BCICS is starting to publish books ... nine of them are in various stages of development. Currently, we are in the final stages of preparing two books for publication. This summer, Ron Dueck, a second year law student at UVic, has been working on the final editing and publishing of the two books.

The first is It Was A Great Privilege: The Co-operative Memoirs of B. N. Arnason – a pioneer and leader in the Canadian co-operative field. As the Saskatchewan Co-operation and Markets commissioner and registrar from 1944-67, B.N. Arnason played a pivotal role in shaping not only the function and organization of co-operatives, but the relationship between government and co-operatives. From helping draft provincial, national, and international legislation to analysing co-operative potential in urban and rural markets and communities, his dedication to the co-operative movement stemmed from a fundamental belief in the value of co-operation at all levels of society. He believed that governments should, where possible, empower communities through aiding the development of co-operation – through education, financing and administrative support. More than simply documenting a history of western co-operatives, his memoirs reveal a profound vision of how co-operation between government, communities, economic sectors, and educational institutions can work together to strengthen one another.

The second, entitled Practical Dreamers, was written by BCICS researcher Kevin Wilson. It is a wonderful account of one of BC’s foremost co-operative communities, following their failed utopian beginnings as a group of disillusioned Finnish socialists, through a maturing into a more diverse and flexible co-operative community which has continued to survive through difficult economic times. Far from glossing over co-operation as a simple answer, in taking a close look at Sointula, the book examines how co-operatives must face the difficult task of bringing together strong and diverse visions if their mandate of collective benefit is to be achieved. While Sointula’s ability to achieve this has resulted in economic survival, the book reveals a community with a depth and strength of spirit that has fascinated those who have come into contact with it for nearly a century – a spirit of co-operation.