Community Powered: Celebrating Canadian Co-operatives
Online Exhibition
Community Powered: Celebrating Canadian Co-operatives is an original museum and online exhibition that brings to life the importance of co-ops in meeting important needs, shaping markets and socio-cultural outcomes, and offering democratic solutions and opportunities—powered by and empowering communities in building a better world.
VISIT: The physical exhibit at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre is now closed, but you can tour online version of Community Powered anytime, from wherever you are!
From the prairies' iconic Wheat Pool to Inuit art production and marketing co-ops to financial institutions that serve the banking and insurance needs of millions of Canadians, this exhibition tells the story of co-operation from before Canada's creation to how co-operators are tackling big problems today—and into the future.
Co-curated by the Diefenbaker Canada Centre's Helanna Gessner and Raymond Morstad in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, this immersive exhibition brings to life co-operative principles and values such as equity, self-help, and democratic governance.
▶️ Check out the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association's video spotlight on Community Powered!
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Community Powered: Celebrating Canadian Co-operatives was on display at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre from September 17, 2025 to April 18, 2026, but visitors can experience the online exhibit anytime. Community Powered is presented by the Diefenbaker Canada Centre in partnership with the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, and in collaboration with Canadian Arctic Producers, University of Saskatchewan Library and Archives, Kenderdine Art Gallery/College Art Galleries, and Saskatchewan Co-operative Association. Special thanks to the CCSC’s funders for making this exhibit possible.
Co-op Conversations
The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' (CCSC) Co-op Conversations is a monthly online gathering for co-operative sector professionals to learn from others in the field and exchange information in a casual setting. The CCSC believes that the best learning is peer-to-peer, and casual conversations across different organizations are what break old thinking patterns, make new connections, and generate fresh perspectives. Each Co-op Conversation will be held during lunch hours (Saskatchewan time) on the first Wednesday of the month.
Solidarity Over Self-Reliance: Why Co-ops Should Raise Capital Together featuring Mario Cimet Dattoli
For years, access to capital has been cited as one of the biggest challenges facing Canada's co-operative sector. This Co-op Conversation looks at how groups of co-ops can raise and invest capital together, offering investment products that are more accessible to everyday savers, more liquid and better-returning. Mario will argue that a shared, professional investment manager need not come at the expense of local co-ops' power or autonomy; in fact, the two can create a virtuous cycle, in which shared knowledge grows local capacity and stronger local co-ops bring forward better investments. He will draw on the example of Seed Commons, a co-operative of economic development organizations in the United States and Canada that raises capital collectively and invests it through local relationships.
About our speaker
Mario Cimet Dattoli advises co-operatives on raising and investing capital as a member of Community Capital Advisors. He is also a member of Slate Co-op, a worker-owned firm that provides financial administration services to co-ops and solidarity economy organizations, and a founding member of Venue Co-op YVR, which is working to create a permanent community-owned arts and culture space in Vancouver, BC. Previously, as a co-operative developer at Solid State in Surrey, BC, he arranged the first Seed Commons loan in Canada for The Cleaning Co-op.Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM (Saskatchewan Time or Central Standard Time)
Where: On Zoom
Past talks can be found here: Past Co-op Conversations.
MacPherson Talk
The annual MacPherson Talk honours the late Dr. Ian MacPherson, one of the leading lights of the international cooperative movement. Historian, educator, author, and passionate co-operator, Ian personified the relationship between Canadian co-operative academics and co-op practitioners.
Social and Solidarity Economy Research: Where We Are and Where We’re Going
The 11th Annual MacPherson Talk features Dr. Marie J. Bouchard—whose distinguished career has significantly shaped the fields of social and solidarity economy (SSE) research and social innovation and co-operative studies—sharing observations concerning the state of scientific research on the SSE and suggesting how research could contribute to consolidating and shoring up the SSE field. Bouchard’s timely talk comes on the eve of publishing A Modern Guide to the Social and Solidarity Economy (Edward Elgar, January 2026) with co-editor Damien Rousselière (Institut Agro, France), which demonstrates the SSE is more than just another sector of the economy, but a challenge to the dominant economic paradigm by fostering equitable patterns of resource and surplus distribution while promoting democratic, empowering, and emancipatory power relations.
About our Speaker
Marie J. Bouchard is Professor Emerita at the Université du Québec à Montréal, emeritus member of the Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES), and consultant to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Task Force on the Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE). She held the Canada Research Chair on Social Economy (2003-2013) and CIRIEC International Presidency of the Scientific Commission on the Social and Cooperative Economy (2015-2025) and has been recipient of numerous awards, including the 2012 Canadian Association for Studies on Cooperatives (CASC) Merit Award, 2022 Université du Québec à Montréal Career in Research Merit Award and 2023 European Committee on Cooperative Research of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her recent work focuses on the conceptual definition and statistical marking of cooperatives and social economy, as well as on impact measurement.
Event Details
Date: December 17, 2025
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM (SK/CST/GMT-6)
Where: This is a hybrid event and will take place in Prairie Room, Diefenbaker Building (101 Diefenbaker Place, University of Saskatchewan) and on Zoom.
Register to attend (in-person or online): 2025 MacPherson ft Marie Bouchard (online or in-person)
Note: The MacPherson Talk will be recorded and shared with registrants after the event.
Fredeen Lecture
The Fredeen Lecture is hosted annually and features the research of the most recent recipient of the Hartley and Margaret Fredeen Scholarship in Co-operative Studies. This scholarship is offered annually to a student who is conducting research on co-operatives, either entering or continuing studies in a master's or doctoral program at the University of Saskatchewan.
