Co-operative enterprises are Cheticamp's approach to community economic development. Cheticamp's first co-operative -- a fish marketing venture -- dates back to 1917. Today, 10 co-ops, working together through the Cheticamp Co-operative Council, form the economic backbone of the area. They provide hundreds of jobs with an annual payroll of over $2 million. The co-ops also pay out thousands of dollars a year in dividends to community members rather than to distant shareholders.
In a community of less than 5,000 people, the combined membership of the local co-ops is almost 13,000. As the manager of the Co-op Council proudly points out, Rthat works out to be about 2.5 memberships for every man, woman and child.S
The key factors for success identified by co-op members are: long-sighted, committed leadership; on-going education within the community on the value of co-operatives and how they work; a commitment to reaching young people; and a foundation of community solidarity.
The closure of the fisheries will hit Cheticamp as hard as other east coast fishing communities -- the fishing co-op has been the largest single employer in the group of ten. But with their successful track record of cooperation to solve problems, they stand a good chance of surviving as a community, on their own terms.