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The Canadian CED Network is Proud to Announce the Return of CreateAction!

Now in it’s 9th incarnation, the CreateAction program will again be funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (contingent upon final funding approval). Its purpose is to give out-of-school post-graduate youth, who have a career focus in community economic development (CED), a relevant six-month work experience placement. We are recruiting up to 40 community-based CED organizations to host work experience participants for the equivalent of 25 weeks between April 1st – September 30th, 2013.

How does it work?

Organizations submit applications by email or fax to the Canadian CED Network to host a participant (see contact info below). The Canadian CED Network selects the host organizations and the host organizations in turn hire the participants according to job-specific placements.

Eligible work experience placements may include project management, participatory research, communications, social entrepreneurship, business planning, social marketing, CED financing and asset mapping, to name a few. A special focus for this intake will be on building capacity and sustainability of innovative community enterprises and supporting the development of new community enterprises. For examples of CED work experience placements from the previous intake, click here.

The Canadian CED Network requires host organizations to be members of the Canadian CED Network or to become members once their applications for hosting work experience participants are approved. For information about being a member, click here.

The Canadian CED Network will select the host organizations according to the following criteria:

relevance of proposed work experience to the community enterprise focus and to community economic development (for the Canadian CED Network’s definition of CED, click here);
commitment and organizational capacity to assist participants with their daily work, mentoring and career development;
geographic diversity (e.g. rural, remote, Aboriginal, northern, francophone communities outside of Quebec, and urban disadvantaged communities with recent immigrant populations);
track record in hosting work experience placements, students or interns;
dedication to leveraging the work experience into full-time employment or study for the participant;
ability to recruit participants from diverse backgrounds.

The Canadian CED Network will give preference to organizations that can successfully recruit participants who are Aboriginal, francophone, visible minorities, and/or disabled.

The Canadian CED Network will:

manage the CED Work Experience Program;
employ participants at $15.00 an hour for a total of 35 hours a week for 25 weeks, including participant Mandatory Employment Related Costs or statutory benefits;
coordinate monthly intern teleconference calls to share experiences and to network;
provide peer learning and mentoring opportunities to the participants to support the development and implementation of a presentation project with a sub-group of their peers related to a specific aspect of social enterprise development relevant to their interest and placement
contribute ongoing career coaching and employment related support to the participants.

Host organizations will:

supervise the work experience participant;
contribute to the work experience participant’s learning opportunities;
contribute ongoing career coaching and employment related support to the participants;
allow the work experience participant to spend approximately one day per week to work on their presentation project;
support the development of the participant’s presentation project by integrating the work of the organization into the project.

To be eligible to participate in this program youth must be:

between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
a post-secondary institute, college, university or CEGEP graduate;
out of school;
a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee status has been conferred;
legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations;
not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits;
can demonstrate a lack of labour market attachment to field of study (under-employed or unemployed);
can demonstrate that working in the field of community economic development is a career goal; and
has not previously participated in a Career Focus work experience placement.

How to apply?

Deadline for host organizations to submit an application is March 8th, 2013, 5:00pm Pacific Time. Download the CED Work Experience Host Organization Application Form here.

Youth interested in the program may submit an application to the Canadian CED Network or may apply directly to the host organizations. The successful host organizations will be announced on the Canadian CED Network’s website.

For more information and to submit your application, please contact Matthew Thompson at mthompson at ccednet-rcdec.ca or 416-760-2578.

13 Canadian community-based organizations receive $255,000 from The‍ Co-operators

Numerous CCEDNet members are among the 13 community organizations for whom The Co-operators has announced $255,000 in funding. The funding, provided through it’s the Co-operators Foundation Community Economic Development (CED) Fund, supports a variety of programs that are strengthening communities and helping people achieve greater self-reliance from St John’s to Vancouver by providing training and employment opportunities to help local residents overcome barriers.

The following six organizations are receiving grants totalling $120,000:

Houselink Community Homes, Toronto ($20,000)
Houselink runs The Silver Brush, a painting business offering reliable and competitive interior painting services to commercial and residential properties. The Silver Brush helps employees develop job skills, which helps to remove barriers to continued future employment.

FarmStart, Guelph, Ontario ($20,000)
FarmStart develops programs that provide entrepreneurial and ecological farmers with resources to help them successfully launch their business. Support is provided primarily to new Canadians, young people without farming background, and those taking up farming as a second career.

