| Can the Co-op survive without amalgamating? |
 |
 |
 |
| Local Content - Letters to the Editor |
| Written by publisher |
| Thursday, 18 February 2010 16:37 |
|
Dear Editor, In the past few weeks we have heard lots of things about the proposed amalgamation for Southwest Co-op and Pioneer Co-op. Things like Southwest Co-op’s losses that have been incurred, the benefits of combined buying power, more availability of products amalgamation would provide, the larger dividend pay outs and much more. Amalgamation was said to be “essential to survival” for Southwest Co-op. We were told that this amalgamation would be different than that for our health care and schools. What about more of the picture that we may not know? • Southwest Co-op has about 3,000 members • Pioneer Co-op has about 17,000 members Is bigger better? We have heard the term “buying power.” Buying power means you can buy more of a product at less cost in bulk. What does that mean for us? Where will these more products be delivered to? To one or all outlets? If all, is there some cost to each other outlet? • Southwest has two outlets (Maple Creek and Consul) • Pioneer has at this time 26 outlets. Southwest has not had a general manager for approx. three or so years. They have looked within the Co-op system for one. Alain DeGagne has been managing at the requests of Southwest’s board for two years. Alain is also branch manager for Pioneer Co-op. Southwest has normally a nine-member board, but one has stepped down and now it has only eight. All board members are nominated and then elected to the board by the members. If we amalgamate there would be an 11-member board for the first year (two members we hear) and after that reduced to nine members from the then 28 outlets Pioneer would serve. The members would be nominated from each outlet area and then voted to be or not to be on the board at a meeting in Swift Current. The head office would be in Swift Current. To attend a meeting to vote for members on the board you must attend the meeting in Swift Current. Each person that has a Co-op number (in their name) will be eligible to vote at the vote meeting on the 22nd of February starting at 7 p.m. One member, one vote. You must attend to vote. Also, there is at least one Co-op that did not amalgamate with Pioneer (Shaunavon Co-op). Whatever we do I hope that each one of us takes the time to ask questions so we can make the best choice! I hope we ask questions like: What does this mean to me and my community? How will I feel the impact? Will there be any impact? Will it improve our situation? If so, how? Why is there a problem? Are we just experiencing growing pains? What has the Co-op here done for me and this community? What would Pioneer Co-op do for this community? How would they understand what we need here? How has Southwest Co-op changed over the years? What do I like about it? What could be changed and how? How real are the issues we face? Why are there no products on the shelf when we need them here? Is it a stock problem or just reducing stock? If so, why? What do we do about it? What is best for Southwest Co-op and us? What would it mean to be part of a large Co-op that is not local based, but based in Swift Current? Or to be local based and operated and to find the solution to what we are going through with the head office here? Can we work with other Co-ops for product, supply sharing to get products we have difficulty getting if we don’t amalgamate? There are many more questions, but we should also look back to what it was like in the past. Many, maybe not so many years ago the Co-op was deep in debt. What did we do then? The Co-op has changed a lot – new store, a new agro centre and lots of things. Lots of this stuff comes at a cost and costs to keep. I don’t think that back in the day the people of this area asked who can we join with when they had difficulty, or did they? Well amalgamation was proposed one other time in Southwest Co-op’s history. It was turned down and what was the result? So when you go to vote ask yourself all these things and make your choice. Can we “survive?” I think that we can survive. If we can manage the departments of our Co-op correctly and have things that our community wants. We just need to get very involved in what matters to us. We have lost enough control of this community without our permission and this is one place we have a say if we use it! There are lots of smaller businesses out there or medium ones that are doing well, look around. Concerned citizen, Gus Stojke Maple Creek |
More Story Headlines
| A supply and demand issue Dear Editor, Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any wool? … I will get back to that nursery rhyme at [ ... ] |
| Accident claims one life A single-vehicle accident near Success has claimed the life of a 25-year-old Swift Current man. |
| Infrastructure and housing issues headline SUMA conference Infrastructure and affordable housing highlighted discussions at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipaliti [ ... ] |
| Police seek Buffalocalf in stabbing incident at Nekaneet A former Nekaneet First Nation resident who is wanted in connection with a homicide in Fort Qu'Appel [ ... ] |