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:

The results will be ratified at CCEDNet’s Annual General Meeting of the members on June 6.

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

Laurie Cook

Laurie Cook is an active change maker at a variety of levels.  She is the new President for CCEDNet nationally, and regionally she is active with many organizations looking to develop a stronger innovation ecosystem in the Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada.  She is a cofounder of a new organization called 42 Canada to support grassroots change makers across the country.  She also has her own consulting firm,  https://www.chutzpahconsulting.ca/, which specializes in learning and innovation.

Laurie has also been very active locally in her home community of Musquodoboit Harbour cofounding a cooperative transportation service, redeveloping an old school as a Community Hub, cofounding a peer support group called Eastern Shore Mental Health and cofounding a cooperative community newspaper.  She has also worked with the city of Halifax as a Community Developer, and with United Way Halifax around increasing and strengthening neighbourhood hubs in the city. 

Laurie has a Masters in Adult Education specializing in Community Development from St. Francis Xavier University, and a certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Dalhousie University. Before getting involved in community development, Laurie worked as a journalist and in film and television.

Marianne Jurzyniec

Marianne Jurzyniec is a Governance Liaison Manager with Affinity Credit Union in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her involvement with the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Impact! The Co-operators Youth Program for Sustainability Leadership and past community development experience have led her to being a champion of co-operatives, the sharing economy, and citizen engagement. Currently she is pursuing a certificate in Social Economy and Co-operatives led jointly by Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the Center for the Study of Co-operatives.

Walter Hossli

Walter Hossli has been in leadership positions in the community sector for the past 25 years. He is the Founder and Director Emeritus at Momentum, a Community Economic Development (CED) Organization that partners with people living on low incomes to increase prosperity. As an award-winning organization Momentum has 20 programs, works with 4000 participants per year and is seen as a leader among charities in Calgary. After 15 years in the private sector, Walter studied social work before entering the community sector. He serves in a number of volunteer capacities and has played key roles with several large collaborative or sector initiatives. For example, since 2003 he has been an integral part of Vibrant Communities Calgary(VCC), an organization dedicated to sustainable poverty reduction through the involvement of broad citizen and sector participation.  VCC has succeeded in elevating the City’s role in addressing poverty. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Calgary Foundation since 2010. He wrote “Competition in the Voluntary Sector: the Case of Community Based Trainers in Alberta” published by the Muttart Foundation.

In addition to his leadership work in Canada, Walter regularly volunteers his time and knowledge abroad in Africa and Central America. In 2011, Health Nexus and 3M Canada recognized Walter as a finalist for the 3M Health Leadership Award, acknowledging outstanding community leaders across the country who have enhanced their community through dedicated contribution and inspiring change.

Walter lives in Calgary with his wife Sybille where they raised two children. He is a passionate and award-winning gardener.

Yvon Poirier

Yvon 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 2013 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 on SSE.

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Jean-François Parent

The Board of the Canadian CED Network (CCEDNet) is pleased to announce that Jean-François Parent​ has been named Director for a term ending at the 2020 Annual General Meeting.

Jean-François is originally from Eastern Ontario. He was educated at the University of Ottawa and graduated in 2009 with an Honours degree in History with a Minor in Geography, and in 2014 with a Master’s in Geography. Specializing in the study of Francophone minority communities, his thesis focused on the adaptation and integration processes of intra-provincial Francophone migrants settling in urban communities.

Jean-François has worked for several years in the field of culture and heritage, notably for the Vanier Museopark. He acquired experience in project management, action research and a thorough knowledge of the Franco-Ontarian community. In 2016, Jean-François discovered the fascinating world of the social and cooperative economy, working out of the Toronto office of the Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario. He now operates from the Ottawa office.

Conseil de la coopération de l'OntarioAs a result of developing his expertise in community economic development in particular, but also in applied research and social innovation as well as in the development of collective enterprises, Jean-François supports numerous local initiatives and collective projects. His determination to improve the quality of life and economic situation of Francophone communities is what prompted him to join the Board of Directors of the Canadian CED Network.

Learn more about Jean-François and other Board members

Board membership is open to all CCEDNet members, with at-large Director positions elected each year.  If you are interested in joining the Board, contact us or watch for the annual call for Board nominations, which is usually sent to members in February.

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Michael Barkman's bicycleA CCEDNet Analysis of Manitoba’s New Building Sustainable Communities Program

As I’ve been cycling and walking through inner city Winnipeg communities this spring, I’ve been thinking deeply about the role of some ‘keystone’ community-based organizations in our keystone province. On Selkirk Avenue, I go past the North End Community Renewal Corporation’s BCMP program – a partnership with Manitoba Housing and the North End community as an employment and training program for youth and residents interested in trades like carpentry.

I walk past community garden projects, housing repairs, and posters for the community-building events that DMSMCA, Spence Neighbourhood Association, and others deliver in my community. There are countless other examples of the work that community-led development organizations do to strengthen our communities and local economies.

This work brightens my movement throughout the city. I know it brightens the communities of so many across the province. The work of community-based organizations plays a significant role in inner city, urban, and rural community development across Manitoba.

