Co-ops help tackle big problems
Carol Hunter is too honest to pretend the sky is about to fall. She is bracing for a year of heavy clouds and stunted growth. Hunter is executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), the national organization representing the country's 10,000 co-ops, credit unions and caisses populaires. Five years ago, the association received $5 million from the federal government to assist local groups wishing to start new co-ops or strengthen existing ones.