English – Page 26 – Canadian CED Network

Every year, CCEDNet members are invited to submit nominations for CCEDNet’s Board of Directors. This year, there were four vacancies to be filled.

Four eligible nominations were received by the deadline, leading our Elections Officer to declare the following candidates elected by acclamation:

Emmanuel Bertrand-Gauvin
Ryan Gibson
Carol Anne Hilton
Luc Morin

The results will be ratified at CCEDNet’s Annual General Meeting of the members on June 14.

Congratulations to these amazing CED leaders from across Canada, who will be part of CCEDNet’s dedicated Board of Directors.

Emmanuel Bertrand-Gauvin

Emmanuel Bertrand-Gauvin is the person in charge of the Business Women Services at the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Economic Development Commission (FNQLEDC, cdepnql.org).

The objective is to mobilize women and interested parties and to accompany them in the implementation of strategies that will make a difference in diversifying economic opportunities.

More generally, his work seeks to optimize the local, regional and national resources to help improve the living conditions of First Nations people. Consultation, mobilisation and innovation are the key issues.

He has worked for the Makivik Corporation in Nunavik (makivik.org).The Corporation mandates ranges from social economic development to improved conditions of Nunavik Inuit. He also worked several years for a nonprofit Publishing company.

He has a Master’s Degree in Economic Anthropology, specializing in the practices of pension fund managers and more generally on the redistribution of wealth.

Ryan Gibson

Ryan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. Ryan is the Chair of CCEDNet’s Membership Committee and has served on the executive committee. Ryan’s interests are focused on rural and northern communities and regions, specifically focused on governance, collaboration, cooperatives, philanthropy, and rural revitalization. Ryan was, until recently, President of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation.

Carol Anne Hilton

Carol Anne Hilton, MBA is the CEO of Transformation International an award winning Social and Economic development company. Carol Anne is a recognized leading First Nation’s business entrepreneur with a Masters Degree in Business Management (MBA) from the University of Hertfordshire, England. Carol Anne is from the Nuu chah nulth Nation on Vancouver Island.

Carol Anne works to incorporate an Aboriginal worldview while bringing First Nations, industry and government together to design new approaches for sustainable, inclusive development. Carol Anne brings project management experience across industries in resource management, governance, and regional development.

Luc Morin

An enthusiast of the nonprofit world, Luc Morin has worked for more than 35 years in organizations in Ontario and Canada and in various spheres of development. Mr. Morin is the Executive Director for the Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario (CCO) and has a background in Business Administration.

Prior to joining the CCO in 2008, Mr. Morin led a number of regional, provincial and federal initiatives in different sectors including arts, culture, education, health, family services, agriculture, special needs, immigration, tourism, community development, and currently the social and cooperative economy. In addition, he has participated in the implementation of a development project in China and the development of several cooperatives and social enterprises.

As project manager and collaborator in the delivery of services across Ontario and the country, over the years Mr. Morin has been an active member on more than 50 boards of directors, not to mention his active participation in several regional, provincial and pan-Canadian committees too numerous to count.

Thunder Bay’s, Rosalind Lockyer was honoured this past Saturday at the Women Economic Forum for her work to empower women. Roz is among the leaders involved in CCEDNet from its early days. She is a past CCEDNet Board member, past Chair of CCEDNet’s Policy Council and current member of our Finance Committee.

Local leader and founding executive director of Paro Centre for Women’s Enterprise and co-founder of the national Women’s Economic Council, Rosalind Lockyer, will be named an International Woman of the Decade for Community Leadership at the Women Economic Forum 2018 in New Delhi, India. The Women of the Decade in Community Leadership is the highest attainable award presented by the Women Economic Forum.

The esteemed global awards were introduced to acknowledge and reward the exceptional work and strong results of female trailblazers around the world. Lockyer will travel to India at the end of April to receive the award and share her incredible success story in front of more than 2,000 women and men from 150 countries.

“The news of this award had been the most humbling experience of my career,” said Lockyer. “It has been my lifelong passion to empower women to start, grow or build new opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities. With the right networking, mentoring, collaboration and support close to home, I have had the privilege to witness thousands of women realize their dreams and have incredible positive impacts across Canada.

“It is my honour to be part of their journeys and experience their remarkable growth and contributions.”

