Legacy Builders 2026–2029: What Comes Next

Apr 7

The next phase of work across Alberta’s co-operative sector is now underway.

What began as a coordinated effort to increase awareness and engagement is evolving into something more structured — focused on strengthening how people connect to co-operatives, how organizations collaborate, and how new development is supported across the province.

Interest is growing.
Momentum is building.

The opportunity now is to ensure that momentum leads somewhere.

A detailed overview of this next phase is available in the Legacy Builders 2026–2029 overview.

From Awareness to Action

What 2025 made clear is that awareness alone is not enough.

To move the sector forward, awareness must connect to:

opportunities to learn
places to engage
pathways into co-operative development, leadership, and ownership

Without that connection, momentum fades.
With it, momentum builds into something more durable.

A Coordinated Next Phase

ACCA is advancing a coordinated, multi-year effort to strengthen Alberta’s co-operative ecosystem, bringing together awareness, connection, and capacity in a way that is more aligned, more consistent, and more effective over time.

This reflects a shift from individual initiatives to a more connected approach — one that supports participation, development, and long-term sector growth.

The Role of Legacy Builders

To deliver this work at the level required, $100,000 in sector investment annually is needed, with Legacy Builders playing a direct role in making this possible.

This investment supports:

coordinated delivery across Alberta
alignment with additional funding
the structure needed to sustain long-term sector growth

Legacy Builders are organizations that choose to contribute to this shared effort.

Their role is not simply to support activity, but to help establish the structure that allows the co-operative sector to grow, connect, and sustain itself over time.

What This Work Supports

This next phase focuses on three key areas:

Expanding awareness and creating clear entry points into the co-operative model
Strengthening connection and coordination across Alberta’s co-operative sector
Building capacity and readiness to support next-generation co-op leaders, business transitions, and long-term sustainability

Together, these areas create a more complete pathway from awareness to participation to development.

What Comes Next

The opportunity now is to build on what has started — and to do so with greater coordination, consistency, and scale.

This includes:

strengthening coordination across regions and partners
deepening engagement beyond initial awareness
creating clearer, more supported pathways into co-operative development
continuing to connect people, co-operatives, and opportunities across the sector

This is the shift:

From testing what works
to establishing what lasts