Many of us are familiar with coops. Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancity and the Kootenay Co-op are all examples. What makes co-ops different from other businesses? Co-ops are owned and controlled by the people who use their services. These services cross all economic sectors including financial, health, housing and the employment services delivered by the Fraser Works Co-operative, the subject of the Centre’s second podcast episode.

In this episode I was joined by Joan Andersen, Director of Employment and Language Programs at MOSAIC, a multilingual non-profit organization dedicated to addressing issues that affect immigrants and refugees in the course of their settlement and integration into Canadian society. MOSAIC is one of four agencies, along with AWARE Society, Fraserside Community Services Society and Pacific Community Resources that formed the Fraser Works Co-op in 2012, which delivers the Employment Program of BC (EPBC) in Burnaby and New Westminster.