How OUR Community Dollar™ Works
OUR Community Dollar is a privately issued local currency that runs in parallel with the Canadian dollar. When members earn and spend OC$, that value stays inside OUR local economy instead of leaving the community.
What is OUR Community Dollar?
OUR Community Dollar (OC$) is a complementary currency — a locally issued dollar that works alongside the Canadian dollar, not instead of it. Think of it as a loyalty program supercharged with real purchasing power: every OC$ you earn is a dollar you spend at a participating local business.
By keeping dollars circulating inside Waterloo Region, Wellington County, and surrounding communities, OC$ builds a self-reinforcing local economy where businesses gain customers, shoppers gain value, and the whole community grows stronger together.
5 Steps to a Thriving Community
From joining to spending — here is exactly how OC$ flows through our local economy.
The 6-spoke OC$ cycle — value circulates continuously within our community
Join the Program
Choose your membership type — OC$ Shopper or OC$ Business. Shoppers join for $30 + HST/year and immediately receive OC$ as part of their welcome package. Businesses join at a tier that matches their size and receive OC$ to use and re-distribute as purchases, rewards, and promotions.
Once you're a member, you have access to the OC$ network: a directory of local businesses that accept OC$, a Give & Get Marketplace to exchange goods and services, and community events that bring members together.
Spend OC$
Use your OC$ as partial or full payment at any participating local business in the directory. OC$ is accepted exactly like cash — the business records the transaction, and you pay the remainder (if any) in Canadian dollars.
Every time you spend OC$ at a local business, you're reinforcing the local economy: the business uses those OC$ to pay their own suppliers, staff bonuses, or promotions — keeping the cycle alive.
Give and Get Program
The Give & Get Program is the heart of OC$. Member businesses give a discount or a portion of their product/service in OC$ to attract new customers, and get OC$ back when those same customers shop at other local businesses.
It's a collaborative model: businesses promote each other, shoppers discover new local options, and the entire community benefits from increased foot traffic and purchasing power that stays local. Think of it as a community loyalty network owned by no single business.
Give and Get Marketplace
The Give & Get Marketplace is an online exchange where members can list goods, services, and skill-based offerings that can be purchased entirely in OC$ — no Canadian dollars required.
A tradesperson might offer two hours of consulting in exchange for OC$. A restaurant might list gift cards purchasable in OC$. A retailer might offer overstock items. The Marketplace extends the reach of OC$ far beyond traditional point-of-sale, creating a true community exchange economy.
Spend Your OC$
Once you've accumulated OC$ — through your membership welcome package, the Give & Get Program, Marketplace transactions, or community events — it's time to spend them and complete the cycle.
Head back to the directory, find a business that accepts OC$, and use your balance. Every purchase re-injects value into the local economy. The more members spend, the more businesses accept OC$, the more the community prospers — that's the OC$ flywheel in action.
OC$ Community Impact
Real numbers. Real community. Real difference.