Recent changes in Community Development funding have sent shock waves through many Manitobans, including me. I’ve had what feel like countless conversations with people trying to figure out where to go next.

On April 4, 2019, the Province of Manitoba announced significant changes to community-led development funding in Manitoba, introducing the new Building Sustainable Communities Program.

BSC combines seven funding streams in the Municipal Relations Department (Community Places Program, Neighbourhoods Alive! Community Initiatives Program and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Hometown Manitoba, Community Planning Assistance Program, Community Support Small Grants Program, and Partner 4 Growth). Find all the info at manitobago.ca

There are two intake dates: May 22 and December 15. There is no specified date when organizations would receive word of their success, but the first deadline is coming up in three weeks time.

The government intends to budget the equivalent amount ($7.9 million) from the seven programs in the new BSC Program, however it is now spread among the entire province, and any municipality, charity, or non-profit can apply. More groups will now compete for the same amount of money. As such, this program is a step away from targeted, social and economic development in key inner-city, Indigenous, rural, and Northern communities.

BSC will only accept new community initiatives. This shifts away from multi-year, stable core funding. Organizations will have to match their funding with 50% from other sources, including at least 10% from non-government grants. Ineligible expenses include salaries and administrative costs over 2.5%. Together, this will mean greater precarity for long-term community initiatives.

Community-based organizations and non-profits play a crucial role in the lives of many Manitobans. Non-profits are also an important part of our economy and society, and should be valued for the critical role they play. These changes move away from a stable relationship between government and community-based organizations with regards to funding.

Want to get involved in organizing around funding and community development? Contact Michael at

What You Need to Know about the Building Sustainable Communities Program: 

Eligibility and Goals of the Program

Funding 

Other Budgetary Details

Concluding Thoughts

Eligibility and Goals of the Program

  • Mission is to “help to build thriving, sustainable communities”. Eligible projects include:
    • Planning activities
    • Capacity building of organizations
    • Community or regional initiatives
    • Capital infrastructure     ​
  • Initiatives and programs that support marginalized or underserved people in inner city or rural communities are not specifically supported through targeted community development funding. The new fund is open to any non-profit, charity, or municipality in the province. Funds are not specifically targeted toward Indigenous, First Nation, or Metis communities and programs. While these changes could be beneficial in allowing previously underserved organizations access to funding, we fear it moves away from a targeted approach that provides value for money addressing community goals for low-income, rural, Indigenous and Northern communities.
  • Criteria that will be used to assess applications:
    • Benefits for the province – including addressing government priorities
    • Benefits for the local government
    • Viability/feasibility of the project
    • Accessibility – populations or specifics not defined
    • Other considerations – proven extraordinary need, innovative ideas, impact, new organizations not previously funded, etc.
  • Projects that “do not provide a community benefit” are not eligible. Projects with restricted or limited public access are ineligible. The details of what defines a community benefit, either to the province or region, and the scope of public access required, are not specified.
  • Measurement and evaluation of projects are not specified, including capturing crucial long-term community development outcomes in key communities. Right now, the best place to understand government priorities might be in looking at the Minister of Municipal Relations mandate letter or the provincial throne speech. As well, you can read CCEDNet’s budget and throne speech analyses for some thoughts on the provincial government’s priorities over the past number of months.

Funding

  • Organizations must match government funding with 50% funding from other sources, up to a maximum grant of $75,000 from this program. In-kind donations or revenue does not count toward the 50 percent of matching funds, creating a challenge for smaller and rural communities that have previously relied on provincial funding and in-kind community labour. While many other community-based organizations have already spent significant time diversifying funding sources, a concern for CBOs exists in the requirement that “a minimum non-government contribution of 10 per cent is required for all projects, except planning projects.”
  • The non-government 10 percent of funding could come from donations from “individuals, businesses, charitable organizations, community foundations and service clubs” It is likely that marginalized or disproportionately low-income communities will have a more challenging time finding matching funding, particularly through individual or family donations, for community development projects in order to be eligible.
  • While the government has stated that a consistent level of funding, $7.9 million, has been maintained, there is no guarantee it will reach long-standing community organizations or projects with a strong community benefit, since the application is much more open. In this new program, both capital and development projects are eligible for the same pool of money.
  • The Neighbourhood Development Assistance fund is not part of these changes at this time and has been confirmed to the end of their current agreements for another two years. NRCs previously received project funding through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Community Initiatives Fund, and leveraged public, philanthropic, and private funding sources. While some project funding has been extended for another one to two years, it appears that these organizations will fall under the new BSC program after this time.
  • Eligible projects include new community initiatives (eg. new programs, organizational start-up, prototyping and pilot projects). Ongoing programs that have existed for more than two years are not eligible for funding. Stable, long-term community development requires stable, predictable funding of proven programs. Only allowing new projects over predictable, long-term funding will only continue to stress and stretch the non-profit and charitable sector in Winnipeg, as well as across communities and rural centres across Manitoba.

