2009 Call for Resolutions

The Canadian CED Network’s annual general meeting is being held on June 4th at our National CED Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. All resolutions must be submitted to Bianca Mathieu at no later than April 22, at 4:00 p.m. (PST). Late resolutions will be held over to the AGM in the following year.

All sponsors of resolutions will be contacted no later than May 13. At
that time, sponsors will be notified that their resolution will be
presented at the AGM or that the resolution has been rejected because
it does not fulfill the requirements.

An Emergency Resolution may be submitted later then deadline if it meets the all of following conditions:

1. the subject matter deals with events that have arisen after the submission deadline
2. it complies with normal submission requirements
3. it is submitted no later than noon PST on May 15 2009, seven (20)
   days prior to the date of the AGM at the CCEDNet Victoria office.

Call for Resolutions (PDF)

Submission Requirements

Resolutions may be submitted by any two (2) members in good standing (a
mover and seconder) and should meet the following criteria:

1. deal with a policy matter of national or regional scope, or: deal with the internal operations of CCEDNet.
2. falls within the broad jurisdiction of community economic development
3. request a specific action on the part of CCEDNet.

Submission Form

The resolution shall be submitted in a single hard copy, and deal
with only one subject. The resolution should contain no more than two
(2) recital clauses (starting with the word “whereas”), one operative
clause (starting with the phrase “Therefore be it resolved”) and may be
accompanied by a note of up to 250 words explaining the origin of the
resolution. (See – Guidelines on Preparing Resolutions for CCEDNet)

Circulation of Resolutions

The Resolutions Committee will ensure that the resolutions (as amended
or consolidated) are accurately translated and posted on the CCEDNet
website by May 3rd. In the case of Emergency Resolutions, the
Resolutions Committee shall ensure accurate translation and that hard
copies of the resolution are distributed at registration for the AGM.

Please email all materials with the subject title to Bianca Mathieu () or fax to: (250) 386-9984 or mail to 211-620 View street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1J6.

MODEL RESOLUTION

SHORT TITLE Promoting C.E.D.

Sponsor’s Name: Mary Smith, seconded by Bob Jones

WHEREAS; Community Economic Development is insufficiently understood
by the general public;

AND WHEREAS: Visibility is the first step in building awareness;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the CCEDNet Board of Directors wear
bright orange t-shirts with the organization mission statement
emblazoned on the back.

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2009 CALL FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS

March 10, 2009

The Canadian CED Network’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held on June 4 at our National CED Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Nominations are currently being sought for three positions on CCEDNet’s Board of Directors. Anyone with energy and a vision for the CED movement in Canada is encouraged to submit a candidacy. The deadline to receive nominations is April 22, 2009.

Board Vacancies
CCEDNet’s Board of Directors is made up of twelve (12) representatives of our membership who serve three (3) year rotating terms. The twelve representatives are comprised of four directors selected by the membership of CCEDNet’s four Standing Committees with the other eight directors being elected at-large by the general membership. Elections are conducted online and the results are announced at the AGM. Member Associates are not eligible to sit on the Board.

Board members whose terms are expiring are eligible to be re-elected. However, their election is not automatic. They must be elected by the members through CCEDNet’s official election process.

Candidates must be nominated by two (2) other CCEDNet members, preferably from their region. If you don’t know any other members well enough to ask them to nominate you, contact Bianca Mathieu at the number indicated below. She will inform the Nominations Committee of your situation so they can help you find someone.

Members interested in letting their name stand for CCEDNet’s Board are asked to communicate with us by fax or email by April 22 to submit their candidacy, including the names of the two other CCEDNet members who are nominating them. Candidates are required to provide a short biography (including a photo) to the CCEDNet office for translation and printing to be included in election materials.

If you wish to nominate another CCEDNet member for a position, please ensure that the other member is willing to let their name stand and has given their approval to be nominated before communicating with us. Once again, the deadline for nominations is April 22, 2009 and nominations should be emailed to , faxed to (250) 386-9984 or mailed to:

Please note: information regarding online voting will be forwarded by email to all members in good standing. In order to be considered a member in good standing, all fees must be paid in full by April 30, 2009. If you are unsure about your membership status, please contact Bianca Mathieu (or call 1-877-202-2268 ext.111.

