The award is given each year to a cooperative from the network for its outstanding inter-cooperative work. Throughout the year, the winner has provided support to a school-based cooperative in need by taking action grounded in the values of mutual assistance and solidarity. The award also acknowledges the community engagement and active involvement of administrators in running the cooperative by creating committees to provide the coop in need with general guidelines.

With this honour, Coopsco highlights the work of Yves Daigneault (Executive Director) and Hala Roukos (accountant), who helped get another cooperative back on track in a difficult situation, all while maintaining Coopoly's regular activities.

Jean-Emmanuel Bouchard, President of the Fédération, which groups more than 60 school-based cooperatives, made a point of highlighting the solidarity and mutual assistance demonstrated by the Coopoly team throughout the year, truly in the spirit of the cooperative model. Special mention was made of all the Coopoly employees who took the time to meet with their colleagues in the cooperative to help them in their respective tasks. The award also honours the administrators for their efforts to meet their members' needs to the best possible degree.

Left to right: Hélène Daneau, Executive Director of the Coopérative de l'Université de Sherbrooke (recipient of the 2011 award). From Coopoly: Yves Daigneault, Executive Director; Mireille Sayad, President; Guillaume Rivest, Treasurer; Philippe Doyon-Poulin, Administrator; and Sophie Rousseau-Loiselle, interim Executive Director of the Fédération des coopératives d'habitation montérégiennes.

A much appreciated gesture of solidarity!

For several months, Coopoly was actively involved in taking charge of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) cooperative's accounting and in better equipping its new executive director and employees to manage the coop. Coopoly's contribution was much appreciated, and extremely beneficial for the Coop ÉTS. Alexandre Robert, President of the Coop ÉTS, said: “Yves and Hala provided enormous help, which went well beyond our expectations. They helped us to stabilize the daily operations of Coop ÉTS as much as possible. Once again, thanks to the Coopoly board of directors for allowing us to benefit from their expertise.”

Our heartiest congratulations to the Coopoly team for their co-operative commitment!

To read the official news release (in French only), click here.