Other Budgetary Details

  • Salaries and other employment benefits of any employees of the applicant or their partners are not eligible costs. This will make long-term community development program that has contributed to vibrant communities and improved quality of life for many, many Manitobans at serious risk. Community programs cannot be run without staff. Many non-profit organizations, including the Neighbourhood Renewal Corporations, have leveraged the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Community Initiatives Program, along with other funding sources, to support community development programs and projects with paid, stable staff.
  • Administrative costs greater than 2.5 percent of eligible project costs are not eligible. The standard among the charitable and non-profit sector is 5-15% of project costs related to administration. This will prove to be a significant challenge for organizations across the province to pay rent, keep the lights on, undertake an auditing process, purchase insurance, and ensure sound financial management.
  • Gifts associated with the hosting of events are not eligible. This would include such items as tobacco for honouring an elder.
  • Applications must require a letter of support from the local government. Right now, it looks like this letter could come from any official at the municipal level. For larger centres, the local councillor would be the best bet.
  • The program states that “all surplus, ineligible, or unexpended grant funds are to be returned to the Manitoba government.” It is our belief that this only applies the up to 50% of funding from the province itself. It cannot recoup costs from other sources.

Concluding Thoughts

Complex community challenges like unemployment, urban and rural decline, poverty, social exclusion and environmental degradation require comprehensive responses, and those responses have proven to be most effective and sustainable when they are community-led. In Manitoba, community-based organizations have led crucial work strengthening our province’s communities and helped build local economies that benefit everyone.

The community has previously called on the government to support community-led development with targeted, multi-year, and streamlined funding, detailed in these CCEDNet policy resolutions here and here, adopted by the Network’s entire membership, as well as numerous government submissions.

The recent announcement of the Building Sustainable Communities Program does not address these recommendations and the concerns of community-based organizations and non-profits, with the exception of an easier-to-use online application form. In order to strengthen stability with community-based organizations, the government should immediately adopt the community’s recommendations.

Want to get involved in organizing to support community-led development funding in Manitoba? Contact Michael at

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Green Pastures Society logoThe Green Pastures Society Network equips organizations with the knowledge and Financial Advocacy tools to help their clients get the financial and other economic resources that they are entitled to from programs established by government available to help Canadians. Finally a solution whose time has come! 

BACKGROUND

Financial challenges are among the major problems faced by New Immigrants to Canada. [1] 

Canada’s Minimum Wages no longer enough to makes ends meet. [2]

66 per cent of Toronto’s Immigrant Community can’t cover household expenses. [3] 

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES 

Government financial supports play an important role in helping Canadians avoid poverty. [4] 

Groups on the margins of society [including New Immigrants] are at risk of not receiving benefits to which they are entitled. [5] 

As a result “Billions in government benefits go unclaimed” by the people they are meant to help.  [6] 

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

[Financially challenged New Immigrants] have two main difficulties: insufficient income to participate successfully in a Market-based society (financial exclusion), and lack of knowledge of the unfamiliar aspects of the [Canadian] money system, a product of this financial exclusion.” [7] 

OUR TRAINING PROGRAM

  1. We equip you to be able to assess which benefits are available to assist your client. You will be trained on our proprietary software to guide you in identifying financial and other supports available to help your client. 
  2.  We train qualified staff on how to enrol your clients for the benefits that they qualify for so that financial and other resources can flow to them on a timely basis. 
  3. We provide online, telephone and in person support to help you deliver as first rate Financial Advocacy Program to your clients. 
  4. Our training programs are delivered In Person or Online depending on the type of training required. 
  5. The Cost of Annual Membership – $ 1:00 per each client that your organization has. 

References

1. Grant Schellenberg and Helene Maheux, “Immigrant’s Perspectives on their first four years in Canada.” Statistics Canada 2007 

2. Nishi Kumar and Kwame McKenzie, “Thriving in The City”, Wellesley Institute September 2017 

3. Nasima Akter, et. al, “Shadow Economies”, Wellesley Institute October 2013 

4. Myriam Fortin, “The Role of Family and Government Financial Supports in helping Canadian Workers Avoid Poverty”, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, October 2007 

5. Human Resources Development Canada, “Formative Evaluation of Income Security Programs — Outreach, Evaluation and Data Development, Strategic Policy”, September 2002 

6. Richard Shillington, “Financial Literacy and the Take-up of Government Benefits”, Task Force on Financial Literacy February 2011 

7. Kathy Landvogt, “Critical Financial Capability”, Social Policy Research Unit, Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service, Presented at Financial Literacy, Banking and Identity Conference RMIT University, 25-26 October 2006 

Tetteh Hadjor

Tetteh Kofi Hadjor, MBA, CA [1984 to 1999] Founder/Research Director Green Pastures Society ™ 

Showing the Way out of the Labyrinth “Connecting low- Income persons and families to financial supports, solutions and economic opportunities.” 

Email: greenpasturessociety at gmail.com
Telephone: + (289)-374-6474 
Fax Number: +(416) 352-5821 
Address: 14th Floor, 90 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga, ON. L5B 3C3 

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

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shape the strategyThe Sustainable Development Goals Unit at Employment and Social Development Canada, is pleased to share their online consultation platform to support the development of Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy.

Achieving this vision requires a whole-of-society effort. Across the country and around the globe, Canadians are already answering the 2030 Agenda’s call to action. Until May 15, 2019, Canadians are invited to contribute their ideas to help shape the development of Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy.

