Providing financial support with a co-operative

2026 is a special year for Co-operatives First – we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary. For this 10th anniversary podcast series, we spoke to four “champions” who we’ve worked closely with over the years – who have started co-ops, provided business support for local people, and who are just great leaders themselves.In this episode, we spoke with Lana Cowling-Mason, a true economic development expert and leader in Manitoba. Lana is the General Manager at Community Futures West Interlake, and has been instrumental in moving forward an investment co-operative that will help meet the housing needs of the region. Lana has incredible insights about what traits are important in a leader, and what drives change in rural communities.

2026 is a special year for Co-operatives First – we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary. For this 10th anniversary podcast series, we spoke to four “champions” who we’ve worked closely with over the years – who have started co-ops, provided business support for local people, and who are just great leaders themselves.In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Judith Harris, a retired Associate Professor from the University of Winnipeg. Judith's background is in planning and economics, with a particular interest in social learning and social mobilization approaches to planning. Judith and I spoke about her involvement in helping to start The Village Co-op, her work with the Walls to Bridges program at Stony Mountain Penitentiary, and her thoughts on leadership and the importance of building community. 

2026 is a special year for Co-operatives First – we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary. For this 10th anniversary podcast series, we spoke to four “champions” who we’ve worked closely with over the years – who have started co-ops, provided business support for local people, and who are just great leaders themselves.  In this episode, we spoke to George Casimir from Community Futures of Central Interior First Nations. George has become a key partner, providing information about co-ops to people in his region and collaborating with us to support Indigenous entrepreneurs.Learn more about the key services his organization offers and the role he thinks co-ops play in local economic development. 

2026 is a special year for Co-operatives First – we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary. For this 10th anniversary podcast series, we spoke to four “champions” who we’ve worked closely with over the years – who have started co-ops, provided business support for local people, and who are just great leaders themselves.  In this episode we spoke with Lindsay Alliban, an economic development officer, educator, speaker, and rural enthusiast in Southwest Saskatchewan. Lindsay believes if there is anywhere you can build something from nothing, small-town Saskatchewan is that place. She has been involved in creating not one, not two, but three co-operatives in her region and has a lot of great insights. Learn more about Lindsay and her projects:Gull Lake Property Development CooperativeSouthwest Sask Tourism and Investment Hub Lindsay's website

While The Common Share is on hiatus, we'd like to share an episode from the Director Decisions podcast featuring our friend Dr. Dionne Pohler talking about co-op governance!In this episode, Dr. Pohler, the David and Alexandra Lipsky Professor of Dispute Resolution at Cornell University ILR School in the Department of Global Labor and Work and Associate Director of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, discusses how REI should select who to nominate for the board of directors. The Director Decisions podcast reviews a board decision in each episode, placing the decision in context, dissecting the directors’ options, and discussing what insights academics can provide before sharing what happened. https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/67f467b509867804630a87ce

For this special podcast episode we spoke to the out-going board president of Federated Co-operatives Limited, Sharon Alford. With International Women’s Day coming up we want to get her perspective as the first woman to lead this iconic institution. Sharon shares useful insights for women who are heading their own co-ops and anyone who serves on a co-op board. This conversation highlights the depth of her integrity and why she’s been a trusted and effective leader for the past five years.

Dr. Clark Banack is the Director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities and an Adjunct Professor of Political Studies at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta.  Clark is the co-editor of Building Inclusive Communities in Rural Canada, and has authored several academic articles and book chapters related to Alberta politics, rural issues, religion and politics, education policy, and populism in Canada.In this episode we spoke to Dr. Banack about a recent report by the Centre called “Innovative Uses of the Co-op Model and Rural Economic Development Opportunities in Alberta and Beyond”. In it, he breaks down the three types of co-ops his research indicates can have a big impact on rural communities, and some of the best practices related to their success. 

Canada needs to build a lot of housing units to meet current demand and make housing affordable again - 3.5 million homes by 2030, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It should come as no surprise that we think an important part of the solution is housing co-operatives. In this episode, we spoke to two guests who can talk about co-op housing from different perspectives – someone with a long history of living in a housing co-op, and someone who is in the process of helping to get one started. James Gilliard has lived in a housing co-op in Saskatoon for over 20 years and has been heavily involved in its governance and the housing co-op world in that time. Jillian Ames is a member of the Rooted Community Housing Co-operative in Edmonton, which is just getting started. Check out this episode to learn more about housing co-ops as an effective alternative to renting and traditional home ownership, and the possibilities for starting new ones.

In this episode, our Director of Indigenous Relations, Trista Pewapisconias, spoke to Richard Tuck, the CEO of the Wakopa Financial Workers’ co-operative. Richard talks about the work of Wakopa Financial to provide support and mentorship for atypical entrepreneurs. This is a great conversation about how this co-operative is involved in the world of social finance, and how it helps people overcome barriers to entrepreneurship.

In this episode, our Director of Indigenous Relations, Trista Pewapisconias, and I spoke with Tyler Morin, CEO of Sakitawak Development Corporation and the Île-à-la-Crosse Fish Company. Tyler was born and raised in Île-à-la-Crosse, he earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and worked as a business development specialist with the Clarence Campeau Development Fund before returning home. In this great conversation, Tyler talks about his work in economic development in his community, and the role the co-op model has played in its success.