Atlantic Canada Co-operatives
Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better Atlantic Canada
Get familiar with the great products and services provided by co-operatives in your area–and all the benefits that co-operatives bring! Of course, to learn more about co-operative financial institutions, visit the credit union nearest you!
Nova Scotia
- Halifax Circus Co-op (created Atlantic Canada’s first circus school)
- Careforce Home Careworker Co-op (established Atlantic Canada’s first Alzheimer cafes)
- CKRH-FM (one of several co-operative radio stations in region; this one serves Francophone population in Metro Halifax)
- JustUs! Coffee (Canada’s first fair trade coffee roaster)
- Connecting People for Health Co-operative (Health Connex is Canada’s first and to date only online health care clinic)
- Atlantic Filmmakers Co-operative (Canada’s oldest English-speaking film co-op)
- Co-operative Artisanale (rug-hooking co-operative based in Cheticamp; sells crafts online and keeps tradition alive)
- Lunenburg Balsam Fir Co-operative (Shipped Christmas trees to Dubai this past holiday season)
- Acadia Cinema Co-operative (formed to purchase and refurbish Acadia cinema in Wolfville)
- Halifax Seaport Farmers market
- Cape Breton Stage Company
- Cape Breton Music Industry Co-operative
- East Coast Organic Milk Co-operative
- Scotian Gold co-operative (jointly owned, controlled by more than 60 apple growers in Annapolis valley)
- Deep Roots Music Co-op (holds yearly music festival in valley)
- Healthy Minds Co-operative (peer group for those suffering from mental illnesses)
- Cape Breton Organic Beekeepers Co-operative
- Atlantic Council for Bioenergy Co-operative
- Maritimes Rideshare Cooperative (carpooling co-op for Maritime provinces)
- CarShare Halifax (car sharing co-operative in Halifax; first of its kind for region)
- EduNova (association of education and training providers)
- Halifax Local of Dominion Newspaper Co-operative (alternative online newspaper)
- Antigonish Farm & Garden Co-op (provides land to grow vegetables)
- View Point Gallery (artists gallery on Barrington Street, Halifax)
- Sunset Sands RV Park (run by Port Hood co-op)
- Off the Hook Co-operative (created by fishers to get fair prices for their catches)
- Bear River Farms (first biodynamic farm co-op)
- East Coast Organic Milk Co-operative Ltd.
- Scotsburn Co-operative Services Ltd. (Scotsburn Dairy)
New Brunswick
- Carleton Community Forest Co-op (created in wake of mill closures to ensure sustainable future for region’s forestry industry)
- Caisses Populaires Acadiennes (In 2010: $3 billion in assets, $7.6 million in dividends $1.9 million in community donations)
- Theatre L’Escaouette (formed 35 years ago by first graduates of Universite de Moncton’s theatre program to create jobs for themselves)
- NB Film Co-operative
- Downtown Daycare Co-op (recently opened in Moncton’s new Peace Centre)
- Lotus Co-operative (has helped low-income women and immigrant women establish small business; in April will share space in Moncton’s downtown, including yoga studio,
- market, etc.)
- Open Sky Co-operative (residential and charitable farm for families who want to be self-sufficient)
- TBA Collective (promotes established and emerging artists and musicians; holds popular annual Messtival)
- Knowledge Atlas Co-op (describes itself as “first social media co-op in the world”; building map of human knowledge on the web)
- Ville de Lameque (supports Acadian arts and culture)
- Sun Farm Kitchens Co-operative (serves nutritious local foods using solar-powered kitchen trailer in Moncton)
- Fundy Funeral Co-op (hailed as most successful funeral home in Atlantic Canada; increased number of families it serves in 2009 by 22% with revenues of $7 million)
- Health care co-operative provides services for acute and chronic care in the Acadian peninsula
- Traveling Knitters Co-operative (formed by Co-op Atlantic leaders (Chair, CEO, family members) who knit while on the road touring Atlantic Canada, visiting co-op stores: create and donate knitted products to worthy causes
- Brunswick Co-op Housing (one of a number of co-ops that provide safe, affordable housing for seniors)
- Tannery Court (one of a number of residential buildings constructed by Avide, a division of Co-op Atlantic, to provide safe, affordable housing for low-income people and their families)
- Peoples Park Tower (one of a number of senior housing complexes built by Avide)
- Sussex Artists Co-op Atlantic
- Lameque Co-op Wind Farm
- Northumberland Lamb Co-op (celebrated 75th anniversary recently)
- Taco Pica (a Saint John restaurant and worker co-op, owned and managed by immigrants from Guatemala)
- Richibucto-Village Fishermen’s Co-operative (processes seafood for markets like Haiti; operates a fishing supplies and hardware store)
Newfoundland
- Atlantic Studios Co-operative (provides professional services and equipment to motion pictures and television productions including CBC’s popular show Republic of Doyle)
- St. John’s Farmers market
- Confederation Building Daycare
- Eastern Edge Gallery, St. John’s
- Cab Co-op (a co-operative of cab drivers in St. John’s)
- Fogo Island Co-operative Society (reintroducing agriculture to the island)
- North Shore Central Ambulance Co-op (jointly owned by ambulance attendants and community; provides ambulance services for communities on the Bay De Verde Peninsula)
- The Extension Community Development Co-operative (worker co-op comprised of former Memorial University of Newfoundland Extension Service employees; provides consulting services in adult education, socio-economic research and community economic development.
Prince Edward Island
- PEI Certified Organic Producers Co-op
- Evangeline Community Health Services (founded by residents to fill gap created by retirement of local doctor; provides bilingual health services including dental care, speech pathologist)
- Tignish Fisheries Co-op Limited (operates one of largest and most modern seafood processing plants in Eastern Canada; products sold under name of Star of the Sea)
- PEI Vegetable Growers Co-op (grades, packages and markets root crops on the Island and abroad, with Caribbean, Europe and Scandinavia among export destinations)
- Co-op Taxi Line Limited
- Black Islanders Co-operative Limited (promotes recognition of contribution African-Canadians have made to PEI’s heritage and culture)
- Prince Edward Island Eco-Net (a non-profit network of Islanders who care about the environment)
- Woodlot Stewards Co-operative (provides woodlot management and marketing services for its members)
- La Co-operative Le Chez-Nous (operates a supporting housing development that delivers care to Francophone and bilingual seniors)
Regional / National
- Mountain Equipment Co-op
- The Co-operators
- Co-op Atlantic
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Special thanks to Rayanne Brennan, editor of the Atlantic Co-operator magazine, for supplying this list.