Lockyer will speak alongside some of the most notable women in the world during the Women’s Economic Forum. The guest of honour is the legendary Nobel Peace Laureate 2015, Mrs. Ouided Bouchamaoui.

“This award is not just for me but for every woman who embodies the spirit of courage, confidence and enterprise to create positive change in her world,” said Lockyer. “Women who, in the face of adversity, challenge and insecurity, have the will to push forward and build prosperity. These women are the heart of our global socio-economic future and together we can achieve more than ever before.”

Originally Published on April 25, 2018 by Submitted by Amanda Bay, Firedog Communications via The Chronicle-Journal

Manitoba Legislative Building The Province of Manitoba, Department of Municipal Relations has announced a new intake for community development funding applications, specifically the Community Places Program, Hometown Manitoba, Neighbourhoods Alive! and Partner 4 Growth.

The following post contains information from the press release, website and conversations with department staff.

A single-window application is being used: http://www.gov.mb.ca/mr/bldgcomm/intake/index.html

Applications will be accepted until May 28, 2018. All project expenses must be incurred by March 31, 2019. Municipal Relations intends to turn around applications in approximately 6-weeks. There is no limit to the size of project.

Existing multi-year agreements with Municipal Relations will honoured in 2018/19. Municipal Relations will be spending $20 M in 2018/19, including the multi-year agreements. Otherwise, there is no news related to existing multi-year agreements, or the possibility of future long-term funding.

The following information is from the department website, with additional information from converations with departmental staff highlighted in bold:

Successful applications will be on planning, building and sustaining communities that address one of the five following areas:

Projects that support women’s empowerment / support women in vulnerable situations
Projects that enable economic development / align with regional development strategies
Key repair of high priority assets
Community Initiatives – community, heritage, tourism and recreation facilities and projects
Social Innovation – examples include support for social enterprises, projects that include a social return on investment (SROI) evaluation and projects that target measurable social outcomes
- There is no formal definition of social innovation; rather, political staff indicated they are not looking to do business as usual.
- Examples of support for social enterprise includes start-up costs for new ventures, improvement of existing activities and equipment and capital expenditures. Salary costs may be an option, but not necessarily.
- An ability and plan to demonstrate outcomes is being heavily emphasized, and groups are encouraged to include costs for outcomes evaluation in their application.
- Organizations may apply to conduct an SROI or similar impact analysis on existing activities.

While Municpal Relations has a expressed a desire for new programming, existing programming that fits their criteria and priorities is eligible. It is unknown how long these areas will remain priorities for the Department.

As overarching criteria, the application must meet at least four of the following criteria:

Addresses one or more of the five identified provincial priorities
Includes a partnership of two or more organizations
Leverages other funds (e.g. private, community, other level of government)
Identifies clear outcome goals as well as measures to assess success
Clear demonstration of the value for investment (return on investment/social return on investment analysis)
First time applicant

FInd out more information here: http://www.gov.mb.ca/mr/bldgcomm/intake/index.html

From left to right: Michael Toye, Yvon Poirier, Ethel Côté,
Paul Singer, Michael Lewis.

Professor Paul Singer passed away on Monday April 16. He had been at the heart of the Solidarity Economy movement in Brazil from the start.

During the Lula Presidency, he was Secretary of State for Solidarity Economy. During those years, 2004 to 2012, he helped create the National Secretariat on Solidarity Economy (SENAES) and he collaborated extensively with the Brazilian Solidarity Economy Forum (FBES). He continued as Secretary of State under the Roussef Presidency until the constitutional coup d’état removed her from office.

Since the FBES has been a key RIPESS member from the start, with their help, Paul Singer participated in many events organized by RIPESS or its members.

I personally am very proud to say that I had different occasions to hear him speak and talk with him. The first time I heard him speak was in November 2006 in Montreal at the occasion of the 10th anniversary celebration of Social Economy policies and movements in Quebec province. We met in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in July 2013 at the annual Solidarity Economy Fair.

Paul Singer and Yvon Poirier, Santa Maria, July 2013

Later in 2013, he spoke at the opening session of the 5th RIPESS global forum in Manila, October 2013.