For a printable version of this page, please click below:
2009 Call for Nominations (PDF)

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Legislative Innovations and Social Enterprise: Structural Lessons for Canada

By Richard Bridge and Stacey Corriveau, for the BC Centre for Social Enterprise

“Social Enterprise” is not a legal expression in Canada. There is no national or provincial social enterprise act or regulation that defines it or gives it legal form or structure. It is not addressed in the voluminous federal Income Tax Act as something distinct and worthy of unique treatment.

This paper argues that governments should modernize the organizational infrastructure that applies to social enterprise to better enable it to flourish. A relatively modest start would be new legislation enabling the creation of a legal structure specifically for the purpose of social enterprise.

Click here to download the full paper from www.centreforsocialenterprise.com.

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February 26, 2009 – There is growing recognition that Canada’s major public policy challenges play out in local spaces. For example, analysts of social inclusion encounter the many barriers that individuals and families face living in distressed neighbourhoods. Rural areas and smaller centres confront another set of risks in managing change with declining, often aging populations. Common to all is an appreciation of how local geographic contexts – the form and nature of places – shape people’s life chances.

For national governments, these dynamics frame a novel set of challenges. Policy interventions must increasingly work from the ground up to generate solutions rooted in the particular concerns of local communities and the specific needs and capacities of their residents. But what policy frameworks and institutional arrangements will enable multi-level collaboration to actually work? The conceptual and practical challenges remain daunting for national governments everywhere as they rethink and retool for an era of more intensive global-local interaction.

In Canadian Social Policy in the 2000s: Bringing Place In, CPRN Research Associate Neil Bradford of Huron University College, University of Western Ontario, explores departures in Canadian social development policy towards more place-based approaches. Bradford uses innovations in policy thought and governing practices among OECD countries to bring Canadian policy communities more fully into the international conversation on place-based policy. The paper shows the degree of federal policy experimentation aimed at better integrating policies for places and people, but which is still disparate and not yet systematically conceptualized.

To read or download Bringing Place In, click here. To send us your feedback, email .

The paper was originally published in Plan Canada, January-February 2009.

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CSEHub is pleased to invite your participation in TWO upcoming free telelearning sessions!

Telelearning Session 12: International Microfinance

In recent years, donors and international aid organizations have been turning to microfinance as a way of providing their self-employed clients with financial services to support their businesses and households. These services have expanded to include not only loans and savings, but also insurance, money transfers and electronic banking as well. Join us as we explore some of the issues surrounding international microfinance, including:

• What is the difference between international and domestic microfinance?
• Under what conditions do international microfinance programs thrive?
• What are the challenges faced by international microfinance programs?

Sign up today to participate in this engaging telelearning session, featuring Nanci Lee (Writer, Microfinance Consultant, and Educator) and Dr. Julie Drolet (Writer and Assistant Professor at Thompson Rivers University), with facilitation by Annie McKitrick of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships.

Spaces are free, but limited – Register today!

Call Logistics:
* Session Date: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
* Call begins at 9:00 am PST, 10:00 am MST, 11:00 am CST, 12:00 pm EST, 1:00 pm AST, and 1:30 pm NST
* Call in information will be given upon registration
* Register before March 1st to obtain dial-in information and background papers
* This session is in English

Session Format: 1 Hour
Welcome: 5 minutes
Presentation: 10 minutes from each speaker
Discussion: 35 minutes

Registration: By Email or by Phone
Register by e-mailing with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. We will provide instructions on how to access the telelearning forum. Unfortunately, the session is only open to those residing in Canada. To register by phone call 1-250-472-4976.

Telelearning Session 13: Microfinance in a Canadian Context

The provision of financial services to low-income clients is an under-examined facet of the economic system. Proponents of microfinance believe that meeting the financial needs of such community members can be a sustainable answer to solving the problems associated with poverty in our society. Join us as we explore some of the issues surrounding microfinance in Canada, including:

• What is the significance of microfinance programs in the Canadian context?
• What is the need for microfinance programs?
• Under what conditions do microfinance programs thrive in Canada?
• What are the challenges faced by Canadian microfinance programs?

