English – Page 88 – Canadian CED Network

At the December 5, 2012 General Issues Committee meeting of the City of Hamilton, the Planning and Economic Development Department proposed a 3-year CED pilot project.

After research and consultation with experts in the community and other senior staff, City of Hamilton Economic Development staff concluded that a pilot project for a Community Based Economic Development Strategy could be implemented for a three year term. If this pilot proves successful and achieves results satisfactory to Council, then the program could be continued and/or expanded and included as a component of the next version of the City of Hamilton’s Five Year Economic Development Strategy that will commence formulation in 2015.

In other large Canadian cities, CED activity exists and it is often led by community organizations with a range of approaches including micro-loans, “buy local” campaigns, support for social enterprise and access to mentors for entrepreneurs. A trend seems to be emerging to include the principles of CED as part of municipal economic development strategies. For example, Edmonton City Council has indicated that CED is a priority initiative and, as such, they are hiring staff to support this direction.

Download the document >>

You can also read the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic’s presentation to the General Issues Committee meeting, supporting the report, including ‘pro-poor’ or ‘poverty reduction’ economic development strategies.

HRSDC Canada will be hosting a series of teleconferences on the national Call for Concepts for Social Finance. The teleconferences will be designed as question and answer sessions to inform participants about the concept of social finance, as well as the Government’s social finance initiatives, including the Call for Concepts. The Call for Concepts process ends on December 31, 2012.

HRSDC is hosting a series of calls in time zones across the country on the following dates:

Western Canada: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. Eastern Time.
Eastern Canada: Monday, December 10, 2012, at 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. Eastern Time.
Quebec: Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at 10:00a.m. – 11:00a.m. Eastern Time.
Ontario: Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. Eastern Time.

To participate please call:

Toll-free number: 1-877-413-4781

National Capital Region: 613-960-7510

ID: 8326698

About the Social Finance Call for Concepts

The Government will partner with organizations, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations around social innovation and social finance tools. Interested organizations are invited to submit their innovative ideas to help shape future social policy in Canada.

All interested individuals and organizations are invited to submit concepts for innovative solutions to issues facing Canadian communities. You do not need to submit a fully developed paper; simply “sketch out” your concept by completing the online questionnaire.

>> Read more

For More Information

Andrew Staples, Director,
Social Innovation Division,
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Almost 300 hundred years ago, facing major poverty, exclusion and inequalities, men and women created a new way to meet their needs: co-operatives and mutuals (CM). The model, inspired by values of equality, democracy, freedom, equity, solidarity and empowerment, has evolved in its practice and theory, and has had significant impacts on development. Still today, this project of innovative organization challenges our understanding of economy and business management.

Prepared for the International Summit on Co-operatives held in October 2012 in Québec City, the Institut de recherche et d’éducation pour les coopératives et les mutuelles de l’Université de Sherbrooke (IRECUS) has carried out a vast study of the accomplishments and future challenges for co-operatives and mutuals.

The objectives of the study were the following: 1) to establish a global portrayal of the socio-economic impact of co-operatives and mutuals and their contribution to build a better world; 2) to further the understanding of the successes and challenges of this business model and how co-operative identity plays a role.

This study confirms the relevance of the model and explains its contribution to a better world, with three main dynamics, proper to its identity. Effectively, cooperatives and mutuals directly contribute to: 1) assuring economic, social and political stabilization and regulation; 2) maintaining an equitable access to goods and services; 3) promoting economic, social and political diversity and inclusion.

Download the summary >>

For the full study and references >>

Growing out of the Metcalf Foundation’s Inclusive Local Economies Program in Toronto, resilienteconomies.ca is a platform for communication, collaboration and innovation on economic well-being in low-income neighbourhoods.

On the website, you can:

Hear different perspectives on common concerns via a blog.
Share your ideas, resources and information about upcoming events.
Find potential collaborators and inspiration for your work.
Get connected to a growing network dedicated to creating real economic opportunities for all in tough times and difficult circumstances.

The Metcalf Foundation’s Inclusive Local Economies Program was created as a response to profound changes in the world of work.

In the past, many low-wage jobs were the first rung on an economic ladder leading to greater skills, meaningful work, and higher pay. Today’s low-wage jobs are becoming dead-ends, short-term positions without prospects for earning a decent living or providing for a family.

