Our Story
Long before the Trans-Canada Highway or even the Canadian Pacific Railway, exploration and trade throughout Canada was facilitated by canoe. In keeping with that entrepreneurial spirit, municipal associations across Canada have partnered to create the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada, one of the largest public sector buying groups in the country.
By combining the purchasing power of over 5,000 public and not-for-profit organizations throughout Canada, Canoe is uniquely positioned to get members access to a wide range of trade-compliant products and services at preferred rates.
History
In 1936, a handful of Western Canadian municipalities decided to combine their purchasing power to procure common necessities for their communities at better prices. This practice proved effective, and the program was gradually expanded.
In 2008, Prairie Fuel Advisors (PFA) Ltd. became a subsidiary of the group, which set the stage for the group’s journey across Canada to become leaders in municipal procurement.
The procurement group partnered with the National Joint Powers Association (now known as Sourcewell) in 2014 to further expand procurement options.
As the group expanded, all three Canadian Prairie Provinces partnered together to make cooperative procurement programs available to every municipality in Western Canada. Shortly thereafter, Newfoundland and Labrador joined, bringing programs to Eastern Canada for the first time. The group welcomed Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in 2019, then expanded again in 2020 with the addition of New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories.
The procurement group – which had been operating jointly but branding separately – launched Canoe in June 2021, a unified identity for all Canadian municipal, public sector, and not-for-profit organizations to participate in collectively. Shortly thereafter, British Columbia formally joined the group. Nunavut and the Yukon followed suit in 2023, bringing the count of formally participating provinces and territories to 12.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: make procurement easier and more effective for public sector organizations. We offer hundreds of contracts across diverse industries, enabling our members to access essential goods and services with confidence and compliance.
A Legacy of Collaboration and Growth
Canoe Procurement Group of Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit organization built by the public sector for the public sector.
Since the early days of Canadian exploration, the canoe has symbolized partnership, trade, and resilience. Inspired by this legacy, Canoe has grown into one of the country’s largest public sector buying groups, serving over 6,000 municipalities, public sector entities, and not-for-profit organizations across Canada to make procurement easier and more effective. Today, Canoe supports members through cooperative procurement, group benefits, and insurance services, each developed in response to member needs and delivered through trusted partnerships.
Our roots trace back to 1936, when municipal leaders came together to solve a pressing challenge: securing essential goods and services that were difficult to procure on their own. One of the earliest needs was rat poison, critical for protecting public health at the time. What began as a way to help communities access scarce resources has since evolved into a nationwide network that empowers members with streamlined procurement solutions. More than just better pricing, Canoe was founded on the principle of ensuring municipalities could get what they needed to serve their communities effectively, a mission that continues to drive us today.
Milestones in Our Journey
Diverse Services, One Purpose
Canoe empowers municipalities, public sector entities, and not-for-profit organizations through three core service areas: Procurement, Benefits, and Insurance.
Together, these divisions reflect Canoe’s mission to simplify operations, maximize value, and support local communities from coast to coast to coast.
Procurement
Canoe’s procurement program offers trade-compliant contracts already competitively tendered on the public sector’s behalf. Members can access essential products and services while benefiting from collective buying power and streamlined processes.
Available in: All provinces and territories except Quebec.
Group Benefits
Continuing a legacy of over 70 years offering insurance services, Canoe supports organizations with comprehensive, cost-effective, and flexible benefits solutions tailored to their workforce. Options include health, dental, life, disability, and enhanced plans for councils and leadership teams.
Available in: Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Insurance
Canoe’s insurance services offer specialized coverage for the public sector, including property, liability, cyber, and environmental risk. Members also receive support through proactive risk management and localized claims assistance.
Available in: New Brunswick.
Powered by Collaboration
Collaboration is at the heart of Canoe. We work with municipal associations across Canada, and our partner Sourcewell, to provide member organizations access to preferential pricing on trade-compliant purchasing programs that leverage the collective buying power of all involved.
Our association partners, from coast to coast to coast, bring valuable expertise and advocacy to our network, ensuring that our procurement solutions meet the specific needs of local communities. Together, we harness local insights to refine our processes, maximize value, and drive innovation in public procurement.
CivicInfo BC
CivicInfo BC is a non-profit society with a membership base that includes all local governments across British Columbia. It started in 1998, as a need was identified for an online information service that provides a wide variety of tools and information resources for those who work, or have an interest, in the province’s municipal sector.
Rural Municipalities of Alberta
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) has been representing Alberta’s 69 municipal districts, counties, specialized municipalities, and the Special Areas since 1909. It has a long history of cooperative procurement dating back to bulk purchases of rat poison for its members, one of the reasons Alberta remains rat-free today.
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) has worked with Saskatchewan’s rural municipalities since 1905, bringing their voice to both the provincial and federal governments.
Association of Manitoba Municipalities
The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) was formed in 1999 from a merger of the Union of Manitoba Municipalities (established 1905) and the Manitoba Association of Urban Municipalities (created in 1949).
Local Authority Services – AMO Business Services
Local Authority Services (LAS) is a not-for-profit organization formed by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) in 1992 to assist member organizations through cooperative procurement and a variety of training programs and services.
Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick
The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB) is a bilingual association established in 1994 representing 61 local governments and more than a third of the population of the province.
Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities
The Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities (FPEIM) was established in 1957 to represent municipalities in the province collectively. Originally formed with 12 municipalities, it has now grown to 41 members across the island.
Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities
The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM) was established in 1906 and today represents the collective voice of all 49 municipalities in the province.
Municipalities Newfoundland & Labrador
Formed in 1951, Municipalities Newfoundland & Labrador (MNL) has grown to represent more than 97 per cent of the 276 incorporated municipalities throughout the province.
Northwest Territories Association of Communities
Since 1966, the Northwest Territories Association of Communities (NWTAC) has provided information exchange and unified initiatives for all 33 of the territory’s communities.
Association of Yukon Communities
The Association of Yukon Communities is a well-known non-profit organization that represents and supports the interests of Yukoners through their steadfast efforts to further the establishment of responsible government at the community level and to provide a united approach to community ambitions. Created in 1974, the association has assisted communities in their endeavour to achieve strong and effective local government, thereby improving the quality of life for all the people of the territory. Their membership may encompass municipalities, local advisory councils, and First Nations.
Nunavut Association of Municipalities
The NWT Association of Municipalities was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of municipal governments in what was then the Northwest Territories. With the creation of Nunavut, came the creation of a new association in 1999 representing the 25 municipalities .The Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM) is the non-governmental organization providing a forum, support and a unified voice for municipalities across Nunavut.
Sourcewell
Canoe has a long history as a group purchasing organization (GPO), dating back to 1936. Over the decades, our procurement offerings continued to evolve, but by 2014, we recognized the need to expand beyond the legacy contracts we had in place. To address that need, we sought out a like-minded partner with a proven public procurement focus that could supplement our existing offerings to meet the growing needs of our members.
Sourcewell, a government agency with a strong track record in cooperative purchasing, was a natural fit, as both organizations were created by the public sector for the public sector. Recognizing this alignment, Canoe and Sourcewell formed a formal partnership in 2014 to make Sourcewell’s contracts available to Canadian members in full compliance with Canadian trade regulations.
Our relationship is structured through a contractual agreement, allowing Canoe to promote and manage Sourcewell contracts in Canada. To ensure full compliance, we actively co-tender Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with Sourcewell, making us an integral part of the tendering process. This ensures all contracts meet the requirements of CFTA, CETA, and regional trade agreements, providing our members with streamlined, cost-effective procurement solutions that uphold the highest standards of public sector procurement.