In May 2013, he gave the keynote speech at the UNRISD conference on SSE, which led directly to the creation of the UN Inter-Agency Taskforce on SSE. The last time I met him was at the Der Solikon conference organized by RIPESS Europe in Berlin, in September 2015.

Even if our friend passed away, the struggle for a better world, a world without exclusion and poverty, a world of justice and a good life for all, will continue. This means building an economy for and by the people, based on their needs, while protecting our planet. Humanity cannot prosper for all if the driving force is capitalism, i.e., the return on capital, which inevitably leads to concentration of wealth.

Paul Singer inspired many people and was at the heart of building the movement. We will continue the struggle for a better world, for all.

Yvon Poirier has a long history of involvement in the labour and social movements in Québec and Canada. He was founding President of the Corporation de développement économique communautaire de Québec in 1994, and member of the organizing committee of the Global Meetings on Community Economic Development in Sherbrooke, Québec in 1998. From November 2003 to July 2013, he co-edited a monthly international e-newsletter on sustainable local development published in four languages. He has been a CCEDNet member since 2003 at first as an individual and since 2012 he represents the CDÉC de Québec. He has been involved in tnternational representation for CCEDNet since 2004. His most significant international involvement has been in the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS). He has participated in many RIPESS conferences in different continents and since October 2o13 is a member of the RIPESS Board of directors. He has also participated in different World Social Forums and he represents RIPESS in the UN Inter-Agency Taskforce om SSE.

*The opinions expressed in blog posts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of CCEDNet

2030-agenda_vnr-env_programme_2030-banner_eng.jpg

2030 Agenda: Canada’s Voluntary National Review Call for input

The Government of Canada is inviting Canadians from all provinces and territories to contribute to Canada’s Voluntary National Review on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda is an ambitious program of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity by the year 2030

Canada’s Voluntary National Review will be presented at the United Nation’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2018.

To make sure the report recognizes Canadian efforts, Global Affairs Canada has created an online portal that provides you with a platform to share stories on how you are contributing to the SDGs both here at home and internationally.

The following questions might serve as a useful guide:

What has your organization or community done to advance the SDGs in Canada or internationally? What gaps have you sought to address?
Has your organization focused on a specific SDG?
How do you plan to measure progress toward the SDGs?
What innovative approaches related to sustainable development have made a difference in your communities?

Submit your input to the review on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The portal will be open for submissions until May 4, 2018.

Community Economic Development and the Social Solidarity Economy are strategic approaches for balanced social and economic development that respects ecological systems. The following resources provide more information:

Your sustainable development activities are important. The CED, social enterprise, social economy examples you share will help ensure that Canada’s Report reflects provincial and territorial level activities that support the SDGs, and reinforce the message that community economic development, social enterprise, and the social solidarity economy can do even more to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for everyone.

Submit your input now

Source: Sustainable Development Office

Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC), a member of the Canadian CED Network, welcomes the April 5 news release from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in which they have unveiled some details of their plan to support the co-operative and mutual sector in Canada. ISED states that their plan will “strengthen the role co-operatives play in Canada’s success.”

The news release marked the one-year anniversary of the unanimous support given to Motion M-100 by the House of Commons. M-100 is a private members motion brought forward by Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard—Saint-Lambert (Quebec).

The government has announced that it will focus on three key directions: accessing federal programs and services, raising awareness of the co-operative business model and modernizing co-operative sector data. The strategy also states that the government will continue to consult with stakeholders on support for innovation within the sector.

“CMC looks forward to working with and supporting the government on these strategic directions and will offer policy recommendations that support the government’s stated objectives of an innovative, inclusive economy,” said CMC President Doug Potentier. “Our policy recommendations will reflect years of input from co-operative and mutual leaders in Canada.”

In particular, CMC will endeavour to make the government aware of co-operative innovations that are emerging in Canada and internationally. The opportunities for the Government of Canada to support the middle class and grow Canada’s economy sustainably with co-operative solutions are robust, and proven. As locally owned entrepreneurial models, Governments at all levels need to be creating the optimal conditions for co-operatives to do what they do best; develop communities economically and socially with an inclusive business model.

As a first step in helping the Government to meet its own policy objectives, CMC invites representatives from the Government to participate in the premier gathering of Co-operative leaders in Canada, the Co-operative Congress in Victoria, BC on June 21-22. This gathering will explore the renewed role of co-operation in a changing world and is the ideal opportunity to be inspired by what is being done by innovative entrepreneurs in the sector.

