Buying locally David Hendricks learns how Eastern Canadians, using the co-operative business model of Co-op Atlantic, are making a positive difference in the lives of their fellow citizens by helping to meet their economic, cultural and social needs, while improving their own lives as well. The concept of a co-operative, or co-op, goes back centuries and is loosely defined as an association of people who choose to unite to meet common economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned, democratically controlled enterprise.