JOB POSTING
Executive Director
Canadian Community Economic Development Network

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) is
Canada’s leading national association and charity uniting community organizations and practitioners in strengthening Canada’s communities. With several hundred members across the country and resources being used by over 10,000 groups in every province and territory, CCEDNet provides support and leadership to efforts by CED organizations to create economic opportunities and enhance the social and environmental conditions of Canada’s communities. As a member-led Network, CCEDNet engages a broad and inclusive range of community interests in common efforts to influence policy, create stronger and fairer local economies, tackle poverty and homelessness, and invest in sustainable communities. The Executive Director will support and lead this effort, alongside a committed national Board of Directors and dedicated staff.

As Executive Director, you will inspire action and champion initiatives to achieve the goals outlined in CCEDNet’s strategic plan. Accountable for all operations and business planning, you ensure that programs, communications and resources are continually enhanced to deliver member value and organizational performance. You lead in a way that creates a culture of possibility, action and outcomes and core to your role is ensuring effective work by all staff while at the same time providing them the space to lead and be innovative and responsive to member priorities. You also play an important external role, building relations with members, stakeholders, partners, the media, governments, funders, and the public. As the key spokesperson and advocate, you further strengthen CCEDNet’s policy impact by leveraging its credibility and the many partnerships it has forged to achieve its mission. You help to connect the Network’s national and regional committees and work with the board in advancing a “communities agenda” that responds to emerging opportunities and challenges. You lead efforts to grow sustainable and innovative sources of revenue for the Network and the CED sector.

As the ideal candidate, you are an inclusive, empowering, and decisive leader who fosters a culture of learning, excellence, and accountability in your team. You bring existing funder relationships, proven revenue generating experience, and experience in management of senior staff. You are an energizing professional with exceptional relationship abilities and business management skills. You are a strong communicator that can build and sustain relations with a range of interests, including staff, Board, members, governments, funders, partners and the media. Your proficiency in both official languages and previous experience working with a nonprofit board will serve you well, as will your knowledge of the CED sector in Canada. You have both vision and practical leadership skills in building a diverse and sustainable business plan for the Network.

Location of the position is negotiable. A competitive salary and benefits package is offered to the right candidate.

Please submit a letter of application, CV and three current references by April 30th, 2008 to Short listed candidates are expected to be available for an interview between May 21st and 24th.


REQUIREMENTS

• Proven experience in managing large and complex non governmental organizations, with multiple stakeholders and funding sources.
• Knowledge of community economic development and the social economy.
• A background in business planning, managing fund development and funder relations.
• Experience of public policy development and public relations to advance social, economic and ecological sustainability.
• Experience managing senior staff in a collaborative team environment.
• A track record of supporting non profit boards of directors and member-based organizational structures
• Strong communication skills
• Proficient in both official languages
• Ability to travel

 

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Dear Canadian CED Network members and partners:

Re: Resignation of Rupert Downing, Executive Director of the Canadian CED Network

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) Board of Directors regrets to announce the resignation of Rupert Downing, Executive Director. After more than six years in the position, Mr. Downing will be leaving us to move on to other areas of interest in the CED field while setting aside time to work on personal projects.

Under Mr. Downing’s leadership, the Network has grown to involve over 10,000 communities, organizations and institutions across Canada. Today the Network is the major national voice for community economic development. We would like to thank Mr. Downing for his vision, commitment and passion and wish him the very best on his plans for the future.

Upon receiving notice, the Board created a succession planning committee with staff to ensure a smooth transition. Thanks to the one-year notice period provided by Mr. Downing, the committee is now well-positioned to move forward with a search for candidates and will be posting shortly. It is our plan and intention that an appointment be made by July 2008. Please click here for the detailed job description.

Given CCEDNet’s growth and resulting complexity over the past decade, we are taking this opportunity to review the administration of the Network. It is our goal to ensure we are in the best possible position to maintain our commitment to enhancing member engagement and advancing policy priorities.

The committee would like to extend a special thank-you to Walter Hossli of Momentum and Cathy Harrington of Lutherwood, for their input and advice.

If you have any questions on the search process and succession plan please don’t hesitate to contact us at .

Regards,

Natasha Jackson
President, The Canadian Community Economic Development Network

To view the Executive Director’s Job Description, click here.

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EARLY BIRD DEADLINE IS APRIL 18TH!

Register now for Canada’s premier community economic development (CED) event to take advantage of our early bird discount!

Catch the Waves of Change with 400 other community practitioners, civil society representatives, academics, government partners, and citizens for over 40 learning sessions, action-oriented plenaries, exciting site tours and networking opportunities.

