Co-operatives in rural and remote communities in Canada’s North

Attracting and retaining employees in rural and remote areas is difficult due to the isolated nature of the communities. These communities, however, need places to shop for food, clothing and commercial goods and that is where local co-operatives come in. Local co-operatives are businesses that support their communities, but who is interested in working in these isolated communities? How can these businesses attract new employees? This project will look into what makes these co-operative businesses attractive to new employees and how can these businesses keep those employees they already have happy. We will examine how the board of directors can best support employees in their engagement with the business. Finally, as these communities are so remote the entire community plays a role in supporting these businesses, so we will look into how communities are engaged and supportive of their local co-operative business. The outcomes from this project will be video training tools that will help these co-operatives build-up their employees, their businesses and their communities.

Faculty Supervisor:

Simon Berge

Student:

Partner:

Arctic Co-operatives Limited

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Winnipeg

Program: