On February 27, CCEDNet sent the following letter to Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty calling for the federal government to renew the co-operative development initiative (CDI) in 2012, the international year of co-operatives.
By facilitating the start-up and expansion of new co-operatives through project funding and advisory services, the CDI program makes an important contribution to Canada’s economic growth. Funding for this program amounts to approximately $4 million per year, a relatively small expenditure given the impact it has had on co-operative development.
The federal government can help create jobs, set up new locally-owned businesses, and revitalize our economy by announcing the renewal of the CDI as a legacy of the International Year of Co-operatives. While viewing this as a priority, the Canadian Community Economic Development Network also supports implementation of the Canadian Co-operative Association’s proposed Co-operative Investment Plan and co- operative development loan fund.
L’assemblée générale annuelle (A.G.A.) du Réseau canadien de DÉC aura lieu le 6 juin, 2012 en lien avec la conférence de DÉC de l’Ontario au Learning Enrichment Foundation à Toronto.
Les mises en nomination sont ouvertes pour trois postes au Conseil d’administration du RCDÉC. Toute membre du RCDÉC désirant investir ses énergies et visions dans le mouvement de DÉC du Canada est vivement encouragée à soumettre une candidature. Les mises en nomination doivent être soumises au plus tard le 6 avril 2012.
Cette année, nous acceptons donc les nominations pour trois postes d’administratrices et administrateurs, qui seront élus par l’ensemble des membres pour un mandat de trois ans.
Toutes les résolutions doivent être transmises à Stéphanie Cloutier par courriel au plus tard le 6 avril à 17 h (heure de l’Est). Les résolutions tardives seront conservées pour l’A.G.A. de l’année suivante.
Toutes les personnes ayant parrainé des résolutions seront contactées au plus tard le 27 avril. Ces personnes seront alors avisées que leur résolution sera présentée au cours de l’A.G.A., ou que leur résolution a été rejetée, car elle ne respectait pas les exigences requises.
The Canadian CED Network’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held on June 6th, 2012 in conjunction with the Ontario regional CED conference at the Learning Enrichment Foundation in Toronto.
Nominations are currently being sought for three positions on CCEDNet’s Board of Directors. CCEDNet members with energy and a vision for the CED movement in Canada are encouraged to submit their candidacy. The deadline to receive nominations is April 6, 2012.
This year we are seeking nominations for three at-large directors who will be elected to a three-year term by the members.
All resolutions must be submitted to Stéphanie Cloutier at no later than April 6, at 5:00 p.m. (EST). Late resolutions will be held over to the AGM in the following year.
All sponsors of resolutions will be contacted no later than April 27. At that time, sponsors will be notified that their resolution will be presented at the AGM or that the resolution has been rejected because it does not fulfill the requirements.
In the summer of 2011, 118 social enterprises across Manitoba were surveyed in an effort to develop clear indicators of the sector’s size, market activities, and socio-economic impacts. Although the results are prelimary, this report builds a strong case for all stakeholders to value the distinct contributions of social enterprises and to work together in creating a supportive environment in which the sector can grow.
This report builds on research that was conducted on the social enterprise sectors in British Columbia and Alberta. Similar projects are also underway in Ontario and Eastern Canada in an effort to measure and quanitfy the impacts of social enterprises across Canada.
Key findings that are presented in this report include:
The missions or mandates that responding social enterprises in Manitoba pursue
Market activites that these social enterprises are involved in to achieve their goals
The geographic location, organizational structure, and age of social enterprises
The number of Manitobans trained and/or employed by social enterprises and their average earnings
Number of people in Manitoba who benefit from the services of responding social enterprises
Financial indicators such as sources of revenue, expenses, and overall profitability
The Board and staff of the Canadian CED Network extend our best wishes to you, your family and colleagues throughout the holiday season. We look forward to continuing to work together for sustainable and inclusive communities in 2012.
2. Strategic Planning – Your Input is Important!
With our current strategic plan coming to a close, CCEDNet’s Board has undertaken a new strategic planning process for 2012-2014. Over the coming months, we will be asking for members’ feedback on key issues with short on-line surveys. We promise to make these surveys quick and easy. Your input is vital to guiding CCEDNet’s future. Watch your email in-box for more information!
3. It’s Membership Renewal Time
Year end is also time for CCEDNet membership renewal. Current members will receive their renewal notices in the mail in the coming weeks. A strong and diverse membership is CCEDNet’s greatest strength, so please take a moment to renew your membership when you receive your notice.
If you are not a member and would like to join, contact us at
4. Share the New Policy Priorities for CED in Canada
Last month, CCEDNet members received a copy of new policy priorities, which were also mailed to all 308 MPs. CCEDNet’s Policy Council is encouraging members to share this document within their own organization, and to use it in communications with officials at all three levels of government. Let us know what you think of this new presentation, and who you share it with by emailing Kirsten at
5. Award Winning Members!
Anyone familiar with CCEDNet knows how innovative and dynamic our members are. A number of members have recently won awards for their fine work.
Nancy Hartling, from Support to Single Parents in Moncton, NB won the Governor General’s Persons Award for her outstanding contributions to advance equality for women in Canada.
Caroline Arcand of Groupe Convex in Eastern Ontario won one of the Trico Charitable Foundation’s 2011 Social Enterprize Awards. Potluck Café and Mission Possible from Vancouver were also winners. You can see a video of all the Social Enterprize winners on our YouTube Channel
Do you have an award or honour to celebrate? Let us know!
6. Beyond Communications
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela
Filled with meaningful art and quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Ghandi and the Dalai Lama, Calgary CCEDNet member Momentum’s latest annual report ‘Beyond’ is a powerful example of how we can effectively communicate the impacts and value of a CED approach in communities. Have a look.
We love learning about what you do! Please send us copies of your annual reports and other communications materials via snail mail or email.
7. Final CSEHub Webinars and E-books
The final webinar sessions were held by the Canadian Social Economy Hub at the end of November. The sessions on Community-University Partnerships, Public Policy, and a Thematic Analysis of social economy research can be viewed on the website of the Canadian Social Economy Hub. Three e-books on these topics will be published in the coming weeks – watch for more information on the website and in future newsletters.
8. Fair Trade and CED: What’s the Link?
CCEDNet’s International Committee is offering a series of webinars on themes that connect CED initiatives in Southern countries with Canada. Resources and recordings of past sessions on Fair Trade and CED, community forestry, microcredit, the co-construction of public policy and FIESS 2011, and food security and sovereignty are available on the International Committee pages of our website.
The next session will be on women’s economic empowerment on January 24, 2012, with subsequent sessions on cooperative development and sustainable tourism. Watch future bulletins for more information.
9. Dreaming of More Sun?
CCEDNet’s International webinars are supported by Uniterra, one of Canada’s largest volunteer placement programs. With placements from two weeks to two years, there are always opportunities to explore new cultures, share your expertise and support local organizations that are working actively to improve living conditions around the world. Current postings include a project co-ordinator for Mali’s Social Economy Network and a semi-industrial production Advisor in Burkina Faso.
Have a video you want to share? We post and ‘favourite’ videos on our YouTube Channel, such as this one presenting the work of CCEDNet member Groupe Convex, winner of the Trico Charitable Foundation’s 2011 Social Enterprize Awards. Click here to view it. We also post frequent news updates and announcements to our Facebook fan page and on Twitter. Check us out!
CED News and Events
11. The International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy
More than 1,600 participants from 62 countries took part in the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montréal last October.
The Forum produced a wealth of documents, presentations, videos and photos that are available on the website.
12. Fourth Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise
Congratulations to the Social Enterprise Council of Canada and the Atlantic Council for Community and Social Enterprise for the successful fourth Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise that was held in Halifax, November 20-22. The program included a wonderful keynote from Rankin MacSween, a strong endorsement for social enterprises from the Premier of Nova Scotia, a Social Enterprise Angels competition and intensive day-long and half-day training and policy sessions.
