Along with the unifying power of the Roman Catholic Church, the co-operative movement also helps knit the community of Tignish closely together. A co-operative is a democratic form of business, organized, owned and controlled by its members. All members have an equal say on how the business is operated. The co-operative supermarket and service station, building supplies store and Credit Union, all located in the centre of town, are the lifeblood that hold the town of Tignish together. Other co-operative institutions include the Co-op Sawmill, the Tignish Fisheries Co-op and the Tignish Health Centre. Back to Community

In 1937, the Fishermen's Co-operative sponsored the formation of a credit union. The people in Tignish decided to start the co-operative bank due to the fact that few men could get loans from the local bank in Tignish during these years. Between 30 and 40 people joined the new Credit Union soon after it was set up. By the following year, the number of members had grown to 75, and by 1939, there were 181 members. By 1980, the membership had grown to 4,004 people.

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In the spring of 1937, the Tignish Fishermen's Union sponsored a buying club. The buying club, under the management of Gerald Handrahan, would prepare bulk orders of flour, molasses and sugar, among other products, that would help members save money.

In 1938, the store began to sell potatoes, lime, and fertilizer. The store and the Credit Union then moved to an old shoemaker's shop. From here, they moved to the village where they were re-located to an old, run-down store. This old building managed to house the store until 1940.

In 1940, a new building was constructed on Church Street, Tignish. The two- storey building housed both the Credit Union and the Co-op store. Located on the first floor was the store and on the second was the Credit Union.

It was not until 1943 that the members received their Co-op charter for the store. After this point in time, the store began to grow. In 1954, the members bought out Morris Bernard's store which dealt with most of the village businesses.

At this time, a drug store was set up in the building, and it was recognized as the first co-operative drug store in Canada. The pharmacy did not last long in Tignish as it closed in 1957.

The Co-op grocery store only carried dry goods and groceries, and most of the business was done on Saturday. The clerks of the store would stand behind the counter waiting on their customers while passing the items over. Clerks would work usually from 6:00 until 11:00 p.m. on Saturday evenings. In 1959, the store was re-organized to a self-service store, and the clerk's jobs became somewhat easier.

The final move for the Co-op came in 1969 when the new Co-op store was constructed. In 1980, renovations allowed for the hardware and furnishings department to be under one roof.

Although the Co-op store of today still continues to grow, it was the members of the store of yester-years that showed "Tignishers" that with hard work comes great success.

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Of the fishing co-operatives on the Island, the largest, oldest, and most successful is the Tignish Fisheries Co-op which was started in 1924 by 36 fishermen and one local lawyer, Chester McCarthy. By the year 1923, mainland buyers were paying 15 cents for lobster, but local fishermen were getting only five cents. At that price, there was no hope for them of getting out of debt. It was Chester McCarthy who brought these fishermen into a joint stock company which gave its members a buying and selling power no individual could exert. Together they formed the Fishermen's Co-operative.

In the late 1960's, the Co-op was 220 members strong. Although today, the Co-op does not hold as many members as it once did, it does employ anywhere from 350 to 400 workers.

In 1995, Royal Star Foods Ltd. Fisheries was constructed as a subsidiary of Tignish Fisheries Co-op Association Ltd. Its modern plant has facilities for scanning and freezing lobsters, cold storage for holding the frozen product, a direct sale outlet for fresh fish and buildings for salting and pickling fish.

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The Tignish Medical Centre, which offers dental, medical and pharmaceutical services, was the brainchild of Gerald Handrahan, a former manager of the Tignish Co-operative. He formed a medical committee to purchase the home of Dr. J.A. Johnston, a resident of Tignish, and Johnston's home later became the home and office of Dr. Stephen Dubicanac in 1948. This was a turning point for Tignish in that its residents now started receiving better health services. Following ten years of service in Tignish, Dr. Dubicanac left for Montreal leaving the Johnston house vacant. Since the home was badly in need of upkeep and repairs, Alma Buote graciously offered to share her home with the next doctor who chose to set up practice in Tignish. Meanwhile, the Medical Committee was working behind the scenes to come up with a solution for better meeting the needs of the five hundred people in the area. Thus, the Tignish Health Co-operative came to be, following years of meetings and discussions, on March 8, 1973. Another person who played an important role in obtaining this facility for Tignish was a nurse named Ann Gavin. She was honored by the Health Centre Co-operative Association on August 8, 1973, when she turned the sod for the proposed health centre building. Prior to the opening of the centre and after her retirement, Gavin worked hard to get people to back the formation of a health centre. Given no promises from the provincial and federal government, Gavin looked into setting up a co-operative, got a building charter, and $23,000.00. Later, a grant came under the federal government's Winter Works program. The people of Tignish then bought shares for $5.00, and this was complemented by local donations from residents of Tignish and surrounding area. Thus, once again, this showed how the people of Tignish could join forces to forge a new beginning.

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