This blog is a project of Ross Gentleman. It is an effort to share some thoughts and voice some proposals on the future of BC (and Canadian) credit unions.
I have been a director of CCEC Credit Union in Vancouver, and also the General Manager. I served as a director of the credit union, the provincial Central, and the Canadian Central in the 1980’s. And for 17 years I worked for the BC regulatory authority, in various roles. So I have a body of experience that includes the managerial, board governance, and government supervision.
I am optimistic that I will give interested credit union members and directors some information, and some questions to think about.
I was recently conferring with others in the co-operative sector. I was struck by the extent to which they involved their member-owners in planning for the future, and in carrying messages to government (and to candidates for office). Credit unions, in comparison, have become more technocratic and share far less with their member owners. Perhaps we can broaden the conversations between directors of different credit unions and among our dedicated members.
I have a desire to see credit union owners and leaders reflect upon and debate the real issues confronting credit unions (and credit union members!). We are likely relying too heavily of executive managers. I welcome feedback and invite others to send in their own posts if they would like to contribute!