BCICS website

The British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies (BCICS) is a catalyst for research, learning, and teaching about co-operative thought and practice. The Institute, founded in January 2000, is based at the University of Victoria. BCICS collaborates locally, nationally, and internationally with other post-secondary institutions, the co-operative sector, governments, individuals, and communities interested in co-operative development.

Co-operative Learning Centre

The ICA's Co-operative Learning Center (CLC) will serve the needs and interests of co-operative members, leaders and managers as well as the public, anyone who is interested in co-operatives. It will be a valuable tool for co-operative education, training and human resource development. It will provide valuable information for those wishing to carry out research on co-operative themes. It will enable users of the site to discover the varied resources and sources of information about co-operatives and their activities; it will assist them in making appropriate contacts. By providing these services, the Co-operative Learning Center will answer real needs of today's co-operatives, enhancing their economic and social effectiveness and their ability to respond to the needs of the members and communities they serve.

Staff Website

The BCICS staff website is for staff only. All staff should check recent posts and calendar items on a regular basis. There are many features on this site including events, file uploads, blog items, etc.

CSEHub Main Website

The Canadian Social Economy Hub (CSEHub) reaches out to practitioners, to researchers and to civil society, through the regional research centres and their community partners. It undertakes research as needed in order to understand and promote the Social Economy tradition within Canada and as a subject of academic enquiry within universities.

Social Economy Student Network

The Social Economy Student Network (SESN) serves as a forum for post-secondary student academic dialogue, information dispersal and education on the Social Economy (SE). It links students to one another from across the globe and fosters the growth of knowledge and information-sharing among members. The Network exists to bring together students interested in aspects of the Social Economy in order to facilitate the formation of intellectually stimulating and diverse peer networks within and beyond the academic and research environment.

Ethical Purchasing Forum

The Ethical Purchasing Forum is a space for ongoing dialogue and collaboration, designed to bring together active citizens to explore trade issues and expand ethical trade in the Victoria region.

Co-operatives and the Pursuit of Peace

For three days 38 co-op participants representing 16 different countries met in Victoria, British Columbia to review the historical record of how co-operatives have addressed conflict and to reflect on current practices of co-operatives operating in areas deeply divided by political, economic, and social injustices.

Deconstructing Empire

On 15-16 June 2007, graduate students from across Canada will come together to attend the second Deconstructing Empire Graduate Student Symposium at the University of Victoria. The purpose of the symposium is to promote interdisciplinary research at the graduate level from both Canadian and international perspectives on the topic of Deconstructing Empire. This year’s central theme of Migration, Racism and Resistance to Empire is linked to the 100th Anniversary of the “Anti-Asian Race Riots” of 1907 in which the local white population in Vancouver, British Columbia targeted Asian immigrants in a violent, racist protest that later resulted in systematic federal restrictions against Asian immigration.

Social Economy Conference

Canadian Social Economy Hub, CIRIEC International and CIRIEC Canada are jointly organizing the first International Research Conference on the Social Economy. Researchers, senior practitioners and government officials (both elected and civil servants) are all welcome to participate.

The world is undergoing rapid and extensive changes associated with globalization, conflicting ideas about the roles of the State and the reconfiguration of communities. The Social Economy contains several approaches that could be of use to communities, social entrepreneurs, policy makers, researchers (both within and without the academy). The goal of the first international CIRIEC conference on the Social Economy is to highlight the role of the Social Economy in building and strengthening communities in a variety of contexts and cultures.

Photo Database

The British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies is a catalyst for research, learning, and teaching about co-operative thought and practice through the development of Co-operative Studies as an established field of inquiry. The Institute collaborates with other post-secondary institutions, the co-op sector, governments, individuals and communities interested in co-operative development.