Co-ops are founded on a common idea – that people, no matter what their economic class or educational level, know what’s best for them. Through cooperation, people work together to meet their common needs. The following principles are guidelines by which co-operatives put their values into practice:

• Voluntary and open membership
• Democratic member control
• Member economic participation
• Autonomy and independence
• Education, training, and information
• Cooperation among co-operatives
• Concern for community

Our values are the foundational declarations which ground the work of the Co-operative.

Our values are:

• We believe that people who live and work in a community are best positioned to make decisions about services provided and resources available to their community.
• We believe in sharing information, expertise, resources for the good of the community and for the good of the community of communities; that is, our region.
• We believe that decisions about regional matters are best achieved through information sharing and cooperative decision-making.
• We believe that consensus is the best way to make decisions.
• We strive for the best possible quality of service based on high standards, including:
  • professional ethics, competence, and integrity;
  • respect for rights and differences
  • safety and confidentiality
  • empowerment of individuals and respect for their choices
  • integration and holism
  • social responsibility
  • promotion of social change and enhancement of community capacity
• We are committed to fair and equitable treatment of workers in our organizations and to demonstrating value and respect by ensuring that they are adequately trained, supported, supervised, and compensated.
• Our organizational culture is one of respect, mutual trust, and proactive consultation.
• We will strive to have core services distributed equitably among communities.
• We will be responsible to our members and the individuals and families they serve, to the people in communities and to our partners.

The purpose of the Co-operative is to pursue, deliver, and coordinate resources and services provided by and for its members. The Kootenay Boundary Community Services Co-operative will:

• help maintain and support member organizations in the face of challenges such as limited funding and geographic distribution and isolation;
• provide for the members a regional community-based forum for planning, pursuing, and distributing community, social, and health service resources within the context of larger and more inclusive regional forums;
• offer a range of alternatives for providing community, social, and health services, based on what is deemed most appropriate and effective for service recipients;
• serve as a platform for the development of organizationally efficient and effective practices in areas of interest to some or all members;
• strengthen the ability of the member organizations to offer high quality, cost-effective community, social, and health services to the residents of our region, especially those who are not well-served by conventional government services and/or private, for-profit enterprises.

• The Kootenay Boundary Community Services Co-operative (KBCSC) is composed of non-profit social service-providing agencies in the Kootenay Boundary Region.
• Its members are organizations.
• Each member organization has two designated representatives, one staff and one volunteer, on the Member Council. The KBCSC Member Council makes decisions about what services, initiatives and projects the Co-operative delivers and includes representatives from all member organizations.
• The Board of Directors provides stewardship and oversight of the financial and operational business of the Co-operative and is composed of five to fifteen representatives of member organizations.
• As a co-operative, it may also add directors (up to 20%) who are not representatives of the membership (i.e., members-at-large).
• The Co-op has a part-time Executive Director and a few part-time staff.
• The Co-op hires staff, often on a contracted basis, as they are needed to meet its commitments.

The Co-operative is a democratic organization controlled by its members, who direct the work of the Co-operative by actively participating in setting policies and making decisions. The KBCSC Member Council makes decisions about what services, initiatives and projects the Co-operative delivers and includes representatives from all member organizations. Each member organization may have two representatives, one staff and one volunteer, on the Member Council.

The Board of Directors provides stewardship and oversight of the financial and operational business of the Co-operative as defined in policy and as directed by the Council. Current Directors are:

Cindy Strukoff,           Treasurer

Representative of the member agency Boundary Family Services

Malia Joy

Representative of the member agency Nelson & District Women’s Centre/WKWA

Jane Ballantyne

Representative of the member agency Kaslo Community Services