By bringing together the voices and efforts of all levels of government, Indigenous peoples, municipalities, civil society, the private sector, and all Canadians, the National Strategy will accelerate action on the goals and create a common vision for Canada’s path forward. Our objective is to turn the 2030 Agenda into transformative action.

The Government of Canada wants to hear from Canadians on what sustainable development means to them, what they are doing to build a more sustainable and equitable Canada, and what can be done to advance progress on the 2030 Agenda.

Join the conversation around the SDGs here:

Collectively, all our work is vital to achieving the SDGs in Canada and around the world. To support this, we invite you to submit your SDG stories to be featured on the Show Your Colours Blog or on the @Can2030Agenda social media channels! Submit your blog posts or content to Programme2030-2030Agenda at canada.gc.ca.

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TL;DR: A point form analysis by theme areas of the 2019 Manitoba provincial budget is below.

The storefront entrance of Mother Earth Recycling (MER) runs adjacent to my new favourite intersection in Winnipeg – the corner of Main Street and Sutherland Avenue. Freshly painted murals bookend the corner, featuring Indigenous imagery and symbolism in bold colour. The effect is dazzling. Slightly behind it sits Mother Earth, whose work is similarly energizing

When Jessica Floresco, MER General Manager, took me through their Indigenous-owned and operated social enterprise, I felt a rush of excitement. Extremely well thought out, MER  provides meaningful training and employment opportunities to Indigenous peoples through environmentally sustainable initiatives – right now focusing on e-waste, mattress, and box spring recycling.

Simultaneously contributing to landfill diversion and sustainability, inclusive employment, economic development, and poverty reduction, all while being prominently led and owned by Indigenous peoples and communities: Mother Earth is (pun intended) electrifying.

MER’s model, like so many other members of Manitoba’s social economy and community economic development movement defines the problem and key challenges facing our communities, identifies root causes through an inclusive, equitable, and justice lens, and gets to work tackling them.

CCEDNet Policy Coordinator Michael Barkman (far left) atours MLA's through Mother Earth Recycling (MER) with MER General Manager Jessica Floresco
CCEDNet Policy Coordinator Michael Barkman (far left) atours MLA’s through Mother Earth Recycling (MER) with MER General Manager Jessica Floresco

My most recent tour was a group of five Members of the Legislative Assembly from the governing caucus. Bringing government to community economic developers is a crucial part of our advocacy work. Physically walking around and seeing skills and training in action in a supportive community – whether at Mother Earth, or at BUILD, or at Aki Energy, or at the multitude of other enterprises and organizations that are part of Manitoba’s social economy – set out a new paradigm to consider for our guests.

                                                     

Members explained to the MLAs that our sector is well positioned to fulfill government’s economic development strategy, climate change strategy AND poverty reduction strategy, let alone other goals like reducing number of children in care. Taking a tour of Mother Earth, among others, proves exactly this.

On provincial budget day, I was shut in a grand room in the Manitoba Legislature to review the budget on behalf of members. During my hours there, I found it challenging to see the same support we heard for community economic development, and how our work can fulfill government strategies, reflected within the provincial budget. I was hard pressed to see key community challenges tackled at their roots with innovative, community-driven solutions.

This presents a challenge for our Network.

Clearly we need to bring more members of the government to see the social economy in action. But well beyond that, we must continue to collectively advocate for the web of policy and government interventions needed to tackle poverty and climate change, and to build an economy that works for everybody.

To achieve this, the other part of our advocacy is crucial: bringing community economic developers to government policy. A thematic analysis of the 2019 Manitoba budget is below. While it is not fully comprehensive, and though many questions remain, it is meant to provide a snapshot of what’s going on with this web against our Network’s policy mandate.

CCEDNet’s Provincial Budget Analysis

Community-Led Development

Ending Poverty

Economic Development

Environment and Climate Change

Community-Led Development 

  • It appears government is moving ahead with the planned change to a single window intake grant system, which seems to replace separate streams of funding for Community Places Program, Hometown Manitoba, Neighbourhoods Alive! Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Neighbourhoods Alive! Community Initiatives and Partners 4 Growth. The government refers to this as “reducing red tape by streamlining community group grant funding processes.”
  • This is now all reflected in one budget line: “Community Development Program”. Right now it looks like funding for these programs is stable compared to last year’s actual spending (Budget page 98, $23,459,000), although when comparing budgeted amounts, this is a decrease year over year, as in previous years. We do not yet know with certainty how much of this would be spent on current projects or be available for new initiatives.
  • There is also a decrease in funding for Salaries in the Community Development department, continuing a trend of the government to reduce costs in administration and management.
  • The government indicates that its new single window grant intake will help “support thriving, sustainable communities by:
    • being client-focussed, streamlined and reducing the administrative burden.
    • recognizing the diversity of Manitoba communities and encouraging partnerships and collaboration.
    • broadening the reach of grant programming to communities and organizations that have not previously been funded.
    • improving alignment of grant funding with provincial, regional and municipal priorities and plans.”

