Canadian CED Network

Young Social Entrepreneur ContestBe a part of Canada’s largest community of fair trade and social businesses

Network with like-minded entrepreneurs

Introduce you startup to the conscious consumers of Toronto

The Fair Trade Show has launched their Young Social Entrepreneur Contest for 2017! Each year The Fair Trade Show provides one emerging, youth-led business with the opportunity to exhibit for free. This year they are including the local community in their quest to find the winning business! The contest includes a voting round that invites the public to vote for their favourite social business.

Enter the Young Social Entrepreneur Contest

Contest Details

To enter the contest fill out the entry form and create a 1 to 3 minute video explaining your business and how it promotes social justice, environmental well-being or economic empowerment in communities at home or abroad! Get creative! If your entry is accepted to the voting round, the videos will be shared publicly.

Eligibility

  • Between the ages of 16 – 29
  • Running a fair trade or social business for less than two years
  • Have products or services ready for sale at the show
  • Available for the entire show on the weekend of May 12-14, 2017
  • Have not previously exhibited at The Fair Trade Show

Nominations

Fill out the online application and share a link to your video (available September 1, 2016).
Five entrepreneurs will be chosen by our panel to move on to a public voting round.

Nominations open September 1, 2016 and close November 15, 2016.

Voting Round

Your videos will be uploaded on to our website and shared on social media.
Then the the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite social enterprise!

The winner will be announced February 20, 2017.

For more details visit thefairtradeshow.com/YSE/

Share

The Ville de Montréal and the Chantier de l’économie sociale, co-organizers of the Global Social Economy Forum – GSEF2016, ­are proud of this third meeting, which brought together more than 1,400 participants from about 60 countries. In total, some 200 social and solidarity economy (SSE) initiatives from Québec and elsewhere were presented in and around the GSEF2016. Montréal is the first North American host city of the forum since the founding of the GSEF in Seoul in 2013.

C.I.T.I.E.S.At the closing plenary session of the GSEF2016, the mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre, unveiled the creation of a new international organization based in Montréal in partnership with Seoul, Mondragón, and Barcelona: the International Centre for Innovation and Knowledge Transfer on the Social and Solidarity Economy (C.I.T.I.E.S.). As a support to the GSEF association and its mission to foster collaboration between local governments and civil society, C.I.T.I.E.S.’ mission will be to facilitate the international dissemination and transmission of practices and knowledge of the social and solidarity economy.

“This centre is, in many regards, an important legacy of this Global Social Economy Forum – GSEF2016. It’s also wonderful news for all cities of the world and for Montréal, which will be able to see its many initiatives spread throughout the world. We are very proud to host this new organization. We believe that cities are always on the cutting edge of the future and that the social economy, by mobilizing collective entrepreneurship, is a key tool for the development of urban centres,” said Mr. Coderre.

GSEF2016 Declaration in Montreal: 6 Resolutions for the Sustainable Development of Cities

“All participants reaffirmed the importance of making the social economy’s collective knowledge accessible to help face the growing challenges of the 21st century with the dissemination of information, the exchange of best practices, and the mutual support that can extend to financial assistance. To this end, four resolutions were drafted that express the international solidarity of SSE organizations,” said Mr. Jean-Martin Aussant, executive director of the Chantier de l’économie sociale.

The participants of the GSEF2016 Forum in Montréal are committed to working on the sustainable development of cities and to:

  1. Recognize the central role of SSE organizations to overcome the current challenges and to promote a renewed participatory democracy
  2. Multiply participatory governance spaces
  3. Build an inclusive movement for all men and women of all ages and origins.
  4. Build public-private-community partnerships to meet the needs and aspirations of our communities
  5. Share our visions, experiences and achievements to promote social innovation, including through CITIES, a strategic partner of GSEF
  6. Recognize and support youth as important actors for the future of the SSE movement.

Toward the GSEF2018

The GSEF Association met today in its General Assembly where they, among other items, agreed on the location of the next Forum. The SSE community will meet again in two years to take stock of the situation and discuss the best practices to adopt to ensure that the SSE takes its place alongside the private and public sectors.

