Frequently Asked Questions

Joining the Co-op provides the following benefits:

• The investment opportunities offered by the Co-op are expected to provide consistent long-term returns. The returns should meet the levels desired by professional investors.
• By joining the Co-operative, you will be supporting local development in your community and enabling projects to be built in your municipality.
• In joining the Co-op, you will be supporting the development of clean, renewable solar energy, taking an active role in reducing climate change and providing cleaner air for future generations.
• CED Co-op is a democratic organization, and as such, each member is entitled to attend meetings of the Co-op. At these members’ meetings, each member receives one vote regardless of the amount of money they have invested in CED Co-op. Every member has an equal voice in guiding the operations of the organization.

The requirements of membership mandate that each member must purchase a minimum of one member share at a price of $10. This does represent the purchase of a share in a corporation (albeit a co-operative one) and as such it does represent an investment.

Our recommendation is that you read the investment subscription agreement and discuss any investments that you may wish to make, with a lawyer and/or an accountant.

Typically within co-operatives, member shares are held at their original value and are not paid interest or dividends. At this point, CED Co-op is not anticipating paying dividends or interest on the member shares.

No. We are only requiring the purchase of a single $10 member share from each person. Purchasing a membership share does not mean that you agree or commit to purchasing any further amount of shares or making any further investment in the Co-operative.

There may be further opportunities for investment in the co-operative, Co-op members will be given time to independently evaluate future investment opportunities at the time they are offered.

Attendance at Annual General Meetings or member meetings is not required, however it is encouraged. Attending the meetings however; is an opportunity for you to provide input into guiding the operations of CED Co-op and see the updates on the status of the development projects.

Typically there have been one or two meetings a year. CED Co-op will do its best to provide electronic methods of attending meetings from distance, but you can only vote at the meetings if you are in attendance (electronic included), no proxies are allowed within the laws of co-ops.

No. If you are interested in having solar on your property or facility, that is something that we can explore with you, but at this time, joining and investing in the CED Co-op simply supports the contracts we have already received for the development of solar projects on properties that have already been identified separately from the membership process.

Check out our good friends VCT Group who are doing the installation for CED Co-op’s projects.

Solar panels are manufactured using few components: mainly aluminum, glass and silicon. Over 90% of a panel’s weight can be recycled.

Solar panels typically come with a performance warranty of 25-30 years, and as a result, the number of “spent” or end-of-life panels is so small that a major recycling industry has yet to be developed around solar panel recycling.Just like all other e-waste, solar panels must be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way. Many solar panel manufacturers accept returned broken panels in order to reuse, reduce and recycle the panels properly. CED Co-op has also previously used electronics recyclers and toy manufacturers as recycling channels for broken panels on our systems.

Every bank allows you to make an “Interac e-transfer” or “send money via email” from your account on their website to an email address. The specific actions and details will depend on you bank. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Yes, you can transfer an investment to another person. The transfer must first be approved by the Board of Directors and is subject to a $75 transfer fee.

Yes. Although corporations cannot be co-operative members, they can purchase CED Co-op securities. Please fill out the Subscription Agreement, and be sure to include your Business Number instead of a SIN.

No, our securities cannot be gifted to a new or minor child. Membership in CED Co-op is restricted to residents of Ontario 16 years of age and older. In order to invest in CED Co-op, members must be 18 years of age and older.

Similar to a mutual fund, this is not a guaranteed investment, nor is it protected under CDIC or DICO. The Co-op’s solar projects have Feed-In Tariff contracts backed by the Provincial Government through the Independent Electrical Systems Operator, for 20 years. The Co-op carries business interruption insurance to offset losses that may occur due to mechanical or extreme weather accidents.

To put it simply, interest is the fee you get for loaning money to the co-op/ bank / government / company / person or whomever you lend it to. A dividend is the money that a company/ co-op pays out to its owners/ shareholders.

Registered Accounts: CWCF sends out statements on an annual basis. Their year-end is September 15th. You can request a statement be sent at any time, however a fee may apply.

Questrade offers monthly account statements. To view your statement, select “Statements” under the “Reports” tab at the top of the page. Clients can also view detailed account activity information, such as when a purchase was booked in the account, deposits and transfers, and withdrawals by selecting “Account Activity” under the “Reports” tab.

Non-registered Accounts: Once your investment with CED Co-op is finalized, you will be given access to Member Zone, our online portal to view your investment information. In Member Zone you can see the current value of your investments, update your profile information, access your T5, and more.