Government of Canada recognizes national historic significance of the Co-operative Union of Canada - the first organization to unite and represent Canadian co-operatives.
On June 6, Parks Canada commemorated the national historic significance of the Co-operative Union of Canada (CUC) by virtually unveiling a plaque to be installed in Hamilton, Ontario. The announcement was made on behalf of the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages. Additionally, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, the national association representing the co-operative and mutual sector, held a special in-person unveiling of the plaque during their annual congress in Regina, Saskatchewan, from June 10 to 11, 2025. This event highlights the enduring influence of the co-operative and mutualist movement-which brings together member-owned organizations that operate for the mutual benefit of their members-that the Co-operative Union of Canada helped to shape.
The Co-operative Union of Canada was a trailblazer in uniting co-operatives across the country and amplifying their interests on the national stage. Founded in Ontario in 1909 by advocates of the co-operative movement, it was primarily a consumer pressure group before the First World War. In 1944 the CUC convinced the federal government to improve tax changes that would have been damaging to co-operatives. In 1970 it successfully lobbied the federal government to pass the first federal co-operative legislation, the Canada Cooperative Associations Act.
By 1984, the CUC had become a national organization focused on promoting government relations with the co-operative community, coordinating shared interests among co-operatives, leading communication and promotion of co-operative activities, and advancing international co-operative development. This historic designation honours not only the organization's legacy, but the enduring power of co-operatives in building stronger communities in Canada and around the world.
The Government of Canada, through Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant people, places, and events that shaped this country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster understanding of and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.
The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: .
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
5 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
'That model is dead:' B.C. Premier, housing minister rebuff developers' request for foreign real estate investment
'We are not going back,' said Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Christine Boyle when asked separately Wednesday about a big push by some of the province's major developers to get the government to allow for more foreign investment in real estate. In a letter dated July 29, some of the biggest names in B.C. real estate asked the federal government to reconsider its ban on foreign entities purchasing residential property in Canada, and for the B.C. government to reconsider its additional tax on foreign buyers. The letter is signed by CEOs and presidents of several major B.C. real estate companies including prominent names like Polygon, Amacon, Westbank, Strand, Intracorp, Bonnis, Beedie, Mosaic, Pooni Group, and Cressey. It's addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, as well as to Eby and the ministers of housing and jobs, Boyle, and Ravi Kahlon, respectively. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The number of new housing starts in B.C. is of 'particular concern,' the letter says, citing a nearly 50 per cent decrease in starts comparing March 2024 with March 2025. The letter argues that in light of the recent industry slowdown — which has already seen layoffs at some big real estate companies and some projects delayed — the federal government should revisit the prohibition on residential property purchases by non-Canadians, which took effect in 2023 and is currently in place until 2027. The letter argues that foreign investors form an important part of the presale condo market, and without them, fewer projects will sell enough pre-construction units to get financing and move ahead. 'Canada's ban on foreign ownership was designed to help curtail the nation's housing affordability crisis, but it has also negatively impacted overall investment into the new home industry,' the letter says. No one from the federal Housing Ministry was available for comment Wednesday. The ministry sent an emailed statement, which didn't directly answer what the Canadian government will do about the foreign buyer ban but seemed to throw cold water on the developers' request. By reducing the impact of foreign ownership demand, the ban 'helps to ensure that those homes are used for Canadians to live in, not as a speculative asset class for foreign investors,' the ministry's response said. Eby and Boyle were more direct. On Wednesday, Boyle said she wouldn't comment on what the federal government should do, 'but certainly here in B.C., we're not going to stop cracking down on speculation. We don't want to go back to the days when foreign investors were buying up empty condos and leaving neighbourhoods empty and pushing up the prices for people and families across B.C.' B.C.'s foreign buyer tax was created by the B.C. Liberals in 2016, a year before the election that saw Boyle's party, the B.C. NDP, form government. Boyle said that even though the tax was created by her party's political rivals, the NDP has no plans to repeal it: 'I'm open to ideas from all over, and we're seeing it (the tax) make a difference.' B.C.'s foreign buyer tax revenues declined after the federal ban was implemented. But because the ban includes some exemptions — such as larger buildings with four or more dwellings — the provincial tax is still expected to generate $40 million over the next fiscal year . Boyle said her government will keep working with private-sector builders to get more housing built, citing changes to push municipalities to approve more housing and a recent deal that used federal funds to lower development fees in Metro Vancouver. 'We'll continue to do all of that work and continue to listen and talk through ideas,' Boyle said. 'But we are not going back to the Wild West days of empty condos, and foreign investment racking up the prices.' Eby, when asked about the letter at a news conference Wednesday, said he shares concerns about declining housing starts in some segments of the market but doesn't believe the answer is bringing huge amounts of foreign money back into B.C. 'Let me say this: We are not going back to the old model of doing things,' Eby told Postmedia News reporter Alec Lazenby. 'Under the previous (provincial) government, the idea was if you welcome foreign investment into real estate, everybody's going to benefit. 'And what we saw was real estate prices became completely detached from what people are actually able to earn in British Columbia, meaning that young people are priced-out of the housing market, and those prices are incredibly sticky. 'I accept that the old model of doing things is not working anymore. And frankly, I say good. 'If you want to see what the old market did, look at the CURV building project in the West End of the city of Vancouver, a site that started at $16 million by local developers that ended up being sold for $69 million after international money got involved. It was completely stupid and disconnected from what the local market can support.' The CURV project is now mired in financial turmoil and facing receivership, its future unclear. 