“I hope that the commitment to the SSE mentioned in the Montréal Declaration makes a significant contribution that allows us to find solutions to the challenges that we all face,” said Mr. Park Won Soon, mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Seoul and GSEF co-chair. I am pleased to announce that the city of Bilbao, Spain, has been chosen to host the GSEF2018. Bilbao, the economic capital of the Basque Country, is a model that will certainly inspire many other large cities by encouraging them to join the movement and make the social and solidarity economy a priority,” he added.

Ms. Dominique Anglade, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, and Minister Responsible for the Digital Strategy for Quebec stated : “The Government of Québec is very active in the development of the social economy. The Government Social Economy Action Plan 2015–2020 will direct our actions in this area over the next few years. This plan contains concrete measures to help collective enterprises at all steps of their growth so that they can fully contribute to Québec’s socioeconomic development,” stated.

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development for Canada, Mr. Jean-Yves Duclos concluded with, “I would like to congratulate all participants and the organizers of this forum. It was a tremendous success. Clearly, the discussions that took place here have been productive and fruitful. What is important now is that these ideas develop and gain traction in contemporary thought.”

The global social economy forum – GSEF2016 has been made possible thanks to the financial participation of the Government ofCanada, the Government of Québec, and affiliated partners. 

About the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF)

The Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) is an international association bringing together local governments and civil society stakeholders committed to supporting the development of the social and solidarity economy (SSE). Its mission is to promote cooperation among social and solidarity economy organizations and local governments to stimulate the creation of quality jobs, equitable growth, and the advancement of participatory democracy and sustainable development. During the association’s founding meeting in 2013, its members issued a declaration laying out their intentions and objectives. In 2014, members adopted a charter establishing its principles and operations, including the holding of a forum every two years.

The first two editions of the GSEF took place in Seoul in 2013 and 2014 respectively and each brought more than 1,000 people together.

Social Media: #GSEF2016 
Facebook: Gsef2016 
Twitter: @gsef2016

*** GSEF2016 photos are available here: http://bit.ly/2cpntKm

For further information: Amély Tremblay/Mélodie Ménard/Isabelle Paquette, Morin Relations Publiques, amely at morinrp.com / melodie at morinrp.com / isabelle at morinrp.com, 514 774-8522 / 514 561-1966 / 514 581-8981

SOURCE: CNW Newswire

Share

Ontario Centres of ExcellenceOntario’s social entrepreneurs and enterprises are being actively encouraged to create jobs and attract investment while promoting positive social and environmental impacts through the new Ontario Social Impact Voucher (OSIV) program.

Launched by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) in collaboration with Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Growth (MEDG), the OSIV program will provide services and resources through the distribution of up to 200 Social Impact Vouchers with a value of up to $3,000 per voucher to social entrepreneurs and enterprises. The vouchers will be distributed through delivery organizations selected by OCE after an open call and assessment process.

OCE President & CEO Dr. Tom Corr says the success of the pilot bodes well for the future of the program.

“This program is all about partnering with government to give opportunities to promising social entrepreneurs and allowing them to literally take their ideas and transform them into experience which creates viable, scalable, socially conscious businesses here in Ontario.”

Interested social entrepreneurs and enterprises will apply for entrepreneurship skills training and knowledge-building opportunities via AccessOCE, OCE’s online application system. OSIV program vouchers will flow directly to the delivery organizations and be redeemed by the selected social entrepreneurs and enterprises. Following the model established by the pilot program, social entrepreneurs and enterprises applying for a voucher must seek endorsement from a member of the ONE network such as a Regional Innovation Centre (RIC), Campus-Linked Accelerator (CLA), Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC), On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities (OCEA), or an OCE Business Development Manager.

Ontario’ Minister of Economic Development and Growth Brad Duguid says the expansion of the program is a natural fit for both OCE and the province.