This reality is tearing the social and economic fabric of our cities – dampening aspirations, producing poverty and growing inequality. It’s also mobilizing uncommon collaborators around promising solutions and across traditional lines.

A press release issued by the Chantier de l’économie sociale today welcomed the Québec government’s 2013-2014 budget, which contains several positive measures supporting the social economy.

The full press release is below (in French only) but highlights include:

3,000 new housing units through the AccèsLogis program
28,000 new childcare spaces at $7/day
A proposed general law on the social economy to be followed by a parliamentary commission
A new Development Bank whose mandate will include support for non-profit and cooperative social economy enterprises

See the original press release >>

Québec, le 20 novembre 2012 – Le Chantier de l’économie sociale tient à saluer plusieurs mesures du nouveau budget du gouvernement du Québec dévoilé aujourd’hui, notamment en ce qui concerne la construction de 3 000 nouveaux logements dans le programme AccèsLogis et la création de 28 000 nouvelles places à 7$ en services de garde.

Le Chantier salue également la reconnaissance de la contribution de l’économie sociale au développement économique du Québec, notamment avec la future loi-cadre et le mandat de la nouvelle Banque de développement qui aura la responsabilité de soutenir les entreprises d’économie sociale à statut coopératif et à but non lucratif. Il est aussi intéressant de souligner la volonté d’explorer des stratégies permettant d’accroître l’investissement privé en économie sociale, une voie déjà mise en œuvre par les outils financiers du Chantier.

La nouvelle Banque de développement jouera un rôle central dans les stratégies économiques du gouvernement du Québec, y inclut par ses interventions sur le plan régional. « Dans cette perspective, le Chantier de l’économie sociale insiste sur l’importance d’assurer la présence d’au moins un(e) représentant(e) de l’économie sociale au sein des nouveaux Conseils de développement régionaux. Il s’agit de traduire ainsi l’esprit d’une loi-cadre visant à reconnaître et à intégrer l’entrepreneuriat collectif dans l’ensemble des actions gouvernementales », a déclaré Nancy Neamtan, présidente-directrice générale du Chantier.

Toutefois, le Chantier demeure sur sa faim en ce qui a trait à certains dossiers d’une importance fondamentale pour le développement des collectivités. Le virage annoncé en faveur des soins et services à domicile et un soutien accru aux entreprises d’économie sociale en aide à domicile doit s’accompagner de moyens concrets dont les détails ne sont pas encore connus. Tout comme le soutien qui sera accordé à l’innovation sociale et aux activités de transfert de connaissances dans la future Politique nationale de la recherche et de l’innovation constitue également un enjeu important pour les acteurs de l’économie sociale à travers le Québec.

Soulignons que, depuis plusieurs années, à l’instar d’autres pays sur tous les continents, le rôle joué par les entreprises d’économie sociale est en pleine expansion dans toutes les régions du Québec. Dans son nouveau budget, le gouvernement du Québec démontre une véritable volonté de reconnaître la contribution essentielle de l’économie sociale au développement des collectivités et d’assurer un soutien équitable à cette forme d’entreprise. « Ce choix est d’autant plus judicieux au moment où il faut restaurer la confiance des citoyens et des citoyennes face aux dérapages dans certains secteurs économiques et dans l’octroi des contrats publics. Avec leurs pratiques de transparence et de gestion démocratique, les entreprises d’économie sociale contribuent à créer de la richesse tout en assurant un rendement à l’ensemble de la collectivité. » a conclu madame Neamtan.

Calling all Young Social Innovators!

If you have a great idea for a new socially responsible product, service or business model, OCE’s Social Enterprise Student Competition is for you! This is your chance to receive guidance in developing a business plan for your social enterprise and present it to leading social innovation experts at an open pitch competition. Up to four prizes of $20,000 will be awarded to the winners to develop their social enterprises. The 10 semi-finalists will also receive a reimbursement of up to $1,000 for eligible expenses incurred in the course of preparing their business plan.

Showcase your idea in a three-minute video, using props or whatever creative presentation technique you can devise. Submissions will be broadcast on OCE’s YouTube channel and linked from our Facebook page. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of the next generation of social entrepreneurs!

