During the Developing Capacity
for Change Project, Vancouver sex workers expressed their desire to explore
cooperative business models as a way to generate alternative
sources of income, increase health and safety, build
community capacity and begin to take control of our
collective destiny. This cooperative corporation will
be a for profit endeavour with its membership guiding
all decisions.
Vancouver sex workers from the downtown eastside
community have been working hard to create a framework
for this cooperative and have finalized governance
policies, decision making procedures, terms of reference,
membership criteria, code of conduct, and conflict
management procedures that will reflect what they
envision as a community. The cooperative cooperation
was formally incorporated in February 2007 and is
known as the West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry
Professionals.
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