The 2025 Fredeen Lecture (featuring Candice Minott)
Moral Suasion as a Policy Tool: How Effective are Ethical Appeals in Advancing TRC #92 and UNDRIP in Saskatchewan Credit Unions? featuring Candice Minott
This year’s Fredeen Lecture explores the effectiveness of moral suasion (ethical appeals) as a policy tool to advance reconciliation efforts within Saskatchewan credit unions. Specifically, it examines how two Saskatchewan credit unions have operationalized the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action #92 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) within their governance structures, policies and practices. In 2018, the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) made an important signal to its members as it confirmed a resolution on Truth and Reconciliation at its Annual General Meeting to adopt the TRC and UNDRIP as a reconciliation framework. The resolution also encouraged CCUA delegates to respond to this call and to share similar resolutions with their boards of directors to demonstrate support for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The talk will review the research findings, assess the circumstances under which moral suasion is effective and evaluate how co-operative values intersect with reconciliation frameworks.
Presented by Candice Minott, Recipient of the 2024 Hartley and Margaret Fredeen Scholarship in Co-operative Studies
Candice Minott graduated this fall with a Master of Public Policy from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan. Concurrently, Candice is the Community Engagement Consultant at Co-operatives First, where she supports the development of co-operatives across Western Canada.
Event Details
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Saskatchewan Time or Central Standard Time)
Where: On Zoom
File: Download Event Poster
Past lectures can be found here: Past Fredeen Lecture.
Special Talks
Critical Payment Infrastructure and Canada’s Prosperity & Stability: The Role of Credit Unions
Date: Tuesday, November 17
Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
In-Person: Co-op Collaborative Room, 101 Diefenbaker Place, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
➡️ Register (in-person seminar)
A light lunch will be provided
Join us for this dynamic, interactive, in-person seminar to:
- Develop understanding of critical payment infrastructure;
- How it supports Canadian prosperity & stability; and
- Debate the evolving role of credit unions within that system.
This seminar proposes a framework for understanding critical payment infrastructure as a pillar of Canadian prosperity and stability. We will examine how credit unions interact with these systems and their role in supporting Canada’s economic wellbeing.
Questions? Email us at coop.studies@usask.ca.
About our Speaker
As Manager of Policy, Josh Lerner leads Payments Canada’s policy direction and supports its government relations efforts. Prior to this role, he regulated Ontario’s credit unions and caisses populaires at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, contributing to the rollout of the new Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act. He’s passionate about payments, the credit union sector, and building strong, effective teams.
Past Event
Video of Josh's Educational Webinar, Credit Unions, Co-operatives, and Canada’s Critical Payment Infrastructure, from September 29 coming soon.
Public Procurement and Social Economy: An Impossible Love?
Public Talk (in-person/online) featuring Dr. Javier Mendoza Jiménez, University of La Laguna, Spain
Leveraging public procurement to create social impact while delivering public services—lessons from the Spanish experience
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 2:30-3:30 pm (SK/CST/GMT-5)
Attendance Options:
- In-Person: Diefenbaker Building, 101 Diefenbaker Place, Saskatoon
- Online: via Zoom (link provided upon registration) - find your time zone
In this talk, Dr. Javier Mendoza Jiménez shares lessons from Spain's experience leveraging public procurement for social impact. He will focus on social economy public procurement policies, including how reserved contracts work and criteria for organizations to participate. He will share factors for success, mistakes to avoid, and illustrate examples of social economy public procurement in action.
Register (in-person or online)
About our Speaker
Javier Mendoza Jiménez is Associate Professor in the Department of Business Organization at the University of La Laguna, Spain. He earned his PhD in Economics with an award-winning doctoral thesis on sustainable public procurement in 2021. He is a member of GEAccounting, the Cajasiete Chair of Social Economy and Cooperatives (CESCO), and the Strategic and Integral Public Procurement and ECRI research groups. As principal investigator and collaborator on numerous research projects, his work examines the intersection of public procurement, social accounting, and the social economy, with publications in leading academic journals.
This event is presented by the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) and Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (CCSC) at the University of Saskatchewan.
What do Canadians think of Co-operatives? featuring Charlie Graves
For nearly a decade, Canadian co-operative leaders have consistently told us that the most pressing issue facing the Canadian co-operative movement is a lack of awareness about the co-operative model. And yet, a national poll commissioned by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and the CRS Chair in Co-operative Governance through Modus Research suggests that the word “co-operative” is evocative of positive feelings. In this webinar, Modus CEO Charlie Graves will share key findings from the survey, including evidence on:
- Awareness of co-operatives and the model;
- Perceptions of co-operatives, including top-of-mind views and the relative strengths of co-operatives compared with others types of businesses;
- Participation in co-operatives, including key factors driving membership and the willingness to start a new co-operative;
- The kinds of facts that, if they were better known, might drive or enhance support for co-operatives;
- Regional perspectives on the perception and sentiment towards co-operatives;
- And more
About our speaker
Charlie Graves, President of Modus Research, founded the company in 2013 with the vision to provide scientifically reliable research in Canada. He is one of Canada’s leading survey methodologists with leading expertise in design and analysis. In senior roles over more than 20 years, he has worked with many of Canada’s leading companies, NGOs, academics, and public institutions.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Saskatchewan Time or Central Standard Time)
Where: On Zoom
File: Download Event Poster
Past talks can be found here: Past Special Talks.
Co-operatives in a Time of Crisis
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Centre for the Study Co-operatives launched the "Co-operatives in Times of Crisis Conversation Series", which asked leaders in co-operatives, big and small, how they were making use of their co-operative structure to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Jen Budney, Professional Research Associate, the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and former Chair, the Spadina Early Learning and Childcare Co-operative
Past talks can be found here: Full Series Conversation.