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.

The West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry Professionals reflects the diversity of the sex working community — it includes women, men and trans-individuals as well as those from different ‘classes’ and varying capacities and abilities. More specifically, sex workers engaged are multi-literate and culturally diverse. First Nations, Asian, Caucasian, Black workers and those of mixed race are currently invested.

We are a cohort of sex industry community members who work:

• To create labour standards to improve the occupational health, safety and capacities of sex industry professionals as employees and contractors within a legitimized profession.
• To empower and unify sex working communities inclusive of diversities to increase the economic security of adult sex industry workers.
• To provide worker-specific training/ education/empowerment/ capacity building, ownership of skills and leadership in developing policies within the sex industry.
• Nurture community relationships, forge partnerships, identify and engage allies and external expertise in pursuit of Cooperative goals.
• Create a community where all are respected and honoured for their experiences.
• Create enterprises that reflect the dreams and aspirations of diverse groups of sex industry workers.

And commit to:

• Work for the safety and respect of all sex industry workers regardless of their location within the industry;
• Ensure the inclusion of diverse communities, perspectives, capacities and expertise from the sex industry;
• Promote progressive thought, forward thinking and continual positive change for the empowerment and education of sex industry workers and the community at large;
• Keep harm reduction frameworks at the forefront and work toward social justice and social change to increase quality of life in addition to human and labour rights for sex industry workers.
• Pool resources and work together as a community.