Trivia Fact

• Canadian co-ops & credit unions provide services to 17 million members & employ 150,000 people
• There are approx 8,500 co-ops & credit unions across Canada
• The Nova Scotia Co-operative Council has an extensive library of educational material that is available for borrowing.
• Members of co-ops or credit unions are part of a much bigger international movement of co-ops in virtually every sector
• The first credit union in Nova Scotia opened in 1936 in Broad Cove
• Co-ops market over 60 per cent of the value of agricultural production in the province.
• The province's first housing co-op was built in 1938 - it was known as Tompkinsville
• Smart business, straight from the heart - Whether retail, agricultural, financial or employee, co-ops build communities, empower people & strengthen local economies
• An average of 20 new co-ops are formed each year.
• Over 242,000 Nova Scotians are members of co-ops & credit unions
• There are 74 housing co-ops in Nova Scotia, providing homes for over 4,200 people!
• Co-operatives listen & put people before profits
• There are over 350 co-ops & credit unions in Nova Scotia
• Co-ops & credit unions employ over 4,000 people in Nova Scotia
• Co-operative enterprises build a better world - in 2012 the world is celebrating the UN International Year of Co-operatives
• Co-operatives build by investing in their communities
• Co-operatives grow, causing slow, steady economic growth lasting on average longer than private enterprises
• Nova Scotia's first co-op began in 1861 when British miners started a co-operative store in Stellarton.
• Co-operatives lift people out of poverty around the world
• Scotsburn is one of the oldest co-ops ion the province. The farmers in Pictou County formed the Scotsburn Creamery in 1900.
• Co-operatives respond, providing reliable answers to everyday needs