Upper Columbia Co-op Council Incorporates!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8th, 2008
Nelson, BC

October was an exciting month for the Cooperatives and Credit Unions in the Kootenays! On October 28, the Upper Columbia Cooperative Council received its Certificate of Incorporation from the Registrar of Companies in Victoria, ushering in a new era of cooperation in the region.

The Upper Columbia Co-op Council ( UCCC) has formed to increase collaboration among the region's 80 incorporated co-ops and credit unions. The Council will have a role in helping to promote the co-op model of business to the public, in helping new co-ops to get started, and in raising awareness about how banking and lending institutions, food stores, community service providers and car owners can and do contribute to our community's economic development and social well-being by using the co-op model.

The UCCC, the first co-op of its kind in the province, is being looked at as a model for other similar councils in the Lower Mainland. 15 co-ops and credit unions in the region have already provided development support to the Council, which can now open its doors for membership to any incorporated co-op or credit union in Kootenay or Boundary regions.

To celebrate the historic incorporation of this Council, the Executive Director of the BC Co-op Association, Carol Murray, visited the area at the end of October. Carol toured Grandview Heights, the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Housing Co-op in Castlegar ( see photo) co-ops in Nelson, and attended an early evening rendez-vous of local cooperators, hosted by the Co-op Council.

For more information on the Upper Columbia Co-op Council, or to receive a membership application, please contact Zoë Creighton, zcreighton@telus.net .

media contact: Zoë Creighton zcreighton@telus.net
250.352.0538

photo caption: Robert Agnew ( UCCC), Carol Murray, Jim and BettyAnn Mullen ( KCSHC)