Northern Ontario native receives business award
Darcy Kejick, a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, has received an award for his recent business plan.

New youth program could be a good fit for schools, groups
After being at Muskoka Futures for three and a half months I still get the question from my friends “So what is it that you do?” I think about it for a second then rhyme off a huge list of different things we do at Muskoka Futures, leaving them more confused than ever. So for you, the reading public, I want to clear up the confusion and give you a good snapshot of what we do at Muskoka Futures. In short, we do a lot.

Don't sweat it: Fashion and fairness can go together, even when time and budget are limited
The woman next to me digs her hand down the back of my shirt, trying to find the label. We are in a No Sweat workshop, part of an ethical purchasing forum at the University of Victoria last weekend. Our first exercise is to find out where our own clothes were made and mark it on a map at the front of the room.

Global Village leads fair trade movement
Many have grey hair and don't pass as trendsetters. But the original volunteers at Global Village were ahead of the wave when it came to ethical purchasing 18 years ago. Their approach was simple: Pay Third World artisans a fair price for products; sell the crafts out of a storefront; and return profits to the Third World by way of grants.

Big bucks going into local investments
As the RRSP deadline approaches, the provincial government announced Friday that Nova Scotians invested record amounts last year in community investment funds that qualify for a tax break.

Cooking Up New Collective Kitchens
In 1985, in the Montreal east-end district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, three women with limited money and time found themselves unable to properly feed their families. To cut down on costs, they decided to buy their food in bulk and cook together for an afternoon.

Coast Capital Savings Wins Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Award for the Sixth Time
Coast Capital Savings also has the distinction of being the only B.C. financial institution selected for this prize. "It's a considerable honour for us to receive this award, and be recognized among Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies for the sixth time since 1999," said Lloyd Craig, President and CEO.

Duncan council catches green wave by fueling with bio-diesel
The city is going green with its machines and its neighbour to the north may not be far behind. Duncan council approved treasurer Peter de Verteuil’s recommendation last week to begin burning low-emission biodiesel in all its diesel engines immediately. Duncan’s rigs include trucks comprising about half the city’s vehicle fleet, plus generators, using 30,000 litres of diesel fuel annually.

Co-op ventures get a leg-up
Eighteen new projects - five biofuel and 13 value-added - are the latest to qualify for Technical Assistance funding under a new program that helps farmers and rural communities pursue biofuel and other value-added opportunities through co-operative ventures. To date, 25 groups have received more than a half-million dollars in funding under the Agricultural Co-operative Development Initiative (Ag-CDI).

Co-op sales continue at record level
For the second year in a row, Delmas Coop has had record sales, according to its latest financial statement. The member-owned cooperative, with branches in Masset and Skidegate, sold $11,816,038 worth of merchandise in the fiscal year ending last September 30, up $215,032 from the year before. Costs were up as well, to $8,804,016, from $8,658,693. Higher standby costs, staff costs and interest expense contributed to the higher costs.