CAP-EGMONT – October 16, 2026 – Even in these quite difficult economic times, the cooperatives in the Évangéline region generally manage quite well financially and their membership numbers are growing.
But their biggest challenge, for several years, remains the recruitment of employees – especially those who are Francophone or bilingual. The seven cooperatives present at the Annual Cooperators' Forum in 2026, on October 15 at the Goéland Centre in Cap-Egmont, expressed a strong desire to have bilingual teams to serve the local population, which is predominantly Francophone or bilingual, as well as the Francophone tourist clientele that visits the region in the summer.
However, they often face general recruitment difficulties. And when there are individuals who respond to the call, very few of them are bilingual – which means that the coops end up with unilingual English-speaking employees. The coops understand that this can be frustrating for local customers who want to be served in French.
The 16 people present at the forum, who enjoyed a nice dinner sponsored by the Caisse populaire Provincial, Évangéline branch, unfortunately could not identify effective solutions to their general dilemma.
On the other hand, the cooperatives congratulated the Caisse populaire Provincial for its wonderful community engagement in support of all kinds of causes. In fact, in mid-September, it was recognized among the «Best Workplaces for Community Engagement 2026» in Canada.
The Forum was organized again this year by the Wellington Rural Action Centre to give local cooperatives the opportunity to celebrate their successes and express their challenges in full solidarity. It is a tradition that dates back several decades when the former Cooperative Development Council organized evenings of consultation and celebration like this.
