Each For All

From wildfires, to atmospheric rivers, to drought and habitat loss, climate change is affecting people right across British Columbia. Youth, in particular, are reporting surging rates of climate anxiety.

Enter, the Youth Climate Corps of BC, (YCCBC), a province-wide network of youth-led climate action initiatives that create meaningful employment, pay a living wage and help communities respond to local climate challenges.

*Youth Climate Corps BC connects young people with paid, hands-on climate work in their own communities. Each team focuses on local climate priorities, with projects ranging from wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem restoration to energy efficiency, food security, community engagement, and the sharing of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

The success of the program is made possible through strong partnerships with local governments, non-profit organizations, and First Nations. Current partners include the municipalities of Courtenay, Squamish, Vernon, Kamloops, Kelowna, and Richmond; organizations such as the BC Parks Foundation, Wildsight, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, ZEIC, and PICS; and First Nations partners, including the ‘Namgis First Nation, with additional partnerships continuing to develop.

Demand for the program continues to outpace available positions. During the recent 2026 hiring season, YCCBC received more than 600 applications for approximately 60 placements, a ratio of ten applicants for every available position. The overwhelming interest highlights the growing desire among young people to take meaningful action on climate change while gaining valuable skills, experience, and connections in their communities.*

* from YCC July 25/26 News Release “YCC Launches Fifth Season.”

How did YCCBC begin? How does a community become a partner? What’s it like as a young person to be part of the program and help create a liveable future? That’s just some of what we explore in this episode. Have a listen.

Have you ever wondered why mainstream news so rarely talks about the economic engines quietly transforming our communities from the ground up?

For this year’s Co-op Week, hosts Sandy Goldman and Robin Puga sat down with two of Canada’s leading co-operative visionaries: John Kay, President of the Board of Directors of Canada Co-ops, and Thom Armstrong, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC (CHF BC).

In our first segment, host Sandy Goldman speaks with John Kay. John is a social entrepreneur, CEO of Realize Strategies Co-op, and President of the Board of Directors of Canada Co-ops (recently rebranded from Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada).

“The challenge for the Canadian co-operative sector is to show that co-ops aren’t just ‘nice to have’; they are fully capable of solving the big problems we have as a society, whether that’s affordable groceries or affordable homes.”

~ John Kay, President of Canada Co-ops

For decades, co-operatives have excelled at sharing heart-warming stories about community care. But as John Kay explains, moving the needle in government policy requires backing up those values with undeniable economic data. Through Canada Co-ops’ new Council of Economic Advisors, with talent from institutions like Vancity and Desjardins, the sector is now armed with hard evidence.

In our second segment, Robin Puga sits down with Thom Armstrong. With over 30 years in the co-operative housing movement, Thom serves as CEO of CHF BC, CEO of COHO Management Services Society, CEO of the Community Land Trust group of societies, and Chair of Encasa Financial Inc.

“Municipalities should transfer title to Indigenous-led housing providers. It seems ridiculous to me that you would ask someone to lease land that you stole from them in the first place.” — Thom Armstrong, CEO of CHF BC

Thom Armstrong doesn’t hold back when evaluating the current housing landscape. While municipal partnerships in cities like Burnaby and Vancouver demonstrate what is possible when public land is unlocked for non-market housing, provincial flip-flops have created severe headwinds. The sudden budget freeze on shovel-ready projects left non-profit housing providers absorbing massive financial losses on projects urged forward by the state.

In 2002, a group of local folks in Dawson Creek, British Columbia began talking about the idea of a renewable energy co-operative powered by the abundant wind and sunshine in the region. Research into a European model lead to the creation of a for-profit community investment co-op (CIC) with capital raised from members for the co-op to invest on their behalf. The overall goal was to bring people together and keep ownership of projects local making it better for everyone.

In October 2023, the Peace Energy Co-op was incorporated as a CIC, the first of its kind in Western Canada with a market focus on the Peace River bioregion across northeastern BC and northwestern Alberta. Since its inception, the co-op has grown to 650 members each paying $100 to join then having the opportunity to invest in projects as they arise. 

The co-op has an impressive list of completed projects and services including:

Don Pettit is a founding member of Peace Energy Co-op and a passionate advocate for keeping things locally owned and operated with all benefits going to owners and the community. He says co-operatives are firmly rooted in the Peace Region with its history of farming and homesteading, food and seed co-ops.

It was terrific speaking with Don and learning how this co-op has been leading the energy transition for more than 25 years. Have a listen.

.            

In Port Rexton, Newfoundland, the beloved Two Whales Coffee Shop is more than just a place to grab something to eat and drink. Founded by Sue Asquith and David Ellis in 2009, this community hub in the town of 300, has always been a sustainable social enterprise caring for its environmental footprint, training young people to work in the booming seasonal tourism industry, and hosting all kinds of local events.

With a vegetarian menu and magnificent garden, all was well until Sue and David decided that after a decade in business, it was time to retire. But they didn’t want their operation to be sold to buyers who didn’t embrace their mission and intention.