CMC Executive Director, Denyse Guy believes the timing is right to promote co-operatives and build awareness. “It is an ideal time for everyone to be paying attention to the potential of co-operative innovations. We see the challenges of precarious work, monopolization of platform data, energy transition, health and wellness services and business succession planning, and innovative solutions to these challenges are the next wave of co-operative growth in Canada. A lack of awareness about co-operatives is impeding that progress. Co-operatives are already creating a more innovative and inclusive economy, but there is lots of room to improve and accelerate the results.”

Source: Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada

The following press release was issued by CCEDNet Manitoba member Right to Housing Coalition in response to the Government of Manitoba’s change to Rent Assist and rent-geared-to-income supports. CCEDNet Manitoba is encouraging members and supports to express their opposition to these changes to their MLA, and copy Premier Pallister and Minister Fielding (Department of Families).

Read CCEDNet Manitoba’s policy resolution on affordable and social housing here

Changes to Rent Assist will further increase housing insecurity

Housing advocates are very concerned about the Manitoba government’s decision to once again increase housing costs for people living with low incomes. Later this year low-income households will be expected to pay 30% of their income on shelter costs. This builds on last year’s decision to raise the threshold from 25% to 28%.

“We’re starting to see an alarming trend when it comes to the choices this government has made around addressing housing insecurity and homelessness in Manitoba. Increasing housing costs will only make it more difficult for people to escape poverty and in the worst cases will force some families into homelessness,” said Kirsten Bernas, the Right to Housing Coalition.

The changes will impact people living in Manitoba Housing and other low-income Manitobans who are renting in the private market and not on Employment and Income Assistance. As a result of these cumulative increases, a full time minimum wage worker living below the poverty line has to find up to another $109 dollars a month for rent. A single parent with two children living at the poverty line has to find another $148 dollars a month for rent. These are very significant amounts of money to make up when you are living on a limited budget.

The Province has said that these changes will give it a greater ability to support more Manitobans but it also says that it will save them $1.9M. “How does the Province plan to help more families while also saving the money that low-income Manitobans are now pitching in for? We are concerned that these cuts represent yet another example of this government trying to balance the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Bernas.

The table below shows the gross impact of increasing the deductible from 28 to 30 per cent. A single full time minimum wage earner would receive approximately $35 less per month and a single parent with two children with income at the poverty line would receive nearly $50 less, based on current median market rent.

The actual impact of this change could be affected by the timing of the roll out of the new rates. An increase in Rent Assist is mandated by law for July 1 each year to account for rising rents. For example, the cost of a median two-bedroom apartment went up by $39 in Winnipeg last year. Absent changes to the regulation, a family of three or four would have received an increase of approximately $27 on July 1 to help them pay for the increased rent. However, the combination of the two changes at the same time will mean instead of seeing an increase in benefits, families will experience either a cut in benefits or reduction in the planned increase.

Family type	Rent Assist			Cuts (2017 and 2018)
Income (annual)	Rent (75% Median Market Rent) per month	Current Rent Assist	Rent Assist with Change to 30%	Cut in 2018	Cut in 2017	Total Cuts (2017 and 2018)
Single minimum wage worker: (Part-time and full-time)
$8,580.00	$563	$362.80	$348.50	-$14.30	-$41.45	-$55.75
$21,450.00	$563	$62.50	$26.75	-$35.75	-$73.75	-$109.38
Single parent; 2 children, at Market Basket Measure (MBM):
$31,611.00	$787	$49.16	$0.00	-$49.16	-$99.03	-$148.19
2 parents; 3 children, at MBM:
$35,342.00	$980	$155.35	$96.45	-$58.90	-$108.36	-$167.26

View the PDF version

The Canadian CED Network continues to be busy and 2017 was no exception. Here is an overview of some of our accomplishments.

2017 Highlights

• Web traffic continues to grow with 3,000 unique visitors each week on our seven websites. Our online toolbox now has over 1,300 resources and there are nearly 200 posts on our blog. COMMUNICATIONS

• Our Facebook page now has over 2,000 likes and our Twitter account surpassed 3,200 followers.

