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Religion and ethnicity comprised the basis for the formation of many credit unions and co-ops in British Columbia. While many factors contributed to the development of co-ops along religion our ethnic lines, those of immigration, shared culture and heritage, geographic region, or discrimination from other groups are among the most common characteristics. The Galleria contains stories of co-ops formed by: Japanese, Finnish, and German groups, as well as people from Quaker, Doukhobour, and Catholic backgrounds. However, the research on the religious and ethnic influences in the BC co-op movement has only just begun. Much more research needs to be done on the Hungarians who formed building co-ops in Nanaimo after the Hungarian revolution as well as the Catholics who formed credit unions throughout BC. All of which either merged or amalgamated with other credit unions except for the Kamloops Cat holic Credit Union, the last remaining of over fifty at one time.
 Finns began immigrating to Canada in 1882 to work on the Transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. Eventually, Finns found their way to the West Coast of British Columbia where there was work in the mines. Unfortunately, work conditions in the New World were not as good as expected. While the work in the mines was constant, it involved hard labour in dark, extremely dangerous conditions. These dreary conditions led many Finns to long for a better life. For some this better life involved moving to remote areas and trying to make a living off farming, as was the case for the first settlers of Sointula, a Finnish community on Malcolm Island. In order to survive in remote areas and also to create common community and social events, many Finns established co-operatives. At Sointula, this took shape in the form of a co-operative company called the Kalevan Kansa; in Gibson's the Elphinstone Co-operative Association was formed and in Howe Sound the Co-operative Cannery was opened. Over the years the co-op company in Sointula dissolved, but left a strong philosophy of co-operation and the Sointula Co-operative Association in its wake. Sointula also formed a credit union in the 40s and currently, the community is opening Wild Island Foods Co-operative, a food processing plant designed in a Finnish heritage style that will produce a range of products including Finnish baked goods.
 Japanese Canadian involvement in the co-operative movement dates back to the 1920s when Japanese farmers formed marketing co-operatives to sell their produce. Early in the 20th century, discriminatory laws and racist attitudes hindered Japanese Canadians’ ability to make a living. Even many co-operatives did not allow Japanese people to become members. In the fishing industry, Japanese fishers were exploited by canning companies, attacked by fishers’ unions, and ignored by the government. In 1937, Japanese fishers in Tofino, on Vancouver Island’s west coast, formed their own co-operative. However, the internment of World War Two ended any attempt by Japanese Canadians to better their lives through co-operation. Considered a security threat after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japanese Canadians were deported to the interior of British Columbia in 1942. Much of their property was confiscated and later sold by the federal government. By the time Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the coast, most co-operatives had realised their ignorance, and welcomed Japanese Canadian members. Some Japanese Canadians relocated in Vernon, where the Japanese Canadian Co-op Association was formed in 1950.
 Edelweiss Credit Union in Vancouver and the Tate Creek Co-op Society in Tomslake were both created by people of German descent during the early 1940s. However, two dramatically different co-ops gave rise to their formation. Credit unions were popping up all over the province in the early 1940s and Vancouver was no exception. The German community of Vancouver’s west side together with the leadership of Michael Bach formed Edelweiss Credit Union in 1943. In contrast to Tate Creek Co-op, a small store formed by Sudeten Germans in 1940. Over 500 Sudeten Germans were relocated to Tomslake in the Peace River region of BC in 1939. Discouraged by the paternalistic and condescending management style of the Canadian Colonisation Association, the group decided to form a co-op which allowing greater autonomy over their economic affairs.
The Quaker and Doukhobour influences features most prominently in the west Kootenay region while the Catholic influence can be seen in the credit union movement throughout the province. The Delta Co-op in Argenta was formed by a group of Quakers who left the United States in the early 50s as conscientious objectors as a workers co-op and intentional community. Fleeing persecution under the Czar, approximately one third of Russia’s Doukhobours, adherents of a Christian, pacifist religion, immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. They sought a place where they could live by the principal, toil and peaceful life. Doukhobour communities share much with the values of co-operation; their spirituality stressed self-reliance and mutual aid. Traditionally, Doukhobours owned and bought farm supplies communally, so it is not surprising that they established co-operative farm supply stores in the Kootenay region. Membership at the local credit union in Grand Forks is primarily of Doukhobour origin.
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