A study done for the Ontario Co-operative Association suggests the sector contributes almost 6 billion dollars a year to the province's GDP.
The highest number of co-operatives in the province are in housing and child-care services.
However, the study shows agriculture, insurance, finance and wholesale co-operatives are the economic driver for the sector.
The study was based on the 2010 annual co-operative survey conducted by Industry Canada.
It suggests the Ontario co-operative sector injects 3 point 3 billion dollars into household income and is responsible for providing more than 57 thousand full-time equivalent jobs.
The Ontario Co-operative Association is the trade organisation for the province's 13 hundred co-operative business enterprises.