“Social enterprises contribute to Ontario’s economy and their growth is a key part of our government’s long-term economic plan. Through initiatives like the Ontario Social Impact Voucher program, we’re doing our best to create the right environment for social enterprises so that these profitable and positive businesses can generate jobs in our communities and contribute to a dynamic economic climate.”

Earlier this year, OCE invited organizations with expertise in social enterprise development to apply as service providers. The following were selected:

  • Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, Wilfrid Laurier University
  • 80-20 Growth Corporation
  • PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise *a member of the Canadian CED Network*
  • Centre for Social Innovation
  • Impact Hub Ottawa
  • MaRS Centre for Impact Investing (MCII)
  • The Conseil de la coopération de l’Ontario *a member of the Canadian CED Network*
  • Centre for Innovative Social Enterprise Development
  • Community Innovation Lab

The deadline for social enterprises applying for vouchers is July 31, 2017. OSIV is managed by OCE on behalf of MEDG.

Find out more details on the Ontario Social Impact Voucher Program

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. (www.oce-ontario.org)
Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario’s global competitiveness. OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario’s industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, domestic and foreign investors, and government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices, innovation, entrepreneurship and research, OCE invests in such areas as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario’s Innovation Agenda as a member of the province’s Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), which helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs. Learn more at www.onebusiness.ca

For further information: Contact Program Lead Natalia Lobo at Natalia.Lobo at oce-ontario.org or 416-861-1092 ext. 1061.

SOURCE: CNW Newswire

Share

Today, CCEDNet Board President Ryan Gibson and Executive Director Michael Toye met with the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

His department, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), is responsible for many areas of particular interest to CCEDNet members, including a national poverty reduction strategy, labour market transfer agreements and employment development programs, a national housing strategy, the creation of a national disabilities act, and the creation of a social innovation and social finance strategy.

The meeting was a valuable opportunity to highlight the innovative work being done by CCEDNet members throughout the country and the many points of alignment with federal government priorities.  Key points discussed at the meeting included:

  • The announcement made by Minister Duclos two days earlier at the Global Social Economy Forum regarding the creation of a steering committee on Social Innovation and Social Finance, and CCEDNet’s track record in co-construction of public policy, dating back to the Social Economy Roundtable as part of Paul Martin’s federal social economy initiative.  We reviewed recommendations for the development of the strategy, and noted two significant upcoming events – the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise in Winnipeg in May, and the next national CED conference in Calgary in the fall of 2017 – as opportunities for consultations or milestones related to the national strategy on social innovation and social finance. 
  • CCEDNet’s recommendations to Minister Bains, reinforcing the federal department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s (ISED) interest in social innovation and social enterprise as part of the Inclusive Innovation Agenda.  Our conversation explored some of the most promising prospects for scaling up social enterprise support within ISED, and the importance of close collaboration between ESDC and ISED. 
  • CED and social enterprise as a tool for labour market attachment, including recommendations submitted to the Forum of Labour Market Ministers and the example of the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy, which is focused on job creation for job creation for people with multiple barriers to employment.
  • CCEDNet members’ track record on poverty reduction in many of the cities identified as part of the ‘Tackling Poverty Together‘ project. 
  • CCEDNet’s pre-budget recommendations submitted in our brief to the House of Commons Finance Committee. 

We look forward to continuing the dialogue with Minister Duclos and collaborating with ESDC on our many files of common interest.  

Share

Community and Regional Economic Support program (CARES)New support to create jobs, attract investment, diversify local economies

As part of the Alberta Jobs Plan, the provincial government is giving support to municipalities and organizations to work together on economic development projects that diversify and grow local economies. 

Through the new Community and Regional Economic Support (CARES) program, communities in every corner of the province will have access to $30 million over two years. The money will help pay for locally developed projects that promote long-term economic growth and diversification, particularly projects that communities and municipalities could not necessarily fund on their own.

Money is being distributed in several ways, including:

  • Up to $26.45 million for communities, regions, municipalities and other eligible organizations;
  • $2.2 million for Regional Economic Development Alliances to enhance existing initiatives;
  • $600,000 for four Rural Alberta Business Centres to support 2016-17 operations; and
  • $750,000 for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to support the Back to Business Resource Centre and business recovery expos in Fort McMurray.