Sign up today to participate in this engaging telelearning session, featuring Susan Henry (Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Alterna Savings) and Anahi Rivadeneira (Microfinance Program Officer at Vancity), with facilitation by Seth Asimakos of the Saint John Community Loan Fund.

Spaces are free, but limited – Register today!

Call Logistics:
* Session Date: Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
* Call begins at 9:00 am PST, 10:00 am MST, 11:00 am CST, 12:00 pm EST, 1:00 pm AST, and 1:30 pm NST
* Call in information will be given upon registration
* Register before March 8th to obtain dial-in information and background papers
* This session is in English

Session Format: 1 Hour
Welcome: 5 minutes
Presentation: 10 minutes from each speaker
Discussion: 35 minutes

Registration: By Email or by Phone
Register by e-mailing with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. We will provide instructions on how to access the telelearning forum. Unfortunately, the session is only open to those residing in Canada. To register by phone call 1-250-472-4976.

Check out the CSEHub Telelearning page for more information and to listen to the podcasts after these events!

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The BC Institute for Co-operative Studies and the BC Community Economic Development Network present:

Remaking the Economy through People’s Eyes: A Forum Exploring Economic Models for Today and Tomorrow

**REGISTER ONLINE NOW!**

March 7th, 9:00am – 4:30pm
University of Victoria, MacLaurin Building

Morning and afternoon workshops include:

• Health
• Food Security
• Ecological Economics
• Participatory Economics
• Co-ops
• First Nations
• Social Enterprise
• Community Economic Development

This event is free and open to all members of the public and university community.

Speakers:
Dr. James Tully, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria
The Big Picture: The Politics of An Economy

Dr. Mark Roseland, Centre for Sustainable Community Development, Simon Fraser University
Community Capital: A Sustainable Approach to Community Development

Dr. Helen Haugh, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK
There Is Another way: The Social Economy

Mr. Doug Wright, The Co-operators
Another Way of Doing Things: The Co-operative Model

If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Chaland at

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BC CED Network joins organizations in call for legislated poverty reduction plan

The BC CED Network joins with CCPA and 200 other
organizations and community leaders from across BC to release an open
letter calling on all political parties to commit to a legislated
poverty reduction plan.

The open letter is signed by numerous prominent groups – including the
United Way of the Lower Mainland, Vancity Credit Union, the Public
Health Association of BC, the BC Healthy Living Alliance, the BC
Federation of Labour…and dozens of faith leaders, health
organizations, doctors, businesses, First Nations and Aboriginal
groups, labour unions, immigrant and refugee organizations, community
service agencies, municipal councils, women’s groups, and many more.
You can read the full open letter, list of signatories and news release
at bcpovertyreduction.ca.

BC has the highest poverty rate in Canada, and the highest child
poverty rate for five years in a row. We hope this effort will show our
provincial leaders that there is broad-based support for an ambitious
but realistic plan to reduce poverty and homelessness in our province.

Please add your voice to the call:

• Visit www.bcpovertyreduction.ca and sign your name the open letter calling for a legislated poverty reduction plan.
• Ask organizations you’re involved with to sign the open letter.
• Spread the word: forward this email to your friends and contacts. Or visit www.bcpovertyreduction.ca and share it on your Facebook profile, or through other social networking tools.

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Achieving sustainability requires a multi-disciplinary approach and a broad social commitment. It also requires the energy and passion of youth.

That’s why The Co-operators has launched an unprecedented partnership of business, academia and non-government organisations to bring together students from all fields of study from across Canada to develop and implement real sustainability solutions for their current lives and their future careers.

All conference related expenses will be covered for selected participants. Your contribution is time and commitment.

• September 24-27th, 2009 at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario
• 180 university & college students from across Canada
• Explore tangible multi-industry and sector sustainability solutions with national business and academic leaders
• Build networks and develop skills to lead sustainability initiatives long after the conference
• Network and learn from students like you who are excited, empowered & equipped for change

Share this message or URL with your network, especially with students. To learn more visit www.impactyouthsustainability.ca or contact us at .