'If foreign capital can help build housing for Canadians and British Columbians, great. But if the foreign capital is just housing that is going to sit empty in the middle of downtown Vancouver, like the CURV building, well, forget about it. That model is dead.' The letter urges governments to consider the policy implemented this year in Australia, which restricts foreign ownership of existing homes but allows foreign purchases of new homes and presales 'to maintain the strength of their construction industry.' One of the letter's signatories was Kevin Layden, president of Vancouver-based developer Wesbild. Layden said the current state of the B.C. residential real estate market is worse than the 2008 global financial crisis, and he has 'never seen it this bad.' 'If projects don't go forward, there will be an inventory decline in two-to-three years time, which means we will not have enough homes for the population that we have, so that will drive prices back up,' Layden said. 'So what the industry is basically saying right now is we want to keep the pipelines moving … We want to allow foreign investors to invest in these projects so we can get them built.' With files from Alec Lazenby dfumano@
Vancouver Sun
6 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Ontario officially cancels $100M contract with Elon Musk's Starlink, won't say cost to taxpayers
TORONTO — Ontario has officially cancelled its $100-million contract with Starlink, but the province refuses to say how much it cost taxpayers to get out of the deal. Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce did not answer numerous questions Wednesday about the kill fee the province will have to pay Elon Musk's SpaceX, Starlink's parent company. 'I can confirm we've cancelled the contract at this point, and we look forward to bringing forth alternatives to the people of Ontario so we can get people connected,' Lecce said at an unrelated press conference. Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma announced the deal last year to deliver high-speed internet to 15,000 residents in rural and northern Ontario. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The deal, which was set to go live in June, would have covered hardware and installation costs but not monthly fees. It would have also included Starlink access for remote First Nations, after a promising test run in 2020 in Pinkangikum First Nation saw high-speed internet working within 15 minutes of hardware delivery. SpaceX won the contract after a 'robust and transparent and competitive and fair technical and financial evaluation of multiple qualified parties,' Michael Lindsay, the former CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, said last year. Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cancel the contract in February if U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods were imposed. He killed the deal in March when U.S. President Donald Trump moved ahead with tariffs. 'It's done, it's gone,' Ford said at the time. 'We won't award contracts to people who enable and encourage economic attacks on our province … and our country.' Musk supported Trump's bid to become president and was brought into Trump's inner circle after his inauguration in January. Not long after that, Musk glommed on to Trump's threats to annex Canada. In February, a petition signed by several hundred thousand Canadians demanded the federal government remove Musk's Canadian citizenship. Musk became a Canadian citizen because his mother was born in Canada. 'Canada is not a real country,' Musk posted on X at the time. Musk and Trump have since fallen out of favour with one another. Ford's cancellation of the deal came as part of a suite of measures in retaliation to Trump's tariffs. He pulled American booze off the shelves of Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores in March and has said the U.S. booze ban will be kept in place until Trump removes his tariffs on Canada. Ford also banned American companies from bidding on $30 billion worth of procurement contracts the province awards each year. He also banned U.S. companies from bidding on contracts related to his $200-billion infrastructure plan to build highways, tunnels, transit, hospitals and jails. 'We are standing up for Canada,' Lecce said Wednesday. Ford should have secured an internet deal by now for those in northern and rural Ontario, said New Democrat and Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles 'What is the premier's plan to deliver on this promise to Ontarians? Handing over hard-earned tax dollars to Elon Musk's company was never the right approach,' she said. 'Months have passed and we still don't have a plan or even a process that's calling for home-grown solutions.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
6 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Ontario officially cancels $100M contract with Elon Musk's Starlink, won't say cost to taxpayers
TORONTO — Ontario has officially cancelled its $100-million contract with Starlink, but the province refuses to say how much it cost taxpayers to get out of the deal. Article content Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce did not answer numerous questions Wednesday about the kill fee the province will have to pay Elon Musk's SpaceX, Starlink's parent company. Article content 'I can confirm we've cancelled the contract at this point, and we look forward to bringing forth alternatives to the people of Ontario so we can get people connected,' Lecce said at an unrelated press conference. Article content Article content Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma announced the deal last year to deliver high-speed internet to 15,000 residents in rural and northern Ontario. Article content Article content It would have also included Starlink access for remote First Nations, after a promising test run in 2020 in Pinkangikum First Nation saw high-speed internet working within 15 minutes of hardware delivery. Article content SpaceX won the contract after a 'robust and transparent and competitive and fair technical and financial evaluation of multiple qualified parties,' Michael Lindsay, the former CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, said last year. Article content Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cancel the contract in February if U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods were imposed. He killed the deal in March when U.S. President Donald Trump moved ahead with tariffs. Article content Article content 'It's done, it's gone,' Ford said at the time. 'We won't award contracts to people who enable and encourage economic attacks on our province … and our country.' Article content Article content Musk supported Trump's bid to become president and was brought into Trump's inner circle after his inauguration in January. Article content Not long after that, Musk glommed on to Trump's threats to annex Canada. Article content In February, a petition signed by several hundred thousand Canadians demanded the federal government remove Musk's Canadian citizenship. Musk became a Canadian citizen because his mother was born in Canada. Article content Musk and Trump have since fallen out of favour with one another. Article content Ford's cancellation of the deal came as part of a suite of measures in retaliation to Trump's tariffs. Article content He pulled American booze off the shelves of Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores in March and has said the U.S. booze ban will be kept in place until Trump removes his tariffs on Canada.
