Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada - Centre for the Study of Co ...

~ C A S E S T U D I E Sthe mall had leases in place that would fill the building with other businesses, this turned outnot to be the case. Neechi was one of a few businesses operating within the mall and the storewas not located near a main street, so walk-in traffic was minimal. The specialty store closedin June of 1998.Over the years , Neechi Foods has branched out beyond grocery operations. It has played animportant role in aiding community organizations such as schools by supplying groceries tomeal programmes. The store also fulfils a significant social need in the neighbourhood, aswell as for employees and volunteers. One of the main goals of the organization is to create apositive atmosphere where people can deal with the variety of personal and social issues thatmake sustainable, meaningful employment difficult to attain.Education and TrainingSince the beginning of the Neechi Foods project, regular board meetings have always beenheld, and all workers and volunteers are welcome to attend as full participants. For a numberof years, Russ Rothney and Louise Champagne filled key management roles within the organization.During this time, special attention was paid to developing employment skills as wellas helping the members of the co-op to understand their roles and responsibilities. Russ andLouise still serve as board members and continue to be very active within the co-op.Human resources training would have been very useful to the Neechi Foods Co-op at thebeginning. Management training is still needed for members/employees. Neechi is currentlypursuing a pilot project, supported by the Assiniboine Credit Union, which will focus on developinghuman resources skills, employee strengths, organizational strengths, and so on, to determineweaknesses and strengths within the operation. It is hoped that the pilot will produce amodel that can be used by other co-operatives to develop human resources, as well asoperational strengths. The pilot project will• develop a system that will enable co-operatives and other community enterprisesto self-assess development needs and to build solid management teams;• develop a co-operative business mentorship-apprenticeship system; and• establish shared technical services.While financing for this project has been partially attained, there is no direct support fromgovernment as of yet. Russ Rothney and Louise Champagne have several contacts withinthe credit union system who are willing to support it, and it is hoped that other organizationssuch as the Manitoba Co-op Council will provide some assistance to help get the pilot off theground. Organizers are also hoping for government support for co-op business developmentand models such as the Co-operative Business Development pilot project.~ 359