“Business and community leaders across the province helped us create the Alberta Jobs Plan. This new support will put homegrown projects and economic development plans into action and help ensure Alberta’s cities and towns continue to be Canada’s best places to do business.”
– Deron Bilous, Minister of Economic Development and Trade

Municipalities, communities and organizations can apply for grants through the CARES program online starting Oct. 1 for projects that:

  • Improve the local business environment and regional economic collaboration;
  • Provide more support for entrepreneurs to grow and succeed;
  • Support industries with a strong potential to diversify; and
  • Attract investment that drives high-value job creation.

Grant funding through the CARES program is available through two streams:

  • A community economic development stream which focuses on building local economic development capacity; and
  • A regional economic development stream which focuses on promoting collaborative regional development with impacts beyond any individual community.

“This support from the Province will go a long way towards enabling communities and regions to undertake economic development initiatives that will assist local entrepreneurs and established businesses in accessing new partnerships and markets that will help them grow their business.”
– Jay Slemp, Chair, Palliser Economic Partnership

The CARES Program will have three grant application intake periods, with the first one beginning on Oct. 1, 2016 and ending Nov. 30, 2016. For more information on program eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit the CARES program webpage.

Originally published by the Government of Alberta on September 7, 2016

Additional Information

Share

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, has announced the Tackling Poverty Together Project which will inform the development of new Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.

This project will consist of conducting case studies in six communities to provide a regional perspective as well as a broader understanding of poverty in communities across the country. It will also allow the Government to hear directly from Canadians living in poverty and learn from organizations who deliver poverty reduction programs.

The Tackling Poverty Together Project will start in Saint John, New Brunswick, in the coming months. This work will subsequently take place in Trois-Rivières, Toronto, Winnipeg, Yellowknife and Tisdale.

“With the development of a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy underway, we are taking an important step towards reducing poverty in Canada. This is how we will realize our vision of a diverse, prosperous and truly inclusive country—a country where everyone can realize their full potential.”
– The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

SOURCE: Employment and Social Development Canada

More Information

Share

Funding Revolutions: A model for addressing the challenges of upstream investment in human servicesIt’s been a long, long time since it was a novel insight to say “a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” But no matter how common the concepts of root causes and preventive or upstream investments become, our institutions have not scaled these investments to the levels our communities need.

This problem frustrates many social enterprise leaders in Manitoba. The impact  their work is having  on individuals’ lives and neighbourhoods results in significant, compounding returns to our communities and all levels of government. A recent Social Return On Investment evaluation initiated by the Province of Manitoba found social enterprises contracting with Manitoba Housing provided an economic return of $2.23 : $1.  When someone with multiple barriers to employment is provided a job opportunity with the necessary supports, all Manitobans benefit: families are united, a pathway out of poverty emerges, communities become stabilized, and the strain on our justice, health and social assistance systems is reduced.

But we are not seeing significant investments in the opportunities presented by social enterprise leaders. This is the challenge that motivates our release of “Funding Revolutions: A model for addressing the challenges of upstream investment in human services.” As a recommendation of the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy, this report puts forward a model that has the potential to support social enterprises to seize the opportunities they see.

Download the Funding Revolutions Full Report

Download the Funding Revolutions Report Summary

There is growing consensus across the political spectrum that it is more cost effective to invest in preventing social problems, before crisis occurs, than it is to invest in addressing the problem further down the road. However, significant barriers prevent this from happening. Some of the challenges highlighted in this report include:

  • The benefits of a Department X’s preventive investment may end up in Department Y’s budget, therefore Department X doesn’t have an incentive to make the preventive investment.
  • The time it takes for preventive investments to demonstrate their savings to government is longer than the volatile, political budget cycle.