Supporting Employment and Economic Development (SEED) Winnipeg Inc, Winnipeg ($20,000)
SEED helps low-income people and groups develop and expand small businesses, including co-ops, to reduce poverty and assist in the renewal of primarily inner city communities in Winnipeg. Their efforts provide job opportunities for at-risk groups while revitalizing economically distressed neighbourhoods.

New Community Youth Development Corporation, Saskatoon ($20,000)
Grant money from The Co-operators will help YDC pilot opening a café that will provide employment and income for young girls trying to leave the sex trade. The program will link to high school curriculum, so that girls will also be able to earn life-skills and cooking high school credits, while working.

The Cleaning Solution, Vancouver ($20,000)
The Cleaning Solution provides environmentally-friendly cleaning services to non-profit and private customers, while providing support and employment for people living with mental illness.

Common Thread Cooperative, Vancouver ($20,000)
Common Thread is a non-profit co-op of organizations that offer sewing programs and enterprises that provide skills development and employment opportunities for disadvantaged people living in Vancouver. The funding will support a project called Stretching Our Fabric: New Products and New Skills, through which the co-op will provide training and expand its product line.

An additional $135,000 consists of annual allotments of previously-approved multi-year funding commitments to seven organizations:

Stella Burry Community Services (St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador)
Causeway Work Centre (Ottawa)
Enterprising Non-Profits (Toronto)
Sistering: A Woman’s Place (Toronto)
Community Ownership Solutions (Winnipeg)
Atira Women’s Resource Society (Vancouver)
JustWork Economic Initiative (Vancouver)

“These organizations build healthier, more equitable communities by providing invaluable support and employment opportunities to people who might not otherwise have them,” said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. “Our support will allow them to make an even greater impact in their communities.”

The CED Fund was developed in 1995 to commemorate The Co-operators 50^th anniversary, and through it The Co-operators has granted $3.8 million to 91 organizations. The CED Fund is part of The Co-operators Foundation, which supports community-based enterprises and other worthy causes throughout Canada. For more information on the Fund and its recipients, please visit: www.cooperators.ca/en/About-Us/Foundation/CED.

Despite the notoriety of being the site of Canada’s first Tim Horton’s in 1964, the latter part of the 20th century was a decades-long, painful process of deindustrialization that hit the people and economy of Hamilton, Ontario hard.

But in recent years, there seems to be a remarkable leadership that is turning things around.

I suspect one of the catalyzing influences in these efforts was the remarkable mix of engagement and action that went in to Hamilton’s development as one of Vibrant Communities’ trail builders.

The municipal government got on board, striving to achieve community prosperity and sustainable services through a vision that included making Hamilton the best place to raise a child, promoting innovation, better engaging citizens and providing diverse economic opportunities. Paul Johnston, Director of Neighbourhood Development Strategies with the City of Hamilton, presented Hamilton’s strategies for aligning investments and activities to better support healthy neighbourhoods at CCEDNet’s Ontario Connections for Community 2011 conference. You can listen to the recording of his presentation on the conference webpage.

Last December, Hamilton’s Planning and Economic Development Department proposed a 3-year CED pilot project.

Now, many indicators reveal that Hamilton is in a period of economic growth not seen for decades, even while other communities in Ontario are still suffering the effects of the last recession.

To better understand this, Hamilton’s Social Planning and Research Council is publishing a series of bulletins looking at the city’s social landscape, analyzing its economic strength, examining how benefits are distributed across the population, and making recommendations to further improve the economy so that all residents share in the prosperity.

Here are two of the key findings from the first bulletin on unemployment:

A diversified economy, affordability, skills development collaboration and a focus on poverty reduction have contributed to Hamilton’s low unemployment rate.
Hamilton’s economy could be further strengthened by increasing investment in childcare programs, focusing on attracting a greater share of Canada’s immigrants and making Hamilton a living wage community.

Congratulations to the shared leadership that is making Hamilton the best place to raise a child.

What other cities or towns are showing similar leadership?

Over the past year, we have been working hard to improve our website and our virtual capacity to connect our members and people working to create inclusive and sustainable economies in Canada. You’ll see that our events listing and job postings have many more entries, and we are looking forward to moving our membership directory on-line in the coming months, so that the world can easily learn more about the amazing work of our many dynamic members across the country.