Ending Poverty 

  • The province released their long-awaited poverty reduction strategy in the same week as the budget. The strategy commits to a poverty reduction target of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent  by 2025 according to 2015 levels, which according to Statistics Canada data, was already met in 2017.
  • It also commits the provincial government to federal goals of reducing the national poverty rate by 20 per cent by 2020, and by 50 per cent by 2030.
  • Thirteen indicators, including Canada’s Official Poverty Line will track the progress of the strategy.
  • The strategy is organized around six priority areas—including priorities important to our Network, such as promoting economic inclusion through employment, education and training; facilitating partnerships and supporting community-based organizations; and making positive change through social innovation.
  • The stated goal is that “all Manitobans have resources, opportunities and access to achieve a better quality of life”. Poverty eradication is the ultimate goal.
  • For more on this, read this analysis from Make Poverty History Manitoba.
  • The Provincial Sales Tax was decreased by 1 per cent, which the government says will benefit low-income Manitobans and save an average family of four $670 per year. To meet this number, low-income Manitobans would need to make upwards of $65,000 on discretionary spending where sales taxes apply.
  • Increasing the Basic Personal Allowance on income taxes means that an additional 3810 Manitobans living on low income will no longer pay income taxes. The benefit of this measure is questionable since those Manitobans would have likely paid less than $50 in taxes anyway. Meanwhile, this increase to the BPA means all Manitobans pay less tax, even the wealthiest.

Income

  • The Employment Standards Code was updated in 2017 to index minimum wage to the rate of inflation, using a publicly-available formula. Minimum wage is targeted to raise to $11.65 starting in October. Any increase is welcome, although this means minimum wage continues to be well under a living wage for Winnipeg as calculated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in 2017.
  • The line for Employment & Income Assistance was combined with Rental Assistance (Rent Assist program), indicating an increase in spending overall for these income assistance programs, due to an increase in both EIA and Rent Assist participants. Community recommendations for a Livable Basic Needs Benefit were not adopted in the budget nor the poverty reduction strategy.

Training & Employment

  • The government remains interested in a plan to help Manitobans on social assistance move into the workforce and find jobs. A Skills, Knowledge and Talent Strategy is part of Manitoba’s Economic Growth Action Plan.
  • An approach to meaningful employment and job creation through social procurement and social enterprise engagement has not yet been adopted by the provincial government.
  • The federal government created a portable Canada Training Benefit, part of CCEDNet’s pre-budget brief (recommendation 11). This ought to be coordinated with the provincial government’s strategy.
  • The childcare budget line has been decreased by about $1.5 million dollars. The bulk of this budget is spent on operating grants for childcare centres. Meanwhile, the waitlist for childcare spaces in Manitoba continues to hover between 12,000 and 17,000.
  • Manitoba has now signed a bilateral agreement with Canada, the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This agreement includes Community Employment Benefits, supporting meaningful employment targets for key demographic groups in Manitoba. We’re watching development of this program and will continue to advocate that our members and community economic development approaches are well recognized within this program.

Housing

  • Bilateral agreement with the National Housing Strategy has not yet been signed, leaving key federal money on the table for social and affordable housing. The extent to which the province matches federal dollars, and how those combined dollars are allocated among rent subsidies, maintaining public housing stock, and supporting co-op and non-profit housing remains to be seen. Bilateral agreements ought to include Community Employment Benefits in new builds and renovations.
  • With a yearly trend of decreases in funding for deferred maintenance and repair work of social housing units, the number and scale of procurement agreements between Manitoba Housing and workforce integration social enterprises is also trending downward. Since 2016, the provincial government has reduced investments in the maintenance of its existing stock from $120 million annually to $46 million.
  • There is no commitment to building new social housing in the 2019 budget.
  • Rent Assist has been combined in one budget line with Employment & Income Assistance. There is an increase in the budget line to account for more individuals accessing these programs.
  • The Rent Assist deductible is now 30 percent  for the second year in a row, rising from 25 percent  in 2017. This means Rent Assist participants are expected to contribute 30 percent of income to rent.
  • The increase in the deductible means that Manitobans living in social housing now have received a rent increase, and Rent Assist participants in private housing must pay more of their income toward rent.

Economic Development 

Social Enterprise, Cooperative, and Small Business Development

  • Co-operative development did not feature prominently in the 2019 Budget, even though there are more than 400 cooperatives, credit unions, and caisses populaires in Manitoba, comprising of over 900,000 memberships and more than $22 billion in assets.
  • There is no longer specific mention of co-operatives within the Growth, Enterprise & Trade budget. It is unclear whether a third co-op developer staff will be re-hired by the province. Currently, there is a vacant position, and only two developers stationed in Portage la Prairie and Brandon, respectively.
  • The Co-operative Loan & Loan Guarantee Board does not appear in the budget, and the Network continues to investigate the amount of loan guarantees provided to viable cooperatives in the province within this year’s budget.
  • The budget for Entrepreneurship Manitoba, which offers small business and enterprise development services, is unclear at this point. The Network continues to advocate for restoration of funding for third party not-for-profit business and enterprise support services, particularly for low-income and rural Manitobans.
  • While social enterprise is mentioned within the poverty reduction strategy and budget papers, a renewed Manitoba strategy for social enterprise sector development remains out of the budget.