Saskatoon Shines! That’s the buzzword in this vibrant community. This is a university town with a laid-back charm that enhances its cosmopolitan hustle and bustle. Join us in building an inclusive movement dedicated to strengthening communities across Canada while enjoying the many scenic and cultural delights Saskatoon has to offer.

Workshop Sessions
Over 40 workshop and action sessions will explore best practices in poverty reduction; social enterprise; sustainable solutions; youth CED; women & CED; immigrant CED; policy; research; and much more!

Plenaries
Conference Opening Plenary – The Need to Build People-Centred Economies
Thursday May 22nd, 8:30am – 10:00am
The opening plenary will explore our conference theme of Waves of Change: Building People-Centred Economies. Its aim is to inspire participants with a vision of the possibilities of a fairer society and economy through CED. Paul Wilkinson will speak to this from a provincial viewpoint, and will be joined by Priscilla Settee, director of the Indigenous Peoples Program at the U of S from the Cree First Nations. This session will set the tone for the conference and provide an opportunity to make connections between local, regional, national and international issues and approaches.

Policy Plenaries – Influencing Policy in Order to Build People-Centred Economies
Friday May 23rd, 8:30am – 10:00am & 4:15pm – 5:30pm
Friday morning’s plenary session will focus on motivating participants to work together on a common policy agenda. It will set the tone for the day of action planning and policy discussion around building people-centred economies. Friday afternoon’s plenary will wrap up a day of engagement and action planning around key policy issues in CED. It will bring together the main issues and participant reflections on the day and look at moving forward with a policy agenda for building fairer and stronger people-centred economies.

Exciting Social Events
“Saskatchewan-ite Roots Roundup”
Thursday May 22nd, evening ($40 – includes snacks)
Come and celebrate the power and richness of local Aboriginal cultures through theatre, dance, music, storytelling, and poetry. Then kick up your heels and boogie down with the dynamic blues and folk performer, Wilma and her band.

“A Vibrant Prairie Night”
Friday May 23rd, evening (dinner provided – included in full conference fee)
Indulge in a delicious banquet and enjoy a diverse cultural array of dance performances. Taking place at the Western Development Museum, you will have the chance to walk the streets of Boomtown, the Western Development Museum’s representation of a typical Saskatchewan town at the turn of the 20th century.
*Sponsored by Affinity Credit Union

Already Registered?
A reminder to book your accommodation quickly to take advantage of the conference rate being offered by the Parktown Hotel and University of Saskatchewan dorms. We encourage you to stay at the university for the full conference community experience – dorm rooms are available at very reasonable rates (click here for more information). The Parktown Hotel, located on the South Saskatchewan riverbank, is just across the river from the University. Find out more about their services at: www.parktownhotel.com or contact them at 1-800-667-3999. Make sure to mention you’re with the “Canadian CED Conference” to get the reduced rate, and book early as there are a limited number of rooms being held!

Not Registered Yet?
Register by April 18th to take advantage of the early bird discount! Registration is easy; simply visit the conference website to register online! If you wish to register by fax, please download the registration form and fax the completed document to (250) 386-9984.

See you in Saskatoon!!

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Budget 2008 is entitled Responsible Leadership, but for those Canadians who think federal government leadership means taking action on the big issues of our day – like climate change, poverty and homelessness, child care, or preparing for a downturn in the economy – most can only see reckless pilfering of the surplus.

To download the CCPA’s 2008 Federal Budget Analysis, please click here.

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Online registration is now open!


Registration is easy…and don’t forget that the Early Bird deadline is April 18!

1. Register online and get immediate approval of your session choices! (Payment by cheque or credit card is accepted.)

3. If you wish to register by fax, please download the registration form and fax the completed document to (250) 386-9984.

*If you do not have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, please click here to download a free copy.

For more information, please call 1-877-202-2268 or email info(at)ccednet-rcdec(dot)ca.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING DISCOUNTS:


Discounts for registration are available for CCEDNet members.
You may become a member of CCEDNet now by visiting our website to receive a discount on your conference registration.


Click here to become a member
and receive your conference discount!

 


See you in Saskatoon!

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NEWS RELEASE

Community Economic Development Organizations:
Harper’s ‘Prudent’ Budget Neglects Communities in Need

Victoria, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The federal budget announcement released yesterday afternoon offers little to assist Canada’s poorest communities, say members of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network. CCEDNet – representing the interests of thousands of community economic development organizations – believes the ‘prudent’ measures outlined in the federal budget do not take into consideration the immediate needs of Canada’s poor.