Part of these improvements include this latest addition: a website blog. We will be posting opinion and commentaries on all things related to CED. If you’d like to become a blogger, write to us at

More to come!

All the latest CED news and events from the SFU community!

Simon Fraser University’s Community Economic Development program recently published their newsletter for February 2013.

In this issue, Nicole Chaland (program director) shares news about the school’s new social enterprise accelerator program – the first in North America to use design thinking to help launch non-profit and co-operative enterprises. Nicole also offers a sneak peak at their revised Community Economic Development Certificate Program.

Headlines in this issue:

Subscribe to the newsletter

Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD) and the Brandon Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) operate as social enterprises in Manitoba. They perform energy efficiency retrofits on low-income homes while providing training and jobs for local people with barriers to employment.

In a new CCPA-MB report, Kirsten Bernas (CCEDNet’s Policy Advisor) and Blair Hamilton begin to document the quantitative and qualitative value associated with the multiple benefits produced by BUILD and BEEP. With these annual savings, the initial investment in BUILD and BEEP’s retrofit activities is expected to be paid back within four to five years. Retrofits include insulation upgrades and the installation of water savings devices such as low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. In addition to lowering utility bills for low-income families, these retrofits reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The report reveals that the annual savings associated with the energy and water efficiency upgrades performed by BUILD and BEEP in a typical operating year total just over $359,300 and $116,900 respectively. With these annual savings, the initial investment in BUILD and BEEP’s retrofit activities is expected to be paid back within four to five years. Retrofits include insulation upgrades and the installation of water savings devices such as low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. In addition to lowering utility bills for low-income families, these retrofits reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Click here to read the CCPA Fast Facts about this research, or click the buttom below to download the full report

The Parliamentary Secretary for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Dr. Kellie Leitch, recently hosted a federal budget consultation with representatives from the non-profit community, private sector, and labour movement in Winnipeg. The purpose of the meeting was to explore what the federal government should do around economic development, job creation, and skills development. It was a relatively small group invited, so everyone was able to participate and each person brought with them unique perspectives and priorities.

Brendan Reimer attended the meeting to represent the priorities of CCEDNet members, and spoke to the importance of federal government support for co-operatives, social enterprises, and community-based employment development programs. Emphasizing the facts that co-operatives are more sustainable business models that prioritize servicing their communities and members rather than focusing on profits, the point was made that they are more likely to sustain and create jobs and grow local economies in the long term. Brendan also provided examples of social enterprises in Manitoba that are achieving local economic impacts, while also creating skill development and job opportunities for folks that the private and public sector are not likely to hire.

The challenge that co-ops and social enterprises face in accessing existing business development tools and systems in Canada was also highlighted in conversation with other participants who worked in business development agencies. These participants also acknowledged the barriers and gaps in eligibility and services for alternative business models such as co-ops and social enterprises. In addressing the gap between labour market demands and the skill sets of the unemployed, one of our members (IRCOM) also spoke effectively about the need for community-based training opportunities that bridge this employability gap.

Meetings such as these provide CCEDNet a valuable opportunity to advance the policy priorities that our members have identified, and to build relationships with decision makers. These events also offer excellent opportunities to highlight our ideas to other sectors and individuals that might not otherwise understand them. Strong connections were made at this event, and we will be following up with various organizations.

As part of that follow-up, CCEDNet submitted a series of recommendations that call on Human Resources and Skill Development Canada to invest in the growth and development of co-operatives and social enterprises in 2013. Download the full submission here.

Help shape Manitoba’s future. Participate in Budget 2013.

The provincial government is asking Manitobans what they would like to see in Budget 2013. We encourage all of our CCEDNet members and partners to participate to ensure Budget 2013 incorporates the priorities of our Network.

It’s easy to do:

The province has created an online questionnaire to help Manitobans identify the things that matter to you and your family. [CLICK HERE] to access the survey, which takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

This is your chance to have a say on issues such as:

Rental allowance rates for people on EIA
Affordable and accessible housing
Poverty reduction
Child care
Employment and social enterprise development

You are also invited to submit a letter directly to the Minister of Finance. CCEDNet-MB has drafted a submission for the Minister which outlines all of our budget related policy resolutions. [CLICK HERE] to download our submission. You are encouraged to draw from it when drafting your own submission, outlining the recommendations that are most important to you and your organization. You can share this with the Minister of Finance at .