The report, completed by Purpose Capital, addresses these challenges while presenting a model for making upstream investments in human services through a publicly-financed, pay-for-success investment fund, specifically designed to invest in innovative, preventive initiatives. Centrally located in the provincial government, the fund would be in a unique position to make investments that consider savings to government as a whole, avoiding the challenge of an investment coming from one department and generating savings for another. The fund would be a revolving fund, meaning the savings it creates for departments through its investments would replenish the fund . The result would be greater resources towards prevention, at a scale much greater than the status quo.

The model proposed here goes beyond social enterprise. Innovations in fields such as education and healthcare are well within the scope of investment opportunities for this fund. We’re glad to contribute this research to the dialogue and practice surrounding preventive investments, and encourage the Manitoba government to invest in the opportunities our social enterprise practitioners see.

Download the Funding Revolutions Full Report

Download the Funding Revolutions Report Summary

Originally published by Social Enterprise Manitoba on September 1, 2016

Darcy PennerDarcy Penner is a Social Enterprise Policy & Program Manager with the Canadian CED Network. He has been working in community economic development since graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a BA (Honours) degree in Politics. Starting at CCEDNet in 2013, his role has seen him work with member-organizations to pursue a broad policy agenda through workshops, presentations, budget submissions, policy papers and community-organizing, while specializing in supportive social enterprise policy and research – including coordinating the Manitoba Social Enterprise Sector Survey and the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy being co-created with the Province of Manitoba. Darcy was also a contributing author to the Alternative Municipal Budget for CCEDNet-Manitoba.​

Share

Directory of Canadian Social EnterprisesWith little fanfare the Federal government has taken a major step forward this week in supporting the social enterprise sector – providing clarity on a definition and supporting the development of a national directory.

The directory defines social enterprise as “an enterprise that seeks to achieve social, cultural or environmental aims through the sale of goods and services. The social enterprise can be for-profit or not-for-profit but the majority of net profits must be directed to a social objective with limited distribution to shareholders and owners.”

Register your organization in the Directory of Canadian Social Enterprises

The Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development’s definition is clearly signalling that from their perspective a social enterprise has to blend a community impact and ensure the majority of profits are also reinvested in community. Rather than looking at a corporate structure, they have opted for a performance based model, which allows several different corporate forms to be included – if the purpose and the structure both align with and meet this definition.

What it doesn’t allow is a company that has a good CSR program or donates a percentage of profits to charity to claim social enterprise ‘status’. Just being a ‘good’ company or a valued corporate citizen, or using social washing in marketing, doesn’t make you a social enterprise. But, if your purpose is to create social value and your structure commits the majority of your profits to a community development goal, you do have the opportunity to register on this directory.

The directory will be a valuable tool for social enterprises to identify with a defined model, allow purchasers to know how to find social enterprise suppliers, and raise awareness on the website of the strength and value of the sector. The definition includes social impact, like employment for persons with barriers; it includes cultural impact, like so many of our local arts and theatre groups; and environmental impact, like community owned alternative energy.

There is no monitoring body or gatekeepers, so we will all have to be diligent to insure social enterprises that meet the criteria are posted and asking others that are not meeting the definition to use other directories, like CSR lists, Fair Trade and B Corps certification websites.

Without a doubt the social enterprise definition debate will continue. Some people will think this definition too broad, others will think it too narrow… but that is all right in my mind – because this step definitely contributes to the real discussion — social enterprise is a means to build a social value market place that contributes to creating healthy communities.

Originally published August 27, 2016 by Accelerating Social Impact CCC

David LePageDavid LePage is a Principal with Accelerating Social Impact CCC, Ltd. (ASI), one of Canada’s first ever hybrid corporations. ASI CCC was created to serve and promote the emerging blended value business and social finance sectors. David works as a consultant, trainer and advisor with a cross section of social enterprises, social purpose businesses and social impact investors. He is a founder of Buy Social Canada, an initiative to promote social purchasing and social enterprise certification.

David is the Chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada. He serves as a Program Adjunct to the Sandermoen School of Business MBA in Social Enterprise Leadership. He is a member of the Social Enterprise World Forum Steering Group, the Canadian CED Network’s Policy Council, Imagine Canada’s Advisory Committee, and the BC Partners for Social Impact. He is also a Board member of the Vancouver Farmer’s Market and a Board member of Ethelo Decisions. David is the former Team Manager of enp-BC and played a lead role in the development of enp-Canada.