Competition Guidelines and Eligibility

The Social Enterprise Student Competition is open to students and recent grads (three years from graduation) from all faculties of publicly funded Ontario colleges, universities, and hospitals
To enter, please complete and submit an entry form (email to charmaine.llewellyn@oce– ontario.org and COPY ) along with your video submission by January 7, 2013

Download the Complete Guidelines and Eligiblity >>

Despite the services available to them, those who are homeless find it extremely difficult to move permanently out of shelters into stable, long-term housing.

The November 2012 issue of Policy Options profiled SEDI’s Independent Living Account program, which has supported 350 individuals from eight Toronto transitional housing facilities. Over 300 of them have opened bank accounts, and collectively they have saved over $100,000. Nearly 150 participants have graduated from the program and moved into permanent housing.

The secret to the ILA’s success is its holistic approach to the financial needs of shelter residents. The program looks beyond minimum income needs to address the critical role that savings and saving behaviour plays in providing people with a financial safety cushion for emergencies and periods of transition, enabling them to invest in their own future.

Download the full article >>

The Canadian CED Network – Manitoba has weighed in on the Province of Manitoba’s new environmental action plan. Tomorrow Now – Manitoba’s Green Plan outlines an eight-year strategy for protecting the environment while ensuring economic prosperity.

In our response, CCEDNet recommends that the plan include a broader definition of the term ‘sustainable,’ to acknowledge the interconnectedness of economic, social and environmental factors. We have also proposed that the province explicitly include community-owned wind energy, support for co-ops and social enterprises, and strategies to localize our food economy in Tomorrow Now. An additional cause for concern was a lack of specificity around ethical procurement strategies. The previous Sustainable Development Act included determined procurement goals and accountability, while the Green Prosperity Act hardly mentioned it at all.

Despite these shortcomings, CCEDNet recognizes that Tomorrow Now marks a significant step in the right direction towards creating a truly sustainable and robust economy in Manitoba.

>> Read our full response

By Camille Jensen. Originally posted on axiomnews.ca

Unleashing Local Capital’s pilot communities will convene next week to share best practices in local investment and economic development.

Unleashing Local Capital was launched by the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association last spring with a mission to revitalize rural communities. Funded by the Rural Alberta Development Fund, the initiative aims to build community investment co-ops to solve one of the main challenges to rural development, access to capital to finance local business development and succession planning.

Four pilot communities — Vegreville, Crowsnest Pass, Olds and Fahler — have since created community investment co-operatives tackling issues like affordable housing, seniors housing and business succession planning.

ACCA’s director of co-op development Paul Cabaj says the community investment funds are demonstrating what’s possible when communities take development into their own hands instead of waiting for intervention.

“In some ways intervention is not the solution, it’s got to come from people identifying the needs locally and really leveraging their social capital and their love for their community and their willingness to invest in it,” Paul tells ACCA News.

When reflecting on the initiative so far, Paul says there is a sense of pride in the fact that the community investment funds haven’t faced any major roadblocks, and investments are RRSP-eligible.

He adds it’s been interesting to see how community investment funds can actually spark new interest and competition from other entrepreneurs, which one of the community funds is experiencing.

The four pilot communities will be gathering in Red Deer, one day before ACCA hosts its Gathering of Alberta Co-operatives, where they will share best practices and build connections among the communities.

“It’s bringing the family together,” Paul says, adding relationships and sharing lessons among the group is key to success.

“We really need to learn from each other and establish a base moving forward.”.

The meeting will be recorded with some of the sessions used for training other groups interested in starting a community investment co-op.

Peter Couchman, chief executive of the Plunkett Foundation, will also be presenting a keynote during the day, sharing how the United Kingdom’s co-operative movement has been able to solve social problems, and in doing so caught the attention of the federal .

For more information on Unleashing Local Capital, see the ACCA website.

By Camille Jensen. Originally posted on axiomnews.ca

Unleashing Local Capital’s pilot communities will convene next week to share best practices in local investment and economic development.

“In some ways government intervention is not the solution, it’s got to come from people identifying the needs locally and really leveraging their social capital and their love for their community and their willingness to invest in it,” Paul tells ACCA News.

