Ste Anne Co-op becomes Clearview

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This article was published 28/03/2018 (2228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Ste Anne Co-operative Oil Ltd. have approved a name change to Clearview Consumers Co-op Ltd., though the familiar red-and-white branding will remain.

“We wanted a name that includes all communities we serve, and that still speaks to the history and vision that we have for customer service, member equity returns, and community commitment,” said general manager Henry Nickel.

“I think it suits us well. We’ve got a clear view if there’s no bush in the way,” he quipped.

The special resolution at last Thursday’s annual general meeting required a two-thirds majority vote.

Members also learned last year’s total sales increased by nearly 12 percent to $121 million. Cheques totalling just over $6.6 million were recently mailed to 22,000 active members, Nickel said.

The co-op, which began in 1927 when a group of farmers from the Blumenort area purchased a railcar of distillate, was named after its first location.

“The railroad being in Ste Anne, they parked it there,” Nickel recalled.

But over time, the name began to cause confusion in expansion communities, which now include towns as far away as Fort Frances, Ont., which receives propane deliveries.

Noting other Canadian co-ops have chosen a new regional name as they expand or amalgamate, Nickel said the Town of Ste Anne remains “a very important part of our history.”

Costs associated with the name change are “minimal,” he said, and signage will be changed gradually.

“We’ve held off with some signs that are due for an upgrade because we knew the change would be coming.”

Clearview Co-op’s 14 locations include a new 24-hour Cardlock fuel station completed earlier this year along Highway 12 at Clear Springs Road East.