Each for All: The Co-operative Connection

Today on Each for All we take a look at local Victoria co-operatives.

In recent episodes of this show, we’ve heard about co-ops and collective enterprises all over the North America, as well as related movements throughout history in places such as Europe. Learning about these projects is one of the favourite things of the hosts of Each For All, because it reminds us of how broad and diverse the social economy is. However, it's also good to be reminded of how we started this project. With that in mind, we’re going to stick a bit closer to home this week: our featured co-ops are all located within the downtown core of Victoria, British Columbia.

To provide us with insight into the local co-op scene here in Victoria, we speak with Branden Rishel, from Victoria Car Share Co-operative. We will also get a perspective from Clare Yazganoglu, of the Women In Need Community Cooperative.

But first, we have the pleasure of talking with Rob Thompson from Mountain Equipment Co-op. During this interview, the subject of annual members' dividends is raised; these are share redemptions that depend on the amount which a member has spent at MEC during the year in question. For more information about how this works, please click here to read the relevant portion of the MEC website.