Share

Canada's ParliamentThe Canadian CED Network’s Policy Council submitted a response to the federal government’s invitation for recommendations for Labour Market Transfer Agreements (LMTA). The submission focused our recommendations on how the government can implement the measures it has already committed to undertaking in ways that will maximize their impact and value for communities. 

Read our submission to the Forum of Labour Market Ministers

If you also submitted a brief we’d love to include it below…
Please send your LMTA recommendations to Matthew Thompson at mthompson at ccednet-rcdec.ca.

Our Recommendations for Labour Market Transfer Agreements:

  1. IMPACT
    1. ​​Include wrap around services in the scope of activities that are eligible for funding to help under-represented groups integrate into the labour market
    2. Remove funding targets (i.e. the mandated percentage of transfer dollars to be allocated to the Canada Job Grant (CJG) program each year), so that provinces and territories are able to allocate transfer dollars to a wider range of programs, including self-employment programs
    3. Ensure flexibility in program length to help under-represented groups integrate the labour market
    4. Reinstate the original policy objectives of the former LMAs and ensure the flexibility required so that funding can be used to train and hire equity seeking groups in infrastructure projects
    5. Extend funding to address the service gap that exists when jobseekers with barriers to employment transition out of training and into employment
  2. INNOVATE
    1. ​Build on the success of work-integration social enterprises
    2. Expand the use of Social Procurement and Community Benefit Agreements
    3. Broaden the definition of successful outcomes
    4. Support broader community engagement and local level decision-making
  3. INFORM
    1. Emphasize evaluation and communication of results in funded programs

Recommendations from CCEDNet Members

Written Submission from CEDEC

Recommendations:

  1. Develop workshops, tools, and training to allow vulnerable groups to become aware of their potential and develop it.
  2. Establish awareness workshops to sensitize employers to the benefits of hiring vulnerable groups.
  3. Promote labour market opportunities in Quebec to English speakers in a targeted manner.
  4. Match English speakers with concrete labour market opportunities.
  5. Promote opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-employment.
  6. Support the creation of small and medium enterprises through entrepreneurship training initiatives.
  7. Strengthen the alignment between forecasted labour market demand in Quebec and forecasted supply from Quebec’s English-speaking labour force (provincially, regionally, locally, by industry and by occupation).
  8. Develop a strategic labour force development approach that centralizes analytics, strategy development.
  9. Coordinate and decentralize labour market information dissemination and service provision.
  10. Develop an electronic Labour Market Forecaster for Bilingual Employment in Quebec and Employment Connector Tables.
  11. Foster a more supportive culture for English speakers by lowering language proficiency regulations and sensitizing employers to English-speaking candidates.

Written Submission from Momentum

Recommendations:

  1. Amend the Canada Job Fund Agreements and dismantle the Canada Job Grant program
    1. ​Increase flexibility so that provinces and territories can use funding to design and support programs that work best given their unique needs and context.
    2. Remove funding targets so that provinces and territories are able to allocate transfer dollars to a wider range of programs, including self-employment programs.
    3. Include targets for a CJG dollars accessed by unemployed individuals to prevent the Grant from being used solely as an upskilling fund.
    4. Include targets for women, given the gender imbalance in the selection of trainees reported in Alberta.
    5. Shift intention and design from employer-driven to employer-involved training.
    6. Revisit the purpose of the Canada Job Fund Agreements so that the original policy objectives of the Labour Market Agreements are restored.
  2. Expand Employment Insurance (EI) eligibility
  3. Increase funding through the Labour Market Transfer Agreements for skills training opportunities as well as career and employment services to support all Canadians.
  4. Adjust the funding allocation formula that directs federal transfers to account for changes in unemployment rates.
  5. The role of the service provider, in addition to the roles of government and employers, needs recognition in LMTAs.
  6. A pool of funding could be earmarked to support local, multi-sectoral partnerships, and would serve to advance the goals of the labour market agreements.
  7. Set aside funds for innovation in the Labour Market Transfer Agreements, and provide the programs with support to try out new approaches without being tied too early to traditional outcomes of success.
  8. Find ways for the government to support and encourage service providers to innovate and remain responsive to changing labour market demand
  9. LMTAs should include funds for shared measurement and communications projects by community-based service providers. 
Share