Social Procurement

  • The province is working toward a procurement modernization strategy with PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada. This will now include ethical purchasing processes, and will incorporate all government purchases of goods and services.
  • It looks like the procurement strategy is tending toward larger contracts, instead of several separate contracts that go through separate tendering processes. This practice has proven to be more challenging for implementing community employment benefits, as well as securing procurement contracts with social enterprises and small/medium-sized enterprises.
  • The Network continues to work toward community employment benefit details within the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, as well as the forthcoming Bilateral Housing Agreement.

Social Innovation and Social Finance

  • The provincial government has doubled down on their use of social impact bonds (SIB) as a form of social finance. In the next year, the first SIB will take place between the Southern First Nations Network of Care and Wiijii’idewag Ikwewag. In the next year, an additional $1.5 million in new funding “is available to support projects using social innovation tools in the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living, and the Department of Justice.”
  • A newly titled Healthy Child and Social Innovation Office has been created. It remains unclear what this office will be charged with, and whether a clear definition of social innovation has been settled on by the government.

Environment and Climate Change 

  • Fighting climate change did not feature prominently in Budget 2019. The reality of an 11 year timeline to reduce carbon emissions before irreversible global warming occurs, according to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 Report also does not feature prominently in this budget.
  • The budget papers includes an update on the Climate and Green Plan, including an update that the government is “well on its way to developing its initial 5-year Carbon Savings Account as committed to under the Climate and Green Plan.” The Carbon Savings Account is intended to indicate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The federal carbon tax is now active in Manitoba. The provincial government announced that the provincial retail tax will not apply to federal carbon taxes.
  • It remains unclear whether federal carbon tax incentives will factor into decreases in provincial income benefits to low-income Manitobans on assistance.
  • A $102-million Conservation Trust is established. The fund will be managed by the Winnipeg Foundation and administered by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, providing around $5 million in endowment income annually. These funds will be used to achieve goals related to “conserving ecosystems, enhancing natural infrastructure, improving water quality, and strengthening flood and drought mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of climate.” The funds are available to grassroots groups and non-government conservation organizations.
  • Efficiency Manitoba is in place and a new CEO has been selected. The agency’s mandate is to play a key role in helping Manitobans reduce their carbon footprint. It remains unclear whether there is an opening to partner with this new crown corporation on social enterprise or community projects that contribute to carbon emission reductions, such as geothermal installations or green retrofitting.

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ANSERJThe Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research / Revue canadienne de re­cherche sur les OSBL et l’économie sociale (ANSERJ) welcomes submissions of scholarly research related to the nonprofit sector and the social economy. They welcome submissions from students, faculty members, administrators, practitioners, researchers, employers, and policymakers. Submissions can be in French or English.

This journal publishes peer-reviewed articles, perspective pieces, and book reviews on a wide range of topics, including:

  • Nonprofits
  • Social Economy
  • Management and Leadership Education
  • Co-operatives and Credit Unions
  • Social Enterprises, Social Entrepreneurship, & Social Innovation
  • Community Economic Development & Community Organizing
  • Volunteering & Citizen Engagement
  • Collaborations, Partnerships & Mergers
  • Communication, Networking & Digital Media
  • Finance, Governance & Management
  •  Public Policy & Government Relations

They welcome research papers, research notes, and book reviews. They also accept proposals for special or supplementary issues. If you have questions about the suitability of your research for the journal contact Dr. Jorge Sousa, Editor-in-Chief at editor at anserj.ca.

To learn more about ANSERJ visit their site

About ANSERJ

The Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research / Revue canadienne de re­cherche sur les OSBL et l’économie sociale (ANSERJ) is an online open access English and French peer-reviewed publication. ANSERJ is dedicated to providing a stimulating and vibrant forum for the open dissemination of contemporary high-quality, peer-reviewed research on nonprofits and the social economy. This journal is intended to contribute to extending and linking the value of nonprofit and social economy research relationships across Canada and throughout the world. ANSERJ is multi-disciplinary, as well as interdisciplinary. High quality theoretically based, empirically grounded research and applied research from different perspectives is welcome to further the frontiers between theory and practice.

        ANSERJ is the official journal of the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) / Association de recherche sur les organismes sans but lucratif et l’économie sociale (ARES). ANSER/ARES members receive pre-publication access to the journal.

Membership details for ANSER/ARES are available from: www.anser-ares.ca.

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Seeking Session Proposals for EconoUs2019

Do you have a story to share of success and/or struggle? Do you have skills that can help foster innovating communities that you can teach to others? Are you a creative facilitator and want to address the “critical social, economic and environmental issues of our time”?

The EconoUs2019 program committee is currently developing the program for this year’s conference in London, ON! They want to hear from you!

EconoUs2019 seeks to highlight how communities are leading innovation to confront the critical social, economic and environmental issues of our time. Together we can strengthen our communities, generate solutionary ideas, and nurture connections for a more sustainable and equitable future. We invite a diversity of proposals that share innovations, highlight transformational practices, and engage participants actively.

Session facilitators will receive 50% off full registration to EconoUs2019 or a free registration for the day of their session.

