English – Page 25 – Canadian CED Network

The Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, the McConnell Foundation, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation and the Mirella et Lino Saputo Foundation have launched the Garantie solidaire. The Garantie solidaire, which stems from an unprecedented collaboration, is a financial tool designed to support the expansion of Quebec’s social economy and community action. Acting as endorsers, the private foundations offer a $15 million guarantee to allow community organizations, social economy enterprises, cooperatives and non-profit organizations to obtains loans from the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, a financial cooperative specializing in social economy and solidarity-based finance. With easier access to credit, these organizations will now be able to carry out projects that would not have been possible otherwise and to generate yet more positive impacts for the community, while injecting $15 million in Quebec’s social economy and community action sector.

Offset the market’s shortfalls

Banks see social economy and community action organizations, often wrongly, as presenting a higher risk than private sector businesses. These organizations face difficulties which are inherent to their status or mission, such as the inability to raise investments, to offer the required guarantees, to turn a profit from social or environmental actions or to include public donations in the assessment of their capacity to repay a loan.

A new tool at the heart of the ecosystem

The Garantie solidaire is an additional tool to help complete financing packages in collaboration with actors of solidarity-based finance in Quebec. The Garantie solidaire adds to the available solutions and facilitates the carrying out of community action and social economy development projects.

The Garantie solidaire

To gain access to the Garantie solidaire, organizations will have to demonstrate the economic viability of their project, and their ability to repay the loan. The organizations that take advantage of the Garantie solidaire must pay their endorser a guarantee fee equal to 1% per year of the amount initially guaranteed, based on the length of the guarantee. This fee is in addition to the credit fees related to the loan, which are paid to the Caisse d’économie solidaire. Interested organizations must submit their application to the Caisse d’économie solidaire.

Quebec’s social economy

In Quebec only, the social economy has a broad impact on the economic development. In fact, the social economy represents more than 7,000 businesses, 210,000 jobs and a revenue close to $40 billion, which is more than 10% of Quebec’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Source: Caisse d’économie solidaire

On October 24, 2018, Winnipeggers will go to the polls to elect a mayor, city council, and school trustees.

Our city, like many in Canada, continues to face high poverty rates. Up to 107,000 Winnipeggers live in poverty. Increased crime rates and addictions are some of the results of high poverty. Many in Winnipeg are homeless or lack secure housing. At the same time, many community members have come together around solutions. Winnipeg’s social enterprise, co-operative, and local economy movement is strong. However, funding for projects from our city government continues to go toward multi-national corporations, instead of growing the local economy and supporting meaningful employment for Winnipeggers who need it most.

Sometimes, we hear that municipal governments are the closest to the people and communities we live and work in everyday. Therefore, we know that the City of Winnipeg can and must take action to support sustainable and inclusive communities. So many in our local communities are already doing it. This election, CCEDNet Manitoba is supporting our members and community partners in calling for greater leadership from our city government toward a fairer and stronger local economy, tackling poverty and homelessness, and investing in a sustainable city.

We Want to Work | Winnipeg Without Poverty | Housing is City Business

Winnipeg Votes 2018

Make Community Economic Development a Priority

A Fairer and Stronger Local Economy: We Want to Work

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CCEDNet Manitoba supports the work of many of our social enterprise members who are coming together to tell the city government: “We Want to Work”.

Winnipeg’s social enterprise sector is strong and growing, including construction, composting and recycling, catering, restaurants and retail companies.

Spending money with social enterprise is money well spent – especially for government. Social enterprise provides professional services, while reducing recidivism rates, reducing welfare costs, keeping families together, reducing carbon emissions and waste.

With the municipal election approaching, now is the time to work with local politicians to build on our success, and build a local economy that includes everyone.

Find out more information at: wewantto.work

Like the We Want to Work Facebook page for campaign updates!

Tackling Poverty and Homelessness: Winnipeg Without Poverty

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CCEDNet Manitoba is an active member of Make Poverty History Manitoba, envisioning a Winnipeg and Manitoba without poverty. We support the Winnipeg Without Poverty: Calling on the Mayor to Lead community-led plan.

Poverty hurts the whole city, and costs our society more in the long-run. Our City needs a comprehensive and coordinate strategy to tackle poverty.

Last May, Make Poverty History Manitoba launched Winnipeg Without Poverty: Calling on the City to Lead. Created through community collaboration, it identifies what the City of Winnipeg can do to reduce poverty.

Support the campaign, sign the petition, and find out more at winnipegwithoutpoverty.ca

Part of an organization that agrees with the vision? Endorse the plan

Right to Housing: Housing is City Business

Social housing is a critical measure to end homelessness, create employment and training opportunities, and reduce poverty. CCEDNet Manitoba supports the work of Right to Housing coalition.