“When you have 2.8 million families living below the poverty line, claiming that a prudent budget reflects reality is unreasonable,” says CCEDNet’s Executive Director, Rupert Downing. “The reality is that people in need can’t afford to be patient, they need a government that will take action to make changes that actually alleviates suffering, not prolongs it.”

Echoing concerns from other community development leaders, CCEDNet states that while they welcome any investment in communities – including the Community Development Trust Announcement – they are concerned that the amount of money pledged is not enough to deal with the crisis facing many communities.

“Once again, we see a federal budget more focused on retaining capital than the more pressing issue of investing in Canadian communities,” says Richard Chamberlain, Finance Director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network. “The Tax-Free Savings Account does nothing to help Canadians save money. At top marginal tax rates, the tax payable on a $5,000 investment with a 10% return would only mean a $250 savings even for those who can afford to save the maximum amount. For those who can’t save the maximum, the savings would basically be negligible.”

In its pre-budget submission to the federal government, CCEDNet recommended that a portion of tax revenue be used to invest in communities to reduce poverty, increase self-sufficiency, and generate aggregate benefits to ensure Canadian prosperity and productivity. The cutting of corporate tax rates undermines the government’s ability to make these investments.

Community economic development has a long history of success in revitalizing communities across Canada through locally-led action engaging a diverse cross-section of community members. Its combined values of inclusiveness, sustainability and reciprocity ensure that economic change is long-lasting for struggling communities.

“It’s time that the federal government took investing in communities seriously” says Mr. Downing. “Advantage Canada? Certainly not for those Canadians who need an advantage the most.”

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) is a national non-governmental charitable organization established to support the work of community organizations that are creating economic opportunities and enhancing social conditions in Canada. The membership of CCEDNet is made up of hundreds of community groups, municipalities, foundations, and practitioners from every region of the country. CCEDNet brings these groups together to share expertise, mobilize communities, and build a national focus on CED.

Community Economic Development (CED) is action by people locally to create economic opportunities and better social conditions, particularly for those who are most disadvantaged. CCEDNet’s national office is located in Victoria, BC.

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For more information, please contact Erin Brocklebank, Communications Coordinator, (250) 386-9980 ext.106.

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Today the CCPA released the 2008 Alternative Federal Budget (AFB). The AFB is coordinated by the CCPA and is the result of collaborative deliberations by representatives of a wide spectrum of civil society organizations. Among the innovations in this year’s AFB: a gender budget analysis; a poverty reduction plan; a national infrastructure plan; a sectoral development strategy to address the manufacturing crisis; and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan. The news release is pasted below. All Alternative Budget materials are available on the CCPA web site in both English and French: http://www.policyalternatives.ca


Alternative Budget challenges Feds:
Stop cutting taxes, start solving problems

OTTAWA – The Stephen Harper government needs to give up its tax cut addiction and invest in solutions to pressing problems facing Canadians, says the 2008 Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

AFB 2008 calls the minority government on its irresponsible $190 billion tax cut giveaway (made in two short years) and presents a budget that addresses environmental and economic sustainability – without plunging Canada into a fiscal deficit.

“Our budget tackles climate change and confronts the financial insecurity many Canadians struggle with. It will make it easier for Canadians to get to work each day and give better opportunities to our children. In other words, we address things this government chooses to ignore,” says CCPA Senior Economist Marc Lee.

“The Conservatives’ answer to everything is a tax cut, but that ideological mindset has led this minority government to squander a huge fiscal surplus. We need to take back those tax cuts and put them to work for all Canadians. Canada is facing big problems – and they require big solutions.”

AFB 2008 works within the context of healthy fiscal surpluses and the looming threat of an economic downturn to deliver a socially and fiscally balanced budget that Canadians can count on – in good times and bad. It also makes this the year of poverty reduction.

“In 1989 our federal Parliament unanimously agreed to wipe out child poverty by 2000,” says CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan. “It is now 2008 and child poverty rates are the same as they were in 1989 – yet we have tremendous fiscal capacity to do more.

“The AFB offers a do-able, affordable poverty reduction strategy in an era where Canada can well afford to lower intolerably stubborn poverty rates among our First Nations, women, visible minorities, new Canadians, young families raising children, and seniors.”

The AFB is coordinated by the CCPA and is the result of collaborative deliberations by representatives of a wide spectrum of civil society organizations. It puts Canadians’ long-term interests ahead of short-term political gain, ensuring our national investments benefit the majority and strengthen our nation economically as well as socially.