• Videos on our YouTube channel have been viewed over 22,000 times.

• In 2017, our websites received more than 175,000 visits for news, events, resources & jobs.

• In June, we held our third fully virtual AGM with online voting & simultaneous translation.

• The 2nd Annual Nova Scotia Potluck was hosted by our Nova Scotia CED Chapter where we discussed how we can strengthen the Chapter into the future including a The Gathering: Bringing Manitoba's Community Builders Together possible expansion into a pan-Maritime Chapter.

• Our 15th annual Manitoba Gathering brought together nearly 500 people & featured keynote addresses from Carol Anne Hilton and Chimwemwe Undi.

• In May, CCEDNet – Manitoba co-hosted the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise, in partnership with the Social Enterprise Council of Canada. Over 3 days, over 250 people gathered from across Canada to dive deep into peer-led learning for social enterprise development.

EconoUs2017 Innovating for Shared Prosperity

• EconoUs, our annual national conference, brought nearly 400 participants to downtown Calgary for a campus-based approach to connect, learn and take action towards inclusive communities backed by resilient economies. Co-hosted with Thrive Calgary and an awesome team of local partners, EconoUs2017 was a 2018 winner of the Calgary Event Awards for Outstanding Event in the conference category!

• CCEDNet began hosting the BC Community Impact Investment Coalition to bring together co-ops and other groups from across BC to build a movement for local ethical investing that benefits rural and urban local communities.

• The Social Enterprise Ecosystem project (S4ES) launched in 2017. A groundbreaking partnership between the Canadian CED Network, the Chantier de l’économie sociale, Buy Social Canada, Social Enterprise Institute and Social Value Lab, S4ES seeks to establish a more coherent ecosystem in collaboration with the many other social enterprise developers throughout Canada. CAPACITY BUILDING

• Twelve Winnipeg workshops on topics like Build & Grow Your Social Enterprise and When Media Comes Calling: Prepare and Deliver! !, Tools for Great Facilitation, and the Power of Story attracted 185 participants.

• Spark, CCEDNet’s pro bono matching service, in partnership with Social Enterprise Manitoba and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, is now creating industry-specific mentorships between local social enterprises and business leaders looking to give back to the community. In 2017, social enterprise BUILD was matched with the head of a local construction company, and New Direction’s social enterprise Cafe 6 was matched with a local coffee entrepreneur and expert.

• Social Enterprise Manitoba released a Progress Report on the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy and continued work with the Province to pilot initiatives that will increase skills, open procurement opportunities, improve evaluation, and better network the sector. We also launched our re-vamped Social Enterprise Intensive Development Support Program, supporting 2 enterprises with small grants and 5 with an intensive development workshop combined with 12 months of business coaching.

Social Enterprise Gift Guide • SEOntario.org, our virtual showcase of social enterprise in Ontario published a social enterprise holiday gift guide for a second year, in collaboration with 20 partners. The Guide received over 5,000 views.

• CCEDNet joined Together 2030 to Promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and renewed its Membership in RIPESS.

• CCEDNet welcomed three new board members; Carol Ann Hilton (CEO of Transformation International), Kaye Grant (Consultant with Reconnaissance Management Consulting Group), and Emmanuel Bertrand Gauvin (Coordinator Business Women Project for the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Economic Development Commission).

• Two CCEDNet members, David LePage and David Upton, were selected to the 15 member steering group for the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy. Also selected were Lauren Dobell, from CCEDNet member Vancity, and Nancy Neamtan, founder and Strategic advisor with the Chantier de l’économie sociale, with whom CCEDNet has a long standing partnership

Mike Toye - Minister Duclos - Francine - Paul • CCEDNet submitted recommendations for the 2018 Federal Budgets.

• CCEDNet-Manitoba submitted recommendations for the 2018-19 Provincial Budget and Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan. We also broke down, how Winnipeg’s 2018 Budget Relates to CCEDNet-Manitoba’s Policy Priorities for the City, and What the Provincial Throne Speech Means for CED in Manitoba.

All this is possible thanks to our members and funders. Join us by becoming a member, or support the movement for inclusive and sustainable economies by making a donation.

Paul and Julien, OSER co-chairs

Changes to Rent Assist will further increase housing insecurity