Winnipeg is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. The city needs an increased supply of affordable homes for existing residents, and those expected to move here over the next 10 years. Affordable housing is City business. An adequate supply and array of housing options benefits a city and its people with social inclusion, safety, healthy communities and healthy citizens, all of which attract businesses and workers.

Right to Housing calls on the City of Winnipeg to support at least 350 new units of affordable rental housing, and 350 new units of social housing.

Effectively providing a range of housing options for all residents needs leadership that only the City can provide – in planning, zoning, land allocations, funding and collaborations with developers and social organizations. Cities that have made any significant progress in increasing affordable housing options have Mayors and City Councillors who understand that affordable housing is city business.

Find out more information at: http://righttohousing.ca/

Election Information

Winnipeg Election – more information on how, when, and where to vote, who is running, and what ID you need

Election day is October 24, 2018.

Advance Voting Information can be found here. There are lots of opportunities to vote in locations around the city in advance.

More to add? Another important campaign to mention? Contact Michael Barkman, CCEDNet Manitoba Public Policy Coordinator at:

Manitoba Learns workshops and capacity building opportunities seek to build knowledge within the core community organizations and social economy enterprises in our sector, by equipping individuals with the skills they need to thrive in their work.

This approach acknowledges that when individuals are given access to opportunities to learn new skills and deepen their practice, the entire environment around them changes. It becomes stronger.

The topics in our Manitoba Learns series are identified in consultation and engagement with, and responsive to, our member, network, and sector needs.

Sign up for the CCEDNet newsletter (and be sure to check off ‘Manitoba CED Bulletins’) to stay up-to-date on the latest workshops.

Or, check the CCEDNet event page for the latest in Manitoba Learns events.

Contact for more information on our workshops.

Interested in exploring the development of an employment social enterprise idea? This fall, TEF will host an ESE Idea Accelerator, a program that will support individuals and organizations developing early-stage employment social enterprise ideas. The accelerator will provide four experiential workshops, which will occur in October and November. Workshops will support participants to strengthen both business and social aspects of their ESE idea. The Accelerator will culminate in a pitch competition on the evening of December 11, 2018, during which participants will have the chance to pitch for $5,000 to $10,000 ‘Catalyzing Grant’ to conduct a feasibility study and develop a business plan for their ESE idea.

Deadline: September 27, 5:00pm

Program Information:

The program will offer participants the chance to strengthen their ESE ideas through four interactive workshops.

Workshop 1 – Employment Model: During this workshop you’ll explore the employment needs of your ‘target population’ and refine the various aspects of your employment model and employment intervention.
Workshop 2 – Business Idea: During this workshop you’ll refine your product or service idea, and develop a stronger understanding of your target markets.
Workshop 3 – Financial Projections: During this workshop, you’ll gain an introduction to financial planning, including developing an initial budget for your employment social enterprise idea.
Workshop 4 – Operational Plan: During this workshop, you’ll develop a high-level operational plan, and learn about key aspects of building a great team, advisory board, and operational plan.

Eligibility:

Individuals and organizations in Peel, Toronto and York Region with an interest in exploring employment social enterprise development are eligible to participate in the Accelerator program.

Additionally, to be eligible to participate:

You must be able to attend all four workshops of the Accelerator, in-person. Each workshop will be hosted at United Way Greater Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E in Toronto.
For the Catalyzing Grant, you must be able to attend the ESE Idea Accelerator Pitch Night on December 11, 2018
You must be applying to participate in the Accelerator to work on a new ESE idea

Key Dates:

Accelerator Information Session: Thursday, September 20, 2018 from noon – 1:00 p.m. Register now.
Accelerator Applications Close: Thursday, September 27, 5:00 p.m.
Workshop 1: Tuesday, October 9, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Workshop 2: Friday, October 19, 9:30 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Workshop 3: Tuesday, October 23, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Workshop 4: Tuesday, November 13, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Accelerator Pitch Competition: Tuesday, December 11, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Application:

Please apply to participate in the ESE Idea Accelerator here.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Bronwyn Oatley at boatley at uwgt.org

Source: Toronto Enterprise Fund

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced the release of Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities, the final recommendations from the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group.

The report includes 12 recommendations proposing ways that social innovation—ideas that help communities respond to a challenge more effectively—and social finance—financial investments that create a social or environmental impact—could be incorporated into a comprehensive strategy to build more inclusive and prosperous communities, and in doing so, improve the lives of vulnerable Canadians and create a more inclusive middle class.

The Government of Canada has committed to developing a social innovation and social finance strategy to support innovative solutions that find new ways to help communities tackle their most complex and persistent social issues. By breaking down the barriers that prevent Canada’s most vulnerable populations from finding employment and fully participating in their communities, the Government seeks to create a more diverse and inclusive middle class.

