Co-op Facts & Figures
How many co-operatives are there?
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1031 co-operatives and credit unions throughout Saskatchewan as of December 31st, 2010. This includes:
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970 non-financial co-operatives
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61 credit unions serving 272 communities through 304 service outlets
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9,000 co-operatives in Canada
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750,000 co-operatives in the world
How many members do co-ops have?
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Hundreds of thousands of members in Saskatchewan, over 1 million memberships, for example:
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There are more than 344,000 active members of at least one retail co-op in Saskatchewan
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Credit Unions in Saskatchewan offer financial products and services to approximately 520,000 members.
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In Canada, four of every ten Canadians, or 18,000,000 people, are members of at least one co-operative. In Quebec, approximately 70% of the population are co-op members, while in Saskatchewan 56% are members.
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Canada has the highest per-capita credit union membership in the world: 33 per cent of Canadians are a member of at least one credit union.
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There are over 1 billion members of co-operatives in over 90 coutries around the world.
How many people do co-operatives employ?
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Co-operatives in Saskatchewan employ over 10,000 people
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In Canada, co-operatives and credit unions employ over 160,000 people. The Desjardins movement (savings and credit co-operatives) is the largest employer in the province of Québec and has 5.8 million members.
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Co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises.
Co-operative Firsts...
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1895- a group of dairy farmers in the settlement of Saltcoats formed the Province’s first cooperative butter creamery, which was officially incorporated in 1897.
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1910 - The Jewish Colonization Association established the first Credit Union in Western Canada in Wapella, Saskatchewan.
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1935 – Canada’s first and only Consumers’ Co-operative Refinery, owned by Saskatchewan Federated Cooperatives Ltd., is established in Regina
1977 - Sherwood Credit Union in Regina introduced the world’s first Automated Teller Machine (ATM)
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1985 The first true debit card was piloted in the Swift Current area and involved the installation of a point of sale system at 28 Pioneer Coop outlets
The first co-operative business in North America, a consumer’s co-op store, was established by immigrant coal miners in Nova Scotia.
Other Co-operative Facts and Statistics
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Research has shown that co-operatives are resilient and have a stronger rate of start up success over other forms of business. Co-ops also demonstrate a higher survival rate than other forms of enteprise. A study published by the Quebec Ministry of industry and Commerce in 2008 shows that the long-term survival rate of co-operative enterprises is almost twice that of investor-owned companies.
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Co-ops in Canada are led by 100,000 volunteer directors and committee members
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The Saskatchewan Business Magazine's 2011 listing of the province's top 100 companies ranked FCL number two, Co-operator's Life Insurance number 9, and 8 other co-ops made the list this year.
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SaskCentral (Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan) made the list of Best Workplaces in Canada and was named "Canada's Best Workplace for Women" in 2011 by the Great Place to Work Institute of Canada.
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Mountain Equipment Co-op is the largest retail co-operative in Canada
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Top 50 Non-Financial Co-operatives in Canada in 2009 (List published by Co-operatives Secretariat, Government of Canada): Federated Co-operatives Ltd. was named top of the 50th non-financial co-operatives in Canada in 2009. Interprovincial Co-operatives Ltd. was named 11th, Saskatoon Co-op was named 13th, Pioneer Co-op Association was named 16th, Prince Albert Co-op Association was named 21st, Sherwood Co-op Association was named 27th, Lloydminster & District Co-operative was named 41st and Yorkton Co-op Association was named 47th.
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In 2010, credit unions returned $20.3 million to their members in the form of patronage equity contributions and dividends. Credit Unions also contributed over $7.8 million through charitable contributions and sponsorships to their communities.
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Saskatchewan's Top Employers declared Access Communications Co-operative Ltd. and Co-operators Life Insurance Compapny to two of Saskatchewan's top employers in 2011!
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11 Saskatchewan credit unions made the Largest 100 Credit Unions (outside of QB) list, including: Conexus Credit Union at #6, Affinity #11, Innovation Credit Union #19, Synergy Credit Union at #27, Cornerstone #32, Spectra #37, TCU #51, Advantage #53, Prairie Centre #58, Weyburn #62, Diamond North #68. See the full list here: http://www.cucentral.ca/Top100_Q2_2011