– 30 –

The Alternative Federal Budget is available on the CCPA web site at http://www.policyalternatives.ca

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
410-75 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
tel: 613-563-1341 fax: 613-233-1458
http://www.policyalternatives.ca
caw567

 

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Write to support the proposition advanced by Causeway calling for the Government of Canada’s creation of an Expert Advisory Panel to examine means by which new approaches to social finance can be facilitated by chane in federal law, regulation and/or policy.

CCEDNet advocates policy that builds fair and strong local economies. We recommend changes in federal and provincial government policy that support and encourage local economies through social enterprise and co-operative development. To overcome funding challenges and optimize effort, CED organizations need access to long-term capital that will encourage stability and growth. Two specific CCEDNet recommendations directly relating to this challenge are:

  • Developing a specialized Social Enterprise Patient Capital Fund
  • Implementing an RRSP eligible CED tax credit for Canadians wishing to invest in Community Economic Development investment funds operated by local non-profit corporations

Please see the brochure, Strengthening Canada’s Communities – Communities Strengthening Canada, including these and other policy recommendations supporting communities to build wealth, create jobs, foster innovation and productivity, and improve social well-being.
 

Write your own letter of endorsement using our template. 

View CCEDNet’s letter of endorsement

 

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Editorial – How the budget can fight poverty

Child poverty in Canada is a national disgrace. So, too, are homelessness and the lack of jobs that pay decent wages to hard-working people, which has led to a growing gap between the rich and poor.

But Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has an opportunity to begin to address the problem in his Feb. 26 budget by setting aside money to launch a national anti-poverty strategy. Without a strategy backed by targets, timetables and funding, little is apt to change for the 1.3 million Canadians who live below the Statistics Canada low-income line.

Flaherty could begin by addressing the growing need for affordable housing in Canada, which is the only major country in the world without a national housing strategy. In 2001, the federal government promised in an agreement with the provinces to add $1 billion to its housing spending for new affordable homes. But by 2006, Ottawa had increased spending by only $234 million, about a quarter of the promised amount.

Meanwhile, the number of Canadian households in need of basic housing grew by 17 per cent in the decade to 2001.

Accordingly, Flaherty should commit long-term funding in this budget toward building 200,000 affordable housing units and co-operatives over the next 10 years. And he should extend the funding for the three existing affordable housing and homelessness projects, which expire in March next year.

Flaherty could then turn his attention to child poverty in Canada by enriching the national child benefit supplement of almost $2,000 per child that is paid to the poorest families. While it is the federal government’s most effective tool in fighting child poverty, it still is not doing enough for the 788,000 poorest children.

To help the working poor who are often holding down several part-time jobs to try to make ends meet, Flaherty should consider increasing the earnings supplement for low-wage workers, which now pays, at most, $500 to singles and $1,000 to families. That’s not enough to lift them out of poverty.

And lastly, Flaherty should commit to revising Employment Insurance rules so that Ontario workers who must pay into the plan are treated the same as workers in other provinces. Currently, only about one-quarter of Ontario workers are eligible for benefits when they lose their jobs, compared with almost 80 per cent in Newfoundland.

Together these measures would go a long way toward establishing a national anti-poverty strategy and reducing economic disparity.

From www.thestar.com.

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Social entrepreneurs deserve support

Such enterprises have best elements of both money-making businesses and charities

 

Paul Martin

For the last 150 years, politicians and pundits the world over have debated the merits of the free market system versus socialism. It’s clear now which has won: the free market, because it gives full flower to individual entrepreneurship.

That being said, it is not the free market in pure form that has won out. The structures that make the market work – courts, banking regulations, bankruptcy laws – are all government-created and supported. The fact is all developed countries depend heavily one way or another on government for the delivery of the public goods that round off the hard edges of the free market: universal primary and secondary school education and public infrastructure are just two examples.

There is one area, however, where government has not been able to round off these hard edges, and that is the lack of equality of opportunity that is manifest in the statistics, which, year after year, show an ever-increasing gap in income between the rich and the poor.

The reason for this may be privilege or it may be disability, but in most cases it arises simply because some people have good jobs and others don’t.

One could correctly argue that these gaps in equality emerge out of intrinsic disadvantage or as fallout from the free market, or both. But it is equally correct to say that some of the gap arises because we are not using the free market to its fullest potential.

And this is what I want to address today. Specifically, I want to focus on social entrepreneurs whose organizations borrow from both the private sector and traditional charities. A social enterprise is like a business in that it makes money by trading goods or services. And it is like a charity in that its primary objective is a social good. What distinguishes it from both is its double and, in the best of cases, triple bottom line.

The problem is while social entrepreneurs exist in reality, they don’t exist on paper. Simplifying its complexities somewhat, the tax act sets out rules for three categories of endeavour:

First, taxpaying corporations and individuals.