Share your session idea(s)!

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: APRIL 8, 2019

Final selection: EconoUs2019 will inform applicants if their submission is selected by May 17th.

For more information, visit econous.ca

If you have any questions, you can contact Hannah Renglich with the Canadian CED Network at h.renglich at ccednet-rcdec.ca or by phone at 416-760-2554.

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Inclusive InnovationThe Government of Canada will soon be launching a program to help social purpose organizations improve their ability to participate in the social finance market.

The Investment and Readiness Stream is a two-year grants and contribution program that will make up to $50 million available, beginning in spring/summer 2019, to partners experienced in social innovation and social finance.

Through the Investment and Readiness Stream, the Government of Canada will fund various delivery partners who will offer services, supports and funding to a broad range of social purpose organizations. It is anticipated that a large portion of funding under the Stream will be reserved for delivery partners who have the networks and mechanisms to directly support social purpose organizations. These delivery partners could use the funding to provide additional services or grants to social purpose organizations. The remaining funds will be used to strengthen expert service providers who can offer specialized knowledge and services to social purpose organizations to move along the investment-readiness continuum, and to support partners who can help address system-level gaps.

The Investment and Readiness Stream was announced in the 2018 Fall Economic Statement as part of a larger $755 million Social Finance Fund, both of which were inspired by the Social Innovation and Social Finance Co-Creation Steering Group’s Report, Inclusive Innovation:  New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities.

In order to better inform the Government’s approach on how best to invest these funds, you can provide your input through a questionnaire.

To help you complete the questionnaire, a Discussion Guide has been developed, and is available here.

Review the Discussion Guide

Complete the Questionnaire

The deadline to complete the questionnaire has been extended to June 30, 2019.

To learn more about social innovation and social finance, consult a public inventory of case studies (available only in English) prepared by researchers at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business and the Université du Québec à Montréal, which promotes understanding about the concepts of social innovation, social finance, social economy and social enterprise.

Read more

SOURCE: The Government of Canada

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2018 proved to be a busy and exciting year for the Canadian CED Network. The following year-in-review is organized according to the strategic priorities set by the Board of Directors, reflecting the broad interests of our members.

Download a printable PDF version of the 2018 Highlights

EconoUs2018: An Economy that Works for All

INCREASE ENGAGEMENT

EconoUs2018, co-hosted with the New Brunswick Environmental Network, brought over 350 leaders from across Canada’s social innovation landscape to Moncton, NB.
In 2018, staff of CCEDNet embarked on a journey to become better storytellers.  Story will continue to grow as a communications and engagement tool through 2019.
Our online toolbox now has over 1,250 resources and there are now over 265 blogs published In 2018, our websites received more than 169,000 visits
for news, events, resources & jobs

WEBSITES

ccednet-rcdec.ca
econous.ca
s4es.ca
readinessfund.ca
sparkwpg.ca
socialenterprisemanitoba.ca
seontario.org
communityrenewal.ca
socialeconomyhub.ca
Our online newsletter subscription
continues to grow with more than
3,500 subscribers
Twitter Our Twitter account has surpassed 
3,400 followers
facebook Our Facebook page now has over
2,180 likes
LinkedIn Our LinkedIn account has surpassed 
400 followers		 YouTube Videos on our YouTube channel have been viewed 169,000 times

STRENGTHEN REGIONAL NETWORKS

Our 16th annual Manitoba Gathering brought together nearly 400 people & featured keynote addresses from Elder Mae Louise Campbell, Abdikheir Ahmed and Uzoma Asagwara.
CCEDNet Manitoba delivered 12 workshops in 2018, ranging in topics from social enterprise and social return on investment to tools for facilitation and skills for dismantling racism.
Social Enterprise Manitoba Connected and Ready: The Impact of the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy is an impact analysis of this 3-year partnership between the Government of Manitoba and CCEDNet.
Spark, CCEDNet’s pro bono matching service, is a vital source of professional skills and support for Winnipeg-based organizations working on poverty and social justice issues. Spark: Connections for Community This year, 93% of organizations said that Spark was instrumental in tackling the specific challenges on which they had requested assistance.
Following EconoUs2018, the remaining surplus from the conference was pooled to build a Maritime legacy fund for CED organizing. Stay tuned for developments!
CCEDNet hosts the BC Community Impact Investment Coalition, mobilizing local capital for community revitalization

SUPPORT COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

CCEDNet is working with Power Lab and the Atkinson Foundation to
support grassroots organizing for
community benefits and fair economies.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

S4ES has distributed $800,000 to six social finance funds from coast to coast. In 2018, those partners disbursed $212,000 to
8 social enterprises. 		 Social Enterprise Ecosystem Project (S4ES) With an initial investment by ESDC and the JW McConnell Family Foundation, S4ES has leveraged an additional $11,173,458 for social enterprise.   
PIRF (Procurement and Investment Readiness Fund) Logo In 2018, a consortium of CCEDNet members and partners was awarded a $6M contract by the Government of Ontario to deliver a Procurement and Investment Readiness Fund (PIRF).
In partnership with Carleton University, we are helping implement Year 1 of the Ontario Impact Measurement Action Plan, strengthening impact practice for social enterprises Common Foundations logo We are working with Social Enterprise Toronto in a five-year longitudinal study of the impacts of Work Integration Social Enterprises  

ADVANCE POLICY PRIORITIES

CCEDNet promoted the recommendations of the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group and supported a strong Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy for Canada
CCEDNet submitted recommendations for the 2019 Federal Budget around advancing social innovation and social finance, making Canadian businesses more productive and competitive, and helping Canadians be more productive.
In 2018, the province of Alberta established a Community Economic Development Tax Credit. This responds to one of the recommendations CCEDNet made in solidarity with members in the province in June 2016.
CCEDNet-Manitoba submitted recommendations for the Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategy and created a Winnipeg Municipal Election Guide. In November CCEDNet-Manitoba also held a Policy Summit around their policy resolutions.
CCEDNet has joined Alliance 2030 as part of our commitment to helping Canada achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. 

* “Tidal Bore, Petitcodiac River, Moncton, NB” photo (presented beside the blurb on the Maritime legacy fund) by Larry.

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Seeing as we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Canadian CED Network this year we thought it was high time to update the logo under which we have flown for much of our history. We did not want to stray from the powerful imagery and symbolism of the geese flying in formation, only to bring more dynamism and boldness to our brand. Starting late last year we worked with Tracey O’Neil (https://simplelifedesigns.ca/) and have come up with the following new logo!

New Canadian CED logo!

We hope you like this updated version of our logo and would love to hear your comments! If you currently have our previous logo on your website and would like to update it please contact Matthew Thompson at mthompson at ccednet-rcdec.ca. 

In the coming weeks we’ll be adding this new logo to our various platforms and making other similar styling updates. This will include the beginning of a journey to update our central online hub, ccednet-rcdec.ca. We know that an information hub that includes learning, networking, and job opportunities, and information on consultants, research & reports, public policy, and news about members is a useful tool for your work and can help get new folks engaged more deeply. We also recognize that navigation around the site can be a challenge. With the sheer amount of information available, knowing what’s most important can be difficult and finding your way to Canadian CED Network supported programs or initiatives can be a bit of a maze. We’ll be focusing on how to best organize the information and make it as easy as possible for you to find relevant pages to your work and region. 

Watch out for surveys and other opportunities to share feedback as we look to make these changes. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.

By flocking together we’ll continue to travel much further than if we fly alone!

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CCEDNet Manitoba logo
Social Innovation Canada logo

This Spring, CCEDNet Manitoba and Social Innovation Canada (an emerging national network of social innovators, hosted locally by the Social Enterprise Centre in Winnipeg) are working together to explore how our region can best meet the emerging opportunities of the federal Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy.

While the full strategy is yet to be released, the federal government announced recently that it will start with a $50 million readiness fund and then a whopping $700 million social finance fund. How this will roll out is still developing, and we’ve been tagged to keep up to date and to meet with community economic developers and social enterprises across Manitoba to gauge interest and find out what our priorities for ‘readiness’ will be.

One thing we’ve already heard loud and clear is that the emerging language and practice of social innovation and social finance isn’t very familiar locally. So, we’ve developed a series of events to offer a range of topics and capacity building sessions to help us all find our fit in this emerging framework.

There will be a mix of speakers, workshops, and in-depth learning events spread over 4 months along with targeted meetings with a variety of stakeholders to provide a ‘springboard’ into social finance. It’s not the only thing we’ll do to help, and it won’t cover every example or possibility. We’ll try to have some events livecasted or recorded to make this information available more widely. Regardless, we hope it provides a springboard for talking, meeting, and finding our Manitoba way through this new federal development.

Check out the events below and share widely. If you’d like to find out more or get involved about our response to the fund announcement, contact regional director, Sarah Leeson-Klym.

Financing the Social Economy: The Quebec Experience 

Financing the Social Economy: The Quebec Experience (with Nancy Neamtan, the Chantier de l'économie sociale)

Register now for Financing the Social Economy

March 19, 2019
11:30am – 1:30pm
Assembly Room at The WestEnd Commons
641 St Matthews Ave.

Free Registration + Lunch Included

Quebec’s social economy is a driver for the province’s economy overall. For several decades, the Chantier de l’économie sociale has been a key umbrella group organizing social economy actors, community economic developers, social movement activists, cooperative developers, and many others to develop a robust set of resources for non-profits, charities, social enterprises, and cooperatives.

Nancy Neamtan was the leader of the Chantier for much of its history. Having recently stepped down, she is working across Canada to document and share the learning of this key region. She joins us March 19 to explain the social finance landscape in Quebec including Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ) and the Chantier de l’économie sociale Trust.

Nancy has said that one of the key lessons learned is that the movement for a social economy made sure that everyone – non-profits, community developers, and enterprises – understood themselves as economic actors. They learned to understand the role of money and finance in their work. Now, we have the chance to build our local knowledge.

Join CCEDNet Manitoba and Social Innovation Canada for this event, part of a developing series, Springboard into Social Finance, to help us organize for the federal government’s emerging Social Innovation and Social Finance strategy.

Register now for Financing the Social Economy

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