To see the full program and for more information, click here.
13. 2011 Manitoba CD/CED Gathering Another Success
More than 500 participants attended the 9th annual Manitoba CD/CED Gathering on October 21 in Winnipeg. This year, in addition to the wide range of workshops, helpful hints for building capacity and engaging your community, networking and connecting with people from a variety of sectors, participants enjoyed the Manitoba premier of the Economics of Happiness and a keynote address by Silver Donald Cameron.
Thanks to everyone who contributed and participated!
14. Awards for Youth Homelessness and Financial Literacy Efforts
Eva’s Initiatives is offering four awards of $25,000 to organizations that are integrating supports to prevent and break the cycle of youth homelessness. The deadline for applications is January 20.
SEDI’s TD Financial Literacy Grant Fund recently announced the winners of its third round of funding for financial literacy projects. It is now accepting applications for its fourth round of grants — the deadline is February 2, 2012
Thousands of co-op and credit union members across Canada will be holding events on Thursday, January 12 to officially launch the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. A national launch event will take place at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre from 11:30 to 1:30 EST, together with 13 regional launch events. The Ottawa event will feature a live webcast starting at 12:30 EST. The webcast can be viewed here.
Participants across the country are also being encouraged to report on their events on Twitter using the hashtag #coop12jan.
The launch events will take place in the following locations (the listed start times are the local times in each region):
Ottawa (national launch): 11:30 a.m., Fountain Room, National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin Street
Yellowknife, NT: 9:30 a.m., Northern Images Gallery, 4801 Franklin Avenue
CCEDNet Manitoba hosted its annual Policy Summit in November to determine our policy directions and priorities for the coming year. Over 40 CCEDNet Manitoba members attended the Summit to discuss, debate and vote on our collective policy agenda for 2012. CCEDNet members approved ten Policy Resolutions on areas including co-operative housing, support for social enterprise and reducing utility bills for low income Manitobans.
CCEDNet will partner with its members in the coming year to advance the Resolutions that were identified through the Summit process. CCEDNet also remains committed to working towards achieving our 2011 Policy Resolutions that are at varying stages of progress.
At the conclusion of the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy, Québec’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy suggested that an interprovincial meeting on the social economy be held to continue to advance and support work that provinces are doing across Canada.
In support of that suggestion, the coalition of groups that organized the National Summit on a People-Centred Economy sent a letter to Minister Lessard encouraging him to move forward on that idea, and offering our support.
Spark, a service of CCEDNet, was recently profiled in two widely-circulated news sources in Winnipeg.
On Manitoba, the alumni magazine of the University of Manitoba, and the Winnipeg Free Press both featured articles on Spark’s work in connecting non-profit organizations in Winnipeg with volunteers who have specialized skills.
The On Manitoba article includes a profile on Spark’s program coordinator Geoff Ripat, who is a graduate of the U of M. In the Winnipeg Free Press, Matt Prepost highlights a match that Spark made between a new social enterprise cafe and an interior designer.
Follow the links below to read these great profiles:
Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 12:00pm Eastern, 9:00am Pacific
Register TODAY and join us to learn about how fair trade is strengthening communities in Canada and around the world.
BACKGROUND Over the last 15 years, the fair trade market has grown exponentially. But in the context of continued globalization, is it actually changing economic systems and building sustainable livelihoods? Through an evaluation of fair trade for rural women knitters in Bolivia to the promotion of Fair Trade in Manitoba, and a new initiative to create a Canadian Fair Trade coalition, this webinar will assess the impacts of fair trade and its contribution to economic empowerment.
SPEAKERS: • Jean-Frédéric Lemay, JFL Consultants • Tamara Stenn, Keene State College, New Hampshire • Zach Gross, Manitoba Council for International Cooperation A question and answer period will follow.
SESSION LOGISTICS: • Date: Tuesday December 13, 2011 • Webinar begins at 12:00 noon Eastern time, 9:00 am Pacific time • Participation is free of charge • Register by December 11th to obtain connection information and additional resources. This session will be in English.