generative economy. Illustrator: Yvonne HollandyIn her 20 years of publishing about socially-responsible business and investing, author and new economy thought leader Marjorie Kelly has seen too often how well-meaning business people seeking to “do good things” find the ownership design of the business working against their intentions. This is especially the case with publicly traded companies.

When ownership is held in capital markets, profit maximization tends to be the focus. The profit-maximizing economy also tends to concentrate wealth.

But what if we were to create a different kind of economy – not an economy designed to maximize wealth for the few, but one designed to generate the conditions where all life can thrive? This is what Marjorie Kelly calls a generative economy. It’s an economy that serves life, focused  on enabling people to do the things they need to do thrive: eat, sleep, learn, socialize, make a meaningful difference. In a generative economy, companies will still be profit-making, but they won’t be profit-maximizing. They’ll have more human aims, like creating the food, clothing, shelter, and entertainment we all desire, or making good loans that enable people to thrive.

Getting away from the profit-maximizing purpose may mean getting away from the Wall Street ownership design that keeps that motive super-charged. Alternative ownership models – specifically, employee ownership and community-based ownership – can be surer paths for enabling businesses to serve life.

In many cases, Marjorie argues, employees are “the rightful heirs of companies as the ones who create the wealth and have the knowledge.”

Employee and community-based ownership could also be a critical piece of having an ecologically sustainable economy.

If we’re shipping goods all over the world, we’re creating a massive carbon footprint, but that’s in many ways required by the current economy and its ownership design, which entails maximizing profits and disregarding most other impacts. Sweatshop conditions overseas or massive carbon emissions are irrelevant if low costs and high profits are the only benchmarks. To create a different outcome, we need to have a different ownership design.

How do we get there? One pivot point is found at that moment before companies become publicly traded – that moment when a founder decides how to exit the firm he or she has founded. Should they sell to someone else? Sell to a multinational? Take the company public so shareholders become owners? Or – sell to employees? Marjorie would love to see a movement where communities make employee ownership a major, top-of-mind option for owners who wish to sell or retire.

Baby-boom entrepreneurs are just coming into a time of moving on from the businesses they launched decades ago. Research shows 70 per cent do not plan to pass them on to families. So what alternatives are they considering? Is employee ownership one of those options? If not, how could it be featured more widely as an option? Is it a financing issue? Education? “I think if we can pull it off in one community, then others could see how to do it and you could see it replicate rapidly,” Marjorie says. It may be an issue of raising awareness, providing technical assistance, educating attorneys and business brokers, or other steps to build a social ecosystem of support for an employee ownership transition.

She also sees great promise in a census of enterprises that have alternative ownership designs. To get a definite number on the assets and revenues of these companies could both strengthen the confidence of current players in this alternative economy and help plan for the future.

Originally published by the Gazette Company on October 9, 2014

Michelle StrutzenbergerMichelle Strutzenberger is Newsroom Chair at Axiom News. Axiom is a life-giving news network for a renewed and thriving world with a mission to provide Generative Journalism services to organizations. Generative Journalism is founded on the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based, capacity-building approach for propelling organizations towards their highest potential.

Share

social enterprise directoryInnovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is identifying opportunities to support or lessen barriers to innovation and growth in the social enterprise sector. As part of this support, ISED has launched a Directory of Canadian Social Enterprises. The directory will serve to increase the visibility of social enterprises and provide procurement opportunities. The directory allows social enterprises to self-identify and promote the goods and service they provide. It allows corporations that have supplier diversity programs, government procurement officers, and companies looking to support social minded organizations to connect with social enterprises.

