Vision

Ottawa Valley Group

Statement A Community Cooperative in Support of Co-operative Consultation

Q1 What is a Community Cooperative?

A1
As is suggested by their names, community co-operatives are organisations set up to provide a service
or services to a particular community and which use co-operative principles to guide their organisation
and their activities.

OVG-GVO Services: Civic Engagement, Popular Education, Skills Training, Networking, Leadership

Q2 How can we define “Community”?

A2
When the community is a local community this is usually fairly easily recognised. most places having
their history and a name to go with it. A community can be a town, a village, an estate, a road, even a
block of flats. It is what the members themselves believe to be their community which is important.
Often it can be useful to refer to local authority or parish boundaries. Rivers, railways and roads can
also be used to define boundaries.

Q3 Is the Ottawa Valley “fairly easily recognised”?

A3 We feel most area residents would recognize the Ottawa Valley as their
region, similar to a personʼs identificaiton with Greater Toronto Area.

Basic Principles
Along with all other forms of co-operatives Community Cooperatives are set up to adhere to the seven
basic principles of co-operation. If there is a good fit between these principles and the answers to the
criteria above then the structure can be used to good effect. If the answers to the criteria do not fit well
then the product will be disfunction and confusion.

The following principles are generally regarded as the underlying principles of cooperation:

a. Membership is open without artificial restriction to all who qualify.

b. Co-operatives are managed by persons elected by the members, or by all the members. Mem
bers have equal voting rights: one member one vote.
c. Capital invested, whether as shares or loans, receives only a limited return.
d. Profits or surpluses belong to the members and should be distributed or otherwise applied in
such manner as avoids one member gaining at the expense of another.
e. All co-operatives should pursue social as well as commercial objectives, especially the education
of their members and the public in co-operative principles and practice.
f. All co-operative organisations should actively co-operate with one another in every practical way.
g. All co-operatives operate autonomously and independent of external control.

Founders of Ottawa Valley Group identify with these principles, seeking to enshrine
them through the Group’s incorporation as a non-profit CC.

CC = Community Cooperative

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OVG-GVO Vision Statement

Co-operatives Creating Strong Community Foundations

Co-operatives worldwide are committed to the concept of mutual self-help. This makes them natural
tools for social and economic development, and provides significant additional benefit to communities
and social systems. In recent years, the United Nations and other leading world institutions have rec-
ognized the role and significance of co-operatives within a global economy, and now actively promote
their development. Here is how co-operatives are seen to create strong community foundations and
contribute to the larger social landscape:

Building Social Capital and Promoting Democracy:

* Co-operatives promote citizen engagement, social cohesion and trust by providing ordinary
citizens a chance to influence the decisions that affect their lives. The democratic process
allows for inclusion and empowerment of all social groups, providing an equal say and equal
opportunity, and often bringing marginalized people into the mainstream of a nation's eco
nomic and political life.

The greatest strength of the co-operative model may well be its adaptability
to meeting the needs of people, complete with a governance structure that
ensures member accountability. The co-op model is not a static entity, nor a
thing of the past, but a flexible tool that continues to evolve in response to
the needs of people and communities. Co-operatives were first used by
farmers and rural communities, but as urban Canada grew, so did co-
operative solutions to the needs and challenges of urban people.

I. Community (Development) Co-operatives operate in a number of prov-

inces, with most based in Saskatchewan and Québec. They foster local
leadership, enable grassroots participation in problem solving and inno-
vation, and promote the effective development of local communities.

COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

The Government of Canada's Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) is a new program supporting
innovation and growth of co-operatives. It is administered by the Co-operatives Secretariat, which also
plays a key role in co-operative research and knowledge sharing. As CDI innovation and research pro-
jects unfold across Canada, the key learnings and best practices resulting from these projects will be
documented for the benefit of all Canadians.

Q4 How best can Ottawa Valley Group form, in order to partner with G of C’s CDI?

A4 OVG-GVO must pioneer a model, which has the promise of being replicated elsewhere.

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OVG-GVO Vision Statement

“A new ‘community co-operative model' emerged in the Muskoka region of

rural Ontario in recent years, following the amalgamation of municipalities.
It is a type of multi-purpose, umbrella co-op that aims for an integrated
approach to social and economic development by bringing together the
many groups within a community to create local solutions, as well as to
form partnerships with other organizations, political bodies, and funding
agencies. This community co-operative approach was intended to give
smaller communities a voice within the new municipal framework, and to
prevent issues from falling through the cracks, while avoiding costly duplica-
tion of services and resources.”

Q5
“What can emerge here, in
the Ottawa Valley?”

A5

A Community Co-operative
that actively supports

Co-operative Consultation.

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OVG-GVO Vision Statement

What is Co-operative Consultation?

“It’s for us to figure out and for others to know.”
Co-operative consultation is a novel method of learning, sharing, and build-
ing community. It allows for dynamic approaches to problem-solving,
whether the focus be public policy, skills training, or community leadership.

Though this type of consultation has never been attempted in the past, our
approach toward collaboration has its foundations in key civic values, as ar-
ticulated by Peter Block, Clay Shirky, David Eaves, Sherri Torjman and other
renowned thinkers, who each recognize from their own vantage point the
necessity, indeed the boon, of enabling greater numbers of people to con-
tribute with ever greater frequency.

By allowing members to suggest projects, working groups, seminars, and

skills swaps, we are preparing the ground for a limitless exchange of (public)
goods and (public) services.

We gather and we participate, perhaps for personal gain and refinement. But
unavoidably, we become enmeshed within an ecology of civic responsibility,
passion, and overall caring.

By bettering a fellow member, I likewise provide opportunities for my own

betterment. As betterment increases throughout the region, each of us, and
each of our institutions, draws more near to a state of resilience.

By recognizing the natural affinities of various sectors, services, and groups,

we can slowly encourage their socialization and collaboration, which over
time leads to resiliency.

Resilience implies a state of wellness characterized by the ability to survive, the abil-
ity to adapt or cope with change, and the ability to thrive - to participate and to
seek opportunities - as a result of this adaptation. Resilience is the capacity to thrive
in a changing context. (Torjman, 2007)

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OVG-GVO Vision Statement

Times, are they changing?

We think so.

The “Times”, they’re getting better.

We’re getting healthier. Our society is getting
stronger. Ottawa Valley Group is not a response to
a dreadful condition. On the contrary.

Ottawa Valley Group is coming to be,

precisely because our region is on a
positive trajectory into tomorrow.

Join us in creating the future.

This is the Great Transition.
Help us ensure it goes according to plan.
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Additional Source:

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