Eventually, a team of five women who had worked at the cafe for years and were committed to the same values as Sue and David, stepped up to carry on the Two Whales legacy as worker owners of the Table 8 Co-operative. 

Support from the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-ops and the Social Enterprise Through Acquisition program was invaluable as the transition from small business to co-operative took place. 

Two Whales opened under new ownership in May 2025.

Table 8 Co-operative members (from left to right) are Rebecca Hiscock, Olivia White, Jill White, Penny Vivian-Penney and Carrie Hookey. They are committed to growing this community asset and carrying on its fine traditions.

Once upon at time in Saskatoon, there were five very accomplished hairstylists who had been collaborating for years at a local hair salon. But they were restless and wanted to create a new path where they had more autonomy and agency.

So with the help of Co-operatives First, the team created an employment co-operative where everyone has equal value, equal say and shared responsibility. Then after a long search to find just the right space, Stardust Studio opened in late August 2025.

From the co-op’s website, their mission is clear:

“At Stardust Studio Cooperative, we’re all about collaboration and inclusivity. We’re not your typical salon — we operate on a unique cooperative business model, which means our talented team of five stylists share ownership and decision-making, creating an environment where everyone’s voice is heard and valued.”

This is an inspiring story of how co-ops can offer a different way of doing business, with a focus on shared values and voices. Stardust is already giving back to the local community. Have a listen.

The only province in Canada without a dedicated glass recycling program is Newfoundland and Labrador. Household glass that is not re-used goes to the landfill creating glass waste, a huge environmental challenge.

Enter the NewfoundSand Glass Recycling Co-operative created by community members who know there’s a valuable resource in every bottle and jar that can be recycled into reusable sand, thereby reducing waste and promoting sustainability.

The co-op holds collection events where members can bring clean glass jars and bottles and feed them into a special machine that crushes the glass into sand. The processed sand can be used by members for building, landscaping, gardening, construction, arts and crafts, beach volleyball courts and more!

At its core, this co-op is about more than just glass. It’s about education, community, and co-operative values. It’s showing that recycling can truly create new products and demonstrating how co-operatives can succeed where profit-driven models fall short.

Dave Saunders, founding member and board president, says the goal is to scale up glass recycling services beyond the St. John’s and Mount Pearl region to the Avalon Peninsula, then across the province. It’s not an easy journey, but the hope is that through greater awareness and the determination of more than 150 members, the co-op will succeed while protecting the environment, creating good jobs and strengthening local economies.

The British Columbia Co-operative Association calls The Cleaning Co-op “a fresh alternative offering ethical and professional cleaning services.”

It also describes The Vancouver Empowerment Cleaning Co-op (the Association) as a worker co-op that aims:

Hayley Postlethwaite is one of the co-op’s founders along with Paulina Mendoza and Lulu Hernandez. She shares how the three of them collaborated to bring their vision to life and who provided support along the way. Have a listen.

Improving awareness about the relevance of co-operative model with the general public, youth and government is the most important issue for co-ops in the annual survey by The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. And the job of raising awareness is up to the co-ops themselves and their provincial and national associations.

Corinne Remple, Executive Director of the Alberta Community Co-op Association, decided that the story of co-ops needed to be told differently, especially to Gen Z and Millennials.

So she collaborated with provincial and national partners to help launch Business NOT as Usual, a campaign that highlights how co-ops are an alternative way of doing business built on shared ownership, sustainability, collective impact and driven by values.

We discuss her new approach to raising awareness of the sector in Part 1 of this show

In Part 2, we speak with Kristen Murray, co-op developer with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-ops (NLFC) about how she found her way to co-op sector as a young person just starting out and looking for a way to make a difference in this world. NLFC is a partner in Business NOT As Usual and Kristen spoke at the kickoff event during Co-op Week in 2025.

The Monashee Community Co-operative is a market located in Lumby, B.C. It began in 2013 when some local residents collaborated to organize bulk buying of organic foods at a lower price than nearby Vernon.

Since then, it’s grown to become a vital hub for folks to purchase local, safe, organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO food and an important place for local growers to market their products.

As a Community Service Co-op, Monashee returns all profits to the Co-op for future growth and works to educate, support and nourish the local economy.

The co-op has finally moved to a new, larger location with much effort by members, volunteers and local residents.

Board President Chris Bauman shares more about this valued, grassroots community hub, Have a listen.

In 2009, co-operative scholar and educator Ian MacPherson urged researchers to continue studying and learning from the Northern Co-operative experience.

Now, the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (CCSC) is heeding MacPherson’s advice with a series of projects it hopes will be beneficial to northern communities and co-ops across the country.

This new research is being launched as the North has become a strategic focus for Canada’s sovereignty and growth. 

At the same time, residents continue to face threats to their survival and traditional ways of life due to food insecurity, climate change and inadequate supply chains.

Maybe that’s why co-ops and the co-operative principles are so fully embraced and community engagement is so strong.

Natalie Kallio of CCSC shares what we can continue to learn from these unique co-ops in the North. Her paper in The Northern Review is insightful reading.