.g. clients, employees, investors, and community organizations
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Examples of sectors
- Home care services
- Health services
- Enterprises serving disabled workers
- Community services
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