Who are we? - Coopérative de développement régional Acadie

Vision

The Coopérative de développement régional-Acadie (CDR-Acadie) aims at the integral development of the Francophone community of Atlantic Canada. It aims to be the benchmark in terms of support for the creation and development of social enterprises in different sectors of economic activity by favoring the co-operative model.

Mission

CDR-Acadie is a group of Francophone associations, offering services in the client’s language in Atlantic Canada, which unite to promote and support regional development having an impact on the Francophone community by favoring collective entrepreneurship.

Mandate

Our mission is accomplished by intervening in the following orientations:

Outreach of the Francophone co-operative movement in Atlantic Canada
Intercooperation and collaboration
Development of collective enterprises and capacity building
Funding and sustainability

Our expertise

Supported organizations

152

Supported projects

204

Training given

127

Special projects

20 Highlights

April 2004

Incorporation

CDR-Acadie receives approval from the Financial and Consumer Services Commission to operate as a co-operative.

April 2004

July 2006

First General Directorate

In July 2006, Melvin Doiron, founding president of CDR-Acadie, became the first general manager. He will hold this position until June 2017.

July 2006

June 2009

YSC premiere

Twelve volunteers, aged 14 to 17, set up, under the supervision of two facilitators, the first Youth Services Co-operative in Tracadie. In total, they completed 28 contracts during the summer season.

June 2009

March 2013

School for young co-operative creators

The school for young co-operative creators is an intensive training of 100 hours of training in 10 days. A total of 7 participants, aged 18 to 35, took part in this first edition. Throughout their stay, participants received a variety of workshops offered by leaders from the Acadian co-operative world. In their free time, participants had to work as a team on a fictitious business plan for a new co-operative in their community and present it to a jury.

March 2013

May 2014

Business succession through the co-operative

This project, which began in May 2004 and ended in 2018, ensured that companies did not close their doors due to a lack of buyers. The co-operative formula was presented as an option, which allows employees, customers or suppliers to acquire a business once they are grouped into a co-operative.

May 2014

July 2017

Change in general management

Marc Henrie succeeds Melvin Doiron as the organization’s CEO.

July 2017

October 2019

Strategic planning

CDR-Acadie presents to its members, after more than a year of work, its strategic planning. Two major changes were made to CDR-Acadie: 1) opening up to the social economy and 2) expanding the territory in Atlantic Canada.

October 2019

February 2021

Interco-operation agreement

CDR and the Cooperative Resource and Expertise Consortium have reached an agreement aimed at mutually strengthening their capacity to support social enterprises in the Atlantic provinces.