Please share this invitation to interested members or contacts.
To wind up five years of research on the social economy in Canada, the Canadian Social Economy Hub is pleased to announce a final series of three telelearning sessions scheduled for the end of November. The three unique but interrelated sessions present the depth of research produced by the regional and national nodes, drawing on three ebooks that are soon to be published on the following subjects:
Community-University Partnerships November 25, 2011 at 12pm Eastern Time (9am Pacific Time) http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca/node/3246
How are communities and universities partnering together to advance the social economy? What models exist for these kinds of partnerships? This session will present lessons from the six years of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships by the co-editors of the new book, Community-University Research Partnerships: Reflections on the Canadian Social Economy Experience
Featuring… Peter Hall, Associate Professor in the Urban Studies Program at Simon Fraser University, and Chair, CCEDNet Research Advisory Committee Ian MacPherson, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Canadian Social Economy Hub.
Moderator: Michael Toye, Executive Director of the Canadian CED Network
A Thematic Analysis of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships
November 29, 2011 at 12pm Eastern Time (9am Pacific Time) http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca/node/3247
Close to 400 products were generated through the various research projects coming out of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP). In this session, the co-authors of a new book analysing the major research themes present key findings from the most prominent research topics.
Featuring… Joy Emmanuel, co-op developer, researcher, and CED practitioner living at OUR Ecovillage on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Matthew Thompson, knowledge mobilization specialist with the Canadian CED Network.
Moderator: Ian MacPherson, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Canadian Social Economy Hub.
Public Policy and the Social Economy
December 1, 2011 at 12pm Eastern Time (9am Pacific Time) http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca/node/3248
Over the five years of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, public policy emerged as a significant theme. Drawing upon the findings of Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP) reports, this session will review the key public policy issues for the development of the social economy and look ahead to the policy recommendations that could further stimulate the growth of the sector.
Featuring…. Rupert Downing, Executive Director of the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria and Co-Director of the Canadian Social Economy Research Hub
Moderator: Jorge Sousa, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, and Co-Chair, CSEHub Public Policy Committee
CALL LOGISTICS:
All calls will last 1 hour with opportunities for questions and discussion. Connection information will only be provided to those who register. To ensure you receive this information make sure to register at least 2 days in advance of the telelearning session.
These sessions will be in English.
REGISTRATION:
Register online (make sure to select only those sessions you wish to attend)
For questions about registration please contact Matthew Thompson by phoning 1-416-760-2578 or e-mailing .
Limited number of spaces available – Register soon!
This spring, CCEDNet’s Policy Council updated our Policy Prioritiesto build on the momentum of last year’s National Summit on a People-Centred Economy. A summary version has been sent to every MP’s Ottawa office, and we encourage you to send it to your constituency offices when promoting your work with federal partners.
Also, why not share a copy with your Board and staff members, to highlight CCEDNet’s role as a voice for CED in Canada?
Abstract:
1. Holiday Wishes
BUILD in Winnipeg won the $50,000 
Nancy Hartling, from Support to Single Parents in Moncton, NB won the 
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela
Congratulations to the Social Enterprise Council of Canada and the Atlantic Council for Community and Social Enterprise for the successful fourth Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise that was held in Halifax, November 20-22. The program included a wonderful keynote from Rankin MacSween, a strong endorsement for social enterprises from the Premier of Nova Scotia, a Social Enterprise Angels competition and intensive day-long and half-day training and policy sessions.
More than 500 participants attended the 
Thousands of co-op and credit union members across Canada will be holding events on Thursday, January 12 to officially launch the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. A national launch event will take place at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre from 11:30 to 1:30 EST, together with 13 regional launch events. The Ottawa event will feature a live webcast starting at 12:30 EST. The webcast can be viewed 
Spark, a service of CCEDNet, was recently profiled in two widely-circulated news sources in Winnipeg. 