Attend the pre-budget consultations:

In addition to sending your submission to the Minister of Finance, you can also attend pre-budget consultations. All consultations run from 7 to 9 p.m. unless otherwise stated. The locations are as follows:

Jan. 28, Flin Flon – City Hall, Council Chambers (1-3pm)
Jan. 28, Swan River – Westwood Inn, Valley Room, 473 Westwood Rd.
Jan. 29, North Winnipeg – Valley Gardens Community Club; and
Jan. 30, Brandon – Keystone Centre, 1175 18 St. (1-3 pm)

More information:

Let us know if you or your organization would like to participate in the pre-budget consultations and we would be happy to provide you with the resources you need to support these efforts. Contact us at 204.943.0547 or email Kirsten Bernas at

CCEDNet member PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise is one of six organizations that will receive $760,000 from the Ontario Government to support low-income women who are seeking to start their own business by providing financial literacy training, entrepreneurial mentoring and skills development and life skills support.

Women who become business ready within these programs will be eligible to receive small loans to start their businesses. The Microlending for Women in Ontario program will provide close to 400 microloans. In total, over 800 low-income women will receive business readiness supports and financial skills training to help them on a successful path as entrepreneurs.

Read the Toronto Star article on the announcement >>

For more information on women-centred CED, visit the Women’s Economic Council or browse women’s CED tools in CED Toolbox.

The Canadian CED Network recently wrote to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to express our support for three recommendations in the Standing Committee on Finance’s report on their pre-budget consultations. The report, Jobs, Growth, Productivity and Demographic Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Canada, included recommendations that highlight the need to foster growth in co-operative and social enterprise sectors, and to support minorty language communities.

The recommendations highlighted in CCEDNet’s letter are:

#34. That the federal government consider how to include co-operatives and new forms of social enterprise and social finance in policies and programs.

#35. That, in order to improve opportunities for co-operative development, the federal government create a new partnership with the co-operative sector and Industry Canada

#58. That the federal government renew the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality, with a special focus on efficient and targeted support for minority language communities.

CCEDNet is encouraged to see a demonstrated commitment to CED initiatives that create economic opportunities and enhance social and environmental conditions across Canada.

Just before the Christmas break, Québec’s National Assembly adopted a bill creating the first Microfinance Mutual in Canada.

Developed by the Fonds d’emprunt Québec, the Microfinance Mutual will add micro-savings and micro-insurance services to the microcredit, training and business advisory services already offered by the Fund. The insurance program will be delivered via a partnership with an established insurance provider.

The Microfinance sector has grown exponentially in recent years. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of microfinance institutions in the world expanded from 900 to 10,000, with loans growing from $7 billion US to $65 billion, serving the roughly 500 million economically active individuals who are unable to access financial services.

The microfinance mutual model has been well established over the last 20 years in Europe and the United States. But in Québec, special legislation was required to allow for a legal structure that could deliver insurance and financial services to its members, combining elements of Québec’s Insurance Act, which governs mutuals, and the Act respecting financial services cooperatives. The Fonds d’emprunt Québec wanted the structure of a mutual because “it is a business that belongs to its community. Its mission and objectives are bound to the development of people and communities. In this way, the users become the owners of their development tool.”

See the Bill passed by Québec’s National Assembly >>

Read the press release (in French) >>

Download media clippings on the Microfinance Mutual (in French) >>

Watch CCEDNet’s webinar on Microfinance Mutuals in Québec and Guinea >>

At the 2012 Social Finance Forum, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley invited organizations to submit innovative ideas to help shape the future of social finance in Canada (read more).

Community Economic Development Investment Funds:

The Canadian CED Network responded to this national call for concepts by submitting a proposal to develop Community Economic Development Investment Funds (CEDIF) across the country. CEDIFs raise capital from the community to invest in local enterprises which produce a social benefit. Citizens collectively identify social and economic challenges within their community and decide where to invest capital raised through the CEDIF to address those challenges (read full proposal).

Co-operatives:

The Canadian Co-operative Association submitted a proposal which calls for the creation of a targeted co-op development initiative that will support co-ops for specific populations facing disadvantages. The proposal highlights the success of the co-op model as a bottom-up, self-help and entrepreneurial method of dealing with a wide range of social challenges (read full proposal).

Share your CED proposals

If you or your organization submitted a CED-related proposal to HRSDC, share it with us and we’ll feature it on our website. Contact Ryan at with your innovative ideas for the future of social finance in Canada.