Conference partners: The Co-operators, Research Network for Business Sustainability, David Suzuki Foundation, The Natural Step, the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, AIESEC, Coopsco, the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and the Richard Ivey School of Business.

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Federal budget 2009 adds big dollars to federal spending, but fails to target those investments at the Canadians who are suffering the most in the current economic recession, according to the Wellesley Institute, an independent research and policy institute. “The federal government deserves credit for boosting spending to meet Canada’s economic, health and social challenges,” says Rick Blickstead, CEO of the Wellesley Institute. “But it’s not just big spending that counts, it’s smart spending. A bit here and something there don’t add up to an effective and comprehensive plan to build a strong, healthy and equitable economy.” The federal budget fails to meet a number of economic, social and health priorities:

• For the three million households precariously housed, today’s federal budget delivers $2 billion. This is far less than the $5 billion-plus being offered to wealthier Canadians who already own homes and cottages and want to build a new deck or pave their driveway.
• Wellesley Institute research shows that every $1,000 increase in household income for the lowest-income Canadians delivers substantial health benefits. Today’s federal budget fails to put real dollars in the pockets of the poorest Canadians. Adding benefits for people already receiving Employment Insurance doesn’t help the six out of ten unemployed who can’t even get an EI cheque because of overly strict regulations.
• The third sector – non-profit, charitable and voluntary organizations – is a big part of the Canadian economy, generating tens of billions of dollars in economic activity. For years, the government has taken the third sector for granted, and today’s budget continues that pattern of neglect. Third sector groups are on the frontlines in providing practical support to the victims of the economic crisis, but they won’t get any help from the 2009 budget.
• Canadians place a high value on our national health care system, and we need to continue to fund innovative and cost-effective health solutions like an expanded national network of community health centres. Today’s budget delivers nothing to expand our health care system.
• Transit and other municipal infrastructure spending would provide powerful economic stimulus, and strengthen communities, but federal budget 2009 falls far short of the needs set out by municipalities. And the new program rules and cost-sharing requirements will further restrict any benefit. Asking cash-strapped municipalities to go further into debt to access federal dollars won’t help renew local social and physical infrastructure.

The Wellesley Institute will publish a more detailed budget analysis, including a detailed look at housing and the federal budget, on its web site at www.wellesleyinstitute.com

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Federal budget leaves unemployed in the cold

OTTAWA — Today’s federal budget leaves hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Canadians hanging on a very short rope and won’t provide the immediate stimulus our economy needs, says the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The budget fails to expand Employment Insurance (EI) to ensure laid-off Canadians are eligible for benefits and its infrastructure promises require the provinces and municipalities to match funding — a condition that will stall many projects.

“This budget is not equal to the challenges facing the country, nor does it live up to the rhetoric of the Throne Speech delivered only 26 hours before which claimed to protect the vulnerable,” says CCPA Senior Economist Marc Lee.

The omission of major EI reforms in the face of massive unemployment stands as its biggest weakness, says CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan.

“Canada is facing a potentially massive wave of economic dislocation as out-of-work Canadians turn to an EI system that is not recession ready,” Yalnizyan says. “Six out of 10 Canadians don’t get EI and everyone agrees that’s a problem, but this government inexplicably decided to ignore the problem – and that will lead to disaster for many.”

Broad-based tax cuts are also a problem, says CCPA Analyst David Macdonald.

“Only 5% of today’s budget is actually devoted to tax measures to help vulnerable low income Canadians,” Macdonald says. “In the coming recession, the government will help you adjust the colour palette of your kitchen, but if you’re poor you’ll be on your own.”

The average Canadian will only get a $300 tax break with low-income Canadians receiving a maximum of only $33, Macdonald says.

Finally, the budget injects much needed infrastructure dollars that could be the engine of job creation. But for every dollar spent in federal infrastructure stimulus, provinces and municipalities must pony up 73 cents for the money to flow — delaying critical job-creating projects that should be stimulating Canada’s economy this year, not next.

For more information:

Contact Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA Senior Communications Officer, at 613-563-1341 x306

or visit the website of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Watch an interview with CCPA Economist Armine Yalnizyan

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