The directory is part of Canadian Company Capabilities (CCC) website. CCC is a free centralized, searchable database of some 50,000 Canadian companies. CCC is one of the more popular government websites with more than 5 million domestic and international visitors last year. Being listed in CCC means that companies will be seen by more potential buyers. Being listed in CCC can also improve the companies’ rankings on Google and other search engines. The directory complements existing supplier diversity directories (Aboriginal businesses and women-owned businesses) on the site. The directory has just been launched, and ISED is working with partners in the community to promote the directory to get more social enterprises to register.

The directory defines social enterprise as an enterprise that seeks to achieve social, cultural or environmental aims through the sale of goods and services. The social enterprise can be for-profit or not-for-profit but the majority of net profits must be directed to a social objective with limited distribution to shareholders and owners.

Register your social enterprise in the Directory

Share

DTESIn March 2016, following a call for participation from the City of Vancouver, 30 organizations came together to form the Community Economic Development Strategic Action (CEDSA) Committee. This diverse group is working together to support the Local Economy goals of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Local Area Plan and propose new solutions to systemic challenges, which will coalesce in a comprehensive economic development strategy for the DTES.

The depth of knowledge and breadth of expertise in the group is humbling; it includes low-income and anti-poverty activism representatives, Business Improvement Associations, resident associations, social enterprises, non-profits, employment services agencies, community centers, neighbourhood houses, and low income residents. Its broad-based membership brings together diverse perspectives from the Oppenheimer, Chinatown, and Strathcona neighbourhoods.

More about the CED Strategy

The Community Economic Development (CED) Strategy is supported by the local government’s first Community Economic Development Planner, Wes Regan. Wes previously worked with the Hastings Crossings Business Improvement Association, which was founded as Canada’s first Social Innovation Business Improvement Area, as well as Building Opportunities with Business, a 3P CED Agency formed to implement the 2004 Economic Revitalization Strategy. In a smart move on behalf of the City, the position was designed to straddle both Social Policy and Planning departments. The City also dedicated resources to support a community vehicle (CEDSA) in hiring its own CED Coordinator to oversee community engagement and implementation of the strategy.

Although the CED Strategy is not part of the new planning process, CEDSA has been working on aggressive timelines towards a fall report to City Council. You can learn more about the CED Strategy and check for more regular updates on the City of Vancouver website.

LEDlab’s Role

In June of 2016, LEDlab signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the CEDSA Committee to support the co-creation of the CED Strategy. LEDlab will take part in facilitation and process design, as well as oversee the CED Coordinator role.

LEDlab will be able to draw on insights from prior issue and system mapping work and will help incubate various project ideas that come out of the CED Strategy over the next two years, hopefully placing future interns with the CEDSA Committee as resources for its work.

What’s Next

The committee has focused its efforts on three strategic themes: retail gentrification and social inclusion, incomes and livelihoods, and rethinking Community Benefits Agreements. Urban Aboriginal economic development, the arts economy, and legislative change all play prominent roles in the CED Strategy. Recently hired CED Coordinator Alisha Maxfield is leading community engagement efforts to ensure there is ample input to the strategy and its implementation.

As an example, the retail gentrification group aims to ensure that low income serving businesses, culturally appropriate businesses (e.g. Aboriginal, Chinese, Japanese), and businesses that provide supported employment to residents with barriers to stability can all afford to keep their doors open in the DTES. Rising rents and property taxes have meant the loss of many beloved community businesses in the last decade. This action is aligned with the DTES Local Area Plan’s strategic direction to ‘retain and enhance local serving retail’ but also expands on it by detailing desired outcomes, outlining planning tools, and identifying mechanisms for how to get there.

The key ingredient of the CED Strategy is that it recognizes that there are various economies interacting in the DTES, including the informal economy and the social economy. This framing is completely aligned with LEDlab’s previous work, which mapped the employment continuum.

Stay tuned to LEDlab email newsletters in the coming months for more updates about the CED Strategy. Please write to cedcoordinator at ledlab.ca if you would like to learn more about the CED Strategy or would like to get involved.

SOURCE: LEDlab

Share