Second, non-profits, which do not pay taxes.

Third, conventional charities, which do not pay taxes and have the added benefit of being able to distribute charitable tax receipts.

These categories, with their historic boundaries, have played an important role in the growth of Canadian charitable giving. But they have not kept pace with the evolution of the social domain they seek to serve and as such these traditional limits are a barrier to innovation.

More specifically, they do not recognize the hybrid nature of social enterprise and they do not allow for the potential of social enterprise to attract new forms of capital.

If you want to create employment for people in difficult circumstances and you want to do it solely as a charity or a non-profit, you can; non-profit disability workshops are a well-known example. But if you want to raise money from investors to create those jobs and in so doing provide a return on investment, consisting of a high social return and a below market financial return, then in terms of tax incentives, you are out of luck.

Why do I think this is important? It goes back to my opening statement. We must understand that the social entrepreneur is every bit as much a part of the free market as is the business entrepreneur. And just like business entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs run with vision, energy and passion. They come up with solutions that seem perfectly obvious – but only after they have been created.

What we need to do is develop the right mix of risk and reward so that social enterprise becomes attractive to mainstream capital. We have to make it possible for social entrepreneurs to tap capital markets and angel investors the same way their business counterparts do.

We in Canada use incentives to enable business entrepreneurs to tap capital markets for the betterment of the economy. Why would we not provide similar incentives for social entrepreneurs as they seek to tap capital markets for the betterment of society?

Financial experts ought to be developing cutting-edge instruments to make funding available to social entrepreneurs. Tax experts ought to be thinking about mechanisms that can support social enterprise in a meaningful way. Legislators should encourage an environment that allows foundations to become more imaginative in support of social enterprise. And all the rest of us need to raise the profile of the issue and push for change.

We are at a point in our nation’s history where we can do this. All the elements are there. We have a history of progressive social policy. We have social entrepreneurs who are already running successful operations. We have a charitable and voluntary sector that is the second-largest in the world, contributing almost 8 per cent of Canada’s GDP, more than the retail industry and more than mining, oil and gas together.

The business entrepreneur improves our quality of life by creating wealth and economic growth. The social entrepreneur improves our quality of life by confronting the inequality that can often be the collateral occurrence of free markets. Both kinds of entrepreneurs are necessary. Let us give them both the chance to succeed.

Former prime minister Paul Martin is Liberal MP for LaSalle-Émard.

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SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development Professionals

Register now for upcoming courses of the SFU Community Economic
Development Certificate (CED) Program for Professionals! Call
1-877-202-2268 or email .

The program provides opportunities for thoughtful exploration and
practical learning in the critical elements of CED values and
principles, enterprise development, financing, planning and research,
community participation and sustainability. The range of courses
provides an excellent grounding for practitioners in a variety of
workplaces and settings.

“This type of professional development in CED can really help in
putting together workable ideas that achieve financial, social &
environmental results.” Dave Mowat, former CEO, Vancity

IN VANCOUVER

April 18 – 19 2008: CED Approaches to Affordable Housing
This course examines housing stock from the point of view of how it
influences a community’s environmental, social and economic health as
well as pragmatic tools to develop affordable housing. Nicole Chaland
spearheaded an innovative model of co-operative housing in Victoria BC.
(website)

IN VICTORIA

March 7 – 8 2008: Co-operative Models for CED
This course explores opportunities for establishing co-operatives to
create and sustain community resources for employment, financing,
natural resource management, marketing, and services (housing,
transportation, media, health, home and child care). Topics include
co-op types and principles, legal requirements of co-op incorporation,
choosing a model that fits the purpose, and supporting the
developmental process. (website)

May 9 – 10 2008: CED Approaches to Affordable Housing
This course examines housing stock from the point of view of how it
influences a community’s environmental, social and economic health and
also provides pragmatic tools for the development of affordable
housing. Nicole Chaland & Pascale Lavoie-Scott are founding board
members of a co-operatively-owned development company for affordable
housing in Victoria BC. (website)

For more information, click here. 

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Membership Renewals

Did you remember to renew your CCEDNet membership this year?

CCEDNet would like to thank all of our members for their continued support. As a member in good standing, you are entitled to vote to elect members of the board of directors for the Canadian CED Network. More information about our AGM is coming soon.

New !!: To be a member in good standing your membership must be paid in full before April 3rd, 2008.

If you have not yet renewed your membership or have any questions, contact CCEDNet at

 

Renew your membership now by clicking here!

**Visit our AGM section for more information.**

 

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