GUELPH, ON, April 3, 2017 /CNW/ - The Co-operators Group Limited is pleased to welcome the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative as the newest member of the Canadian insurance and financial services co-operative. Following the approval of the Board of Directors of The Co-operators, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative's membership became effective March 24, 2017.

The Co-operators now has 44 member organizations, including co-operatives, credit union centrals and representative farm organizations.  

"We are delighted to welcome the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative as our newest member," said John Harvie, chairperson of the Board of Directors of The Co-operators. "We look forward to their participation in our democratic governance structure."

"The St-Albert Cheese Co-operative is a strong organization with an unwavering commitment to co-operative principles. We will work with them to strengthen our mutually beneficial relationship in the years ahead," added Rob Wesseling, president and CEO of The Co-operators.

Established in 1894, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative is one of the oldest co-operatives in Canada. Generations of dairy producers and artisans have developed and maintained the organization's tradition of award-winning quality cheese products. Its products are sold and distributed at more than 2,000 locations throughout Canada, and hundreds of thousands of visitors stop by its shop in St-Albert, Ontario every year.

"We are proud and feel privileged to be welcomed as a new member organization of The Co-operators. St‑Albert Cheese Co-operative favours inter-cooperation in our practices and decisions, and we acknowledge and support the essential role that co-operatives have played in the past and will continue to play in the future. We believe that our partnership with The Co‑operators will enable us to mutually reinforce our co-operative influence as well as to develop our respective fields in the years to come," said Éric Lafontaine, general manager, St‑Albert Cheese Co-operative.

A co-operative is owned and democratically controlled by members who use its services or products. The membership of The Co-operators consists of 44 organizations from every region of the country, representing the agriculture, finance, retail/consumer, service, health, and labour sectors of the Canadian economy.

About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $44 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt; Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada; and the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada by Sustainalytics and Maclean's magazine. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.

SOURCE The Co-operators