Fredeen Lecture ~ Multi-Stakeholder Co-operatives: The Case for Special Legislation

The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' annual Fredeen Lecture features the most recent recipient of the Hartley and Margaret Fredeen Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan who is conducting research on co-operatives.

This year, Fredeen Scholarship recipient Shylah Wolfe’s lecture is titled, "Public Policy & Co-op Governance: Do Multi-Stakeholder Co-ops Need Special Attention?”.

Abstract: In a modern world confronted by rapid change, limited resources and a globalized economy, organizational governance is becoming increasingly complex. Organizations are beginning to integrate broader representation from relevant stakeholders to navigate this world, address the ‘triple bottom line’ (economy, society, environment), and garner legitimacy among diverse communities. These same forces are playing out in the co-operative sector through the spread and growth of multi-stakeholder co-operatives, yet governments are only slowly and unevenly reflecting these shifts in public policy. In this talk, last year’s winner of the Fredeen scholarship, Shylah Wolfe, explores potential legislative barriers to multi-stakeholder co-operatives and how legislative changes could lend legitimacy and utility to this model and the broader cooperative sector.

Shylah Wolfe is the Project Manager at Local Food and Farm Co-operative (LFFC) and a member of the Ontario Co-operative Association Board of Directors.

Typically, the Fredeen Lecture takes place in person. Due to COVID-19, this year’s Fredeen Lecture took place over Zoom.