The Government is currently reviewing the recommendations of the Co-Creation Steering Group which will inform the Government’s Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy.

Download Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities

From the Report

Only big picture thinking will open the space needed for social innovation.

From coast to coast to coast, individuals and organizations across all sectors of society are forming networks of relationships, or ecosystems, where they work together to make their communities more sustainable and inclusive places through social innovation and social finance. We use the term social purpose organizations to refer to the diverse range of organizations engaged in these ecosystems, including charities, non-profit organizations, co-operatives, and private businesses advancing a social or environmental mission.

We believe the Government has a critical role to play in supporting these ecosystems by addressing key gaps that arise across six interconnected areas:

Skills and capacity to equip social purpose organizations with the knowledge and resources to adopt social innovation and social finance approaches;
Funding and capital opportunities so that social purpose organizations have the financial resources to develop, test, adopt, and grow innovative solutions to social and environmental problems;
Market access for social purpose organizations to be able to find buyers for their goods and services;
An enabling policy and regulatory environment that creates the conditions for social innovation, social finance and social purpose organizations to flourish;
Evidence and knowledge sharing to enable social purpose organizations and funders to work together based on what works, develop better goods and services, scale their impact and evaluate progress; and
Awareness and mobilization efforts to spur interest and build support for the growth of social innovation and social finance approaches.

Executive Summary
1. Introduction
2. What are social innovation and social finance?
3. Canada’s social innovation and social finance ecosystems: achievements and challenges
3.1 Capacity and Skills
3.2 Funding and Capital
3.3 Market Access
3.4 Policy and Regulatory Environment
3.5 Evidence and Knowledge Sharing
3.6 Awareness and Mobilization
4. Indigenous social innovation and social finance
5. Recommendations for an integrated approach in support of social innovation and social finance
5.1 Governance and Public Service Infrastructure
5.2 Capacity and Skills
5.3 Funding and Capital
5.4 Market Access
5.5 Policy and Regulatory Environment
5.6 Evidence and Knowledge Sharing
5.7 Awareness and Mobilization
6. Conclusion
Annex: Consultations and Engagement
References

Download Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities

Source: Government of Canada, Aug 31, 2018

Starting a social enterprise? Embedding social values into an existing business? Creating a sustainable model for your non-profit? Give yourself the best chance of success by immersing yourself in the right environment. Sponsored by Libro Credit Union, the social enterprise incubator gives you a front seat into the world of social enterprise.

Apply to the Libro Social Enterprise Incubator

Participants will spend 6 months at Innovation Works working with Pillar social enterprise coaches, Libro Credit Union staff, volunteer Business Advisors and the Innovation Works community.

Key highlights:

6 months access to Innovation Works
3 Day Orientation Bootcamp to kick-start your enterprise planning
2 months weekly social enterprise & business development workshops (Oct-Nov)
1-1 Coaching with Pillar’s Social Enterprise Coach
Support from volunteer Business Advisors specialized in your area of need
Access to online databases of legal documents, business plan templates & other social enterprise resources
A network of social enterprises at all stages of development
Pitch your social enterprise to over 200 guests at Pillar’s Meaningful Market event

Check out what past participants have to say

Criteria:

Open to nonprofit, cooprerative & for-profit social enterprises
Open to individuals & teams
Applicant has a social enterprise business model they want to explore/grow (beyond idea & ready to start)
Model uses earned revenue (selling products/services) to fund a major part of operations
Model has a strong social and/or environmental impact in the community
Applicants do NOT need to have existing revenue, but must have a goal of earning revenue during the 6 months

Key Dates:

3 Day Bootcamp; October 3rd-5th
Weekly workshops Tuesdays 3pm-5pm; October 16th to Dec 4th
Meaningful Market pitch event; date TBD

Fill in the application form and tell us how being a part of the Social Enterprise Incubator would benefit you. The application should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Questions? Want to learn more? Not sure if you qualify?

Reach out to secoach at pillarnonprofit.ca

Source: Social Enterprise Southwest

Canada is a prosperous country, yet in 2015 roughly 1 in 8 Canadians lived in poverty. The vision of Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy is a Canada without poverty, because we all suffer when our fellow citizens are left behind. We are all in this together, from governments, to community organizations, to the private sector, to all Canadians who are working hard each and every day to provide for themselves and their families.

Overall, Opportunity for All brings together new investments of $22 billion that the Government has made since 2015 to support the social and economic well-being of all Canadians. These actions will help lift about 650,000 Canadians out of poverty by 2019, with more expected as the impacts of these investments are realized in the years to come.

Opportunity for All also sets the foundation for future government investments in poverty reduction. It is based on three pillars to focus Government actions to reduce poverty:

Dignity: Lifting Canadians out of poverty by ensuring basic needs—, such as safe and affordable housing, healthy food, and health care, