News release
Office of the Secretary of State
(Rural Development)(Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)
SECRETARY OF STATE ANNOUNCES CREATION OF STEERING COMMITTEE FOR CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
OTTAWA,ONTARIO, March 21, 2003 - The Honourable Andy Mitchell, Secretary of State (Rural Development) (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario), today announced the appointment of members of the new Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) Steering Committee.
"The creation of this new Steering Committee will help the Government of Canada ensure the growth and sustainability of co-operatives in this country," said Mr. Mitchell. "This committee brings together a range of skilled and experienced people who understand the importance of co-operatives and the potential of the co-operative model in the economic and social development of Canada."
The Steering Committee consists of 17 members, drawn from the co-operative sector and the business, agricultural, academic and professional communities. Please see attached background information.
"The Steering Committee will be crucial to implementing the Government of Canada's Co-operative Development Initiative," added Mr. Mitchell. "Since announcing the government's commitment to strategic investments in partnership with the co-operative sector last June, the Co-operative Development Initiative has evolved to enhance the capacity of co-operatives to contribute to the Canadian economy and society."
Co-operatives play a key role in the retail, banking, housing and service sectors, as well as the agriculture and agri-food sector. They are important in both urban and rural communities and provide essential services to Canadians. There are about 10,000 co-operatives in Canada serving over 10 million citizens.
"I am pleased to take on the challenge of working to implement the Co-operative Development Initiative," said CDI Steering Committee Co-chair Robert Revet. "The CDI represents a tremendous opportunity to develop and grow the co-operative sector in this country."
To build and strengthen the co-operative sector, the CDI will focus on two program areas: advisory services, and innovations and research. A third activity is community outreach and promotion, which will be integrated into both program areas.
Funding for the CDI will total $15 million over five years.
"Co-operatives are vital to the economic and social fabric of Canada," said Steering Committee Co-chair Cheryl Wilson. "I look forward to exploring the CDI as an important instrument to realize the promise of our communities."
The first task for the Steering Committee will be to develop a five-year strategic plan for the CDI. With the overall strategy in place, the committee will also prepare yearly business plans.
"As a community developer, I have experienced first-hand what community members can do when they work together," said Steering Committee Member Phyllis Winnington-Ingram. " I am excited to be contributing to the implementation of the Co-operative Development Initiative and to explore innovative contributions of the co-operative model to the growth of our communities."
In addition to providing advice on the strategic direction of the CDI, another key aspect of the Steering Committee's mandate is to offer general advice to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Secretary of State on co-operative issues. With this in mind, the Minister's Advisory Committee on Co-operatives will be phased out by April 30, 2003.
"I want to thank the current Advisory Committee members for their invaluable advice on federal policies and other major issues affecting co-operatives, and for acting as a sounding board," Mr. Mitchell said. "Their efforts on behalf of the co-operative sector are certainly appreciated."
The CDI represents the first time that the Government of Canada has funded a national program specifically to assist in the development of all types of co-operatives. As a result of this program, more co-operatives are expected to be developed and the co-op model will be tried out in new sectors.
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For more information, please contact:
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Christine Aquino Press Secretary Office of the Secretary of State (613) 759-1085 |
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Media Relations Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Ottawa (613) 759-7972 |
BACKGROUNDER
Co-operative Development Initiative Steering Committee Backgrounder
Cheryl Wilson (Victoria, British Columbia) has worked since 1996 in various capacities with the Coastal Community Network (CCN), a non-profit society committed to the sustainable economic and social well being of coastal communities through coordination, facilitation and advocacy. Currently Executive Director of the CCN, she also holds contracts and consults with a variety of public, private and First Nations organizations.
Mike Stolte (Nelson, British Columbia) is the Community Economic Development Manager for Community Futures of Central Kootenay, a not-for-profit economic organization. In this role, he co-created Community JumpStart - The Business Vitality Index, which allows a community to compare its "entrepreneurial friendliness" rating with other communities as a means of stimulating positive community change.
Yvonne Chiu (Edmonton, Alberta) is a founding member and coordinator of the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op, which was established to provide culturally respectful and responsive health education and outreach support to immigrant and refugee families in six targeted communities. As a member of the Co-op, she promotes public understanding of issues facing the immigrant and refugee population.
Bill Turner (Cupar, Saskatchewan) is an agrologist who, in partnership with his wife and brother, operates a family farm specializing in pedigreed seed production. Currently Vice Chair of the provincial government's Saskatchewan Farmland Security Board, he has been active in many community organizations and has held leadership positions in the credit union and co-operative systems at the local, provincial, national and international level.
Robert Revet (Regina, Saskatchewan) was elected president of the Conseil Canadien de la Coopération on June 30, 2002. He has been a director of the CCC since 1997 and on the executive committee since 1999. He is also president of the Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan. Formerly a teacher, he has a long standing involvement in promoting French language in Saskatchewan.
Louise Champagne (Winnipeg, Manitoba) is currently President of Neechi Foods Co-op, a small, full-range supermarket and Aboriginal speciality store that is owned and operated as a worker co-operative. She was a key player in the development of Payuk Inter-Tribal Co-op, a 42-unit housing complex, and Niigaanaki Day Care, a 30-unit child care centre housed at Payuk. She also served as co-chair of the Winnipeg Coalition on Native Child Welfare, which led to the restructuring of child and family services in the city and the establishment of a family resource centre serving Aboriginal families.
Phyllis Winnington-Ingram (Bracebridge, Ontario) is a community planner and co-operative developer. She formed Winnington-Ingram & Associates about eight years ago as a way of developing a variety of co-operative and non-co-operative structures that meet local community needs.
Corry Martens (Iroquois, Ontario) is co owner and operator of Martendale Farms, a livestock and cash crop enterprise. She is also owner and operator of Flagg Creek Country Store, a farm value added retail outlet. Currently President of Dundas Federation of Agriculture, she has been a strong promoter of the role of women in agriculture and the rural economy.
Mark Goldblatt (Ottawa, Ontario) is Senior Consultant to the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and a founding member of Sound Advice Consulting Co-operative. Since 1993, he has been the president of the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation and a board member of the Canadian Co-operative Association since 1999. He is also a Board Member of the First Ontario Labour Sponsored Investment Fund.
Susie Miller (Ottawa, Ontario), the Steering Committee's federal ex-officio member, is Director of the Co-operatives Secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). She started with AAFC in 1973, working in a series of technical and policy positions in Ottawa. In 1991, she moved to Saskatchewan to become regional director for AAFC's Market and Industry Services Branch. Before assuming her current position in 2002, she was Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture for the Saskatchewan government, with responsibilities for the development of the agriculture and food industry in that province.
Francine Ferland (St-Anselme, Québec) has been director of the Coopérative fédérée de Québec since 1998 and director of Unicoop (her local agricultural supply co-operative) since 1990. She is a farmer and co-owner with her husband and son of a dairy farm. She has also been involved in organizations promoting local economic and co-operative development.
Guy Beaulieu (Pont-Rouge, Québec) is Director General of CFDC of Portneuf Inc. since 1995. From 1990 to 1995, he was Director General of the Economic Development Corporation of Portneuf. He was also Director General of the Groupe d'aide aux jeunes entrepreneurs de Portneuf from 1986 to 1990.
Dr. Michael J. Cripton (Moncton, New Brunswick) is a recently-retired orthodontist. He has an extensive history of community involvement, serving as Chairman of the National Council of Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Canada from 1981 to 1994.
Dr. Leslie Brown (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a sociologist based in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Dr. Brown's strong commitment to the study of Canadian co-operatives and credit unions emerged from her research interests in organizational democracy and community development.
Christine Arsenault (Mount Carmel, Prince Edward Island) is the coordinator for the integration of youth in economic development with the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE). Before joining them, she worked with French-speaking youth of the Island, as the assistant coordinator for the organization of the 22nd final of the Acadian Games. She has also acquired substantial experience in economic development while working with various community agencies such as La Voix acadienne, Le Conseil de développement coopératif and Le Village de l'Acadie.
Glen M. Fitzpatrick (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) is Managing Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives. In this capacity, Mr. Fitzpatrick leads a team delivering co-operative/community development services primarily in rural communities across the province.
Peter Wilfred Guther (Norman Wells, Northwest Territories) is a business person currently with substantial hotel, retail, energy services and real estate holding interests. His senior executive management experience and entrepreneurial background encompass the corporate, governmental and non-profit sectors.
Bill Lyall (Cambridge Bay, Nunavut) has made a significant contribution to Aboriginal economic and community development through his leadership in the co-operative movement in the North. He has held the position of President of Arctic Co-operatives Limited, one of the largest federations of independent community-owned Aboriginal businesses in North America, since 1981. He was a driving force behind the development, incorporation and capitalization of one of the first Aboriginal capital corporations, Arctic Co-operative Development Fund, in 1986 and remains its President.
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