When reflecting on the initiative so far, Paul says there is a sense of pride in the fact that the community investment funds haven’t faced any major roadblocks, and investments are RRSP-eligible.

He adds it’s been interesting to see how community investment funds can actually spark new interest and competition from other entrepreneurs, which one of the community funds is experiencing.

“It’s bringing the family together,” Paul says, adding relationships and sharing lessons among the group is key to success.

“We really need to learn from each other and establish a base moving forward.”.

The meeting will be recorded with some of the sessions used for training other groups interested in starting a community investment co-op.

For more information on Unleashing Local Capital, see the ACCA website.

December 10, 2012
1:30pm Newfoundland, 1pm Atlantic, 12pm Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific

This summer, the Canada Revenue Agency published CG-014 – Community Economic Development Activities and Charitable Registration Guidance. This document replaces Guide RC4143, Registered Charities: Community Economic Development Programs and marks the first significant update since 1999. This webinar will examine what has changed in the new guidance, what hasn’t, and what organizations that have or are considering applying for charitable status need to know.

In this session, representatives from the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency will present the new guidance and a question and answer period will follow. Participants who register early will be able to send questions in advance of the session.

[MORE INFO & REGISTRATION HERE]

At the 2012 Social Finance Forum, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley announced a national call for concepts for social finance.

Ideas will be accepted until December 31, 2012.

For more information and to submit your concept >>

Background

(from the Government of Canada press release)

On November 8, 2012, Minister Finley announced that the Government is taking action to address social challenges through social finance initiatives, and launched a Call for Concepts for social finance. The Call for Concepts is designed to invite interested parties to submit innovative ideas; it is not an application process for federal funding.

Social Finance

Social finance is about mobilizing private capital to achieve social goals. Social finance creates opportunities both for investors to finance projects that benefit society and for community organizations to access new sources of funds to take great ideas to a new level. For example, individuals or organizations could invest in affordable housing projects or social enterprise such as a café that employs at-risk youth.

Social finance includes a new approach to investing, often referred to as “impact investing,” which the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance describes as, “actively placing capital in businesses and funds that generate social and/or environmental good and (at least) a nominal principal to the investor.” This means that investors can use their money to fund projects that will support social goals and expect some financial gains out of it.

The Government of Canada has already started to test new ways of developing and funding innovative solutions to complex social challenges through pilot projects. For example:

1. Community Innovation pilots will support projects that address economic and social issues in rural and northern communities. Through leveraged support, the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation delivers a project that helps Arctic children and youth obtain standards of education, opportunities and health equal to those of other Canadians.

2. A Community Partnerships pilot, Calgary’s Community Kitchen Program, mobilizes public and private funding to train volunteers to complete a simple needs assessment for clients and links them to appropriate community supports and address social exclusion.

3. Third Party Leadership pilots test whether grant-making organizations can leverage federal funding at a ratio of 1:3. For example, the Hamilton Foundation will leverage funds for a project to enhance community social and health services support to young, marginalized, low income first-time mothers.

Social Partnerships

Social partnerships are about building stronger, more effective government-community partnerships that present more sustainable, performance-based solutions to addressing social issues.

Economic Action Plan 2011 stated “the Government will take steps to complement community efforts by encouraging the development of government/community partnerships, enabling communities to tackle local challenges and testing new approaches to improve performance”. Economic Action Plan 2012 reiterated the Government’s intention to support momentum around social finance initiatives and further explore social finance tools for use in Canada.

The Minister of HRSDC established a Voluntary Advisory Council on Social Partnerships in 2011, composed of key individuals from the private and not-for-profit sectors, to provide advice on matters related to social partnerships and social finance in Canada.

Social Impact Bond (SIB)

A Social Impact Bond is one example of a social finance tool that is currently being explored or tested to address social challenges in many communities around the world and this tool is now being explored in Canada.

Essentially, a SIB is a contract between a government and an external organization(s), in which the government identifies desired social results and commits to pay the external organizations an agreed-upon amount of money if these results are achieved. External organizations involved in this arrangement may include charitable and/or for‑profit investors and service delivery organizations. Typically, investors provide the money to finance an organization to deliver a service. If the agreed-to results are achieved, investors may receive up to 100 percent of the original investment as well as a financial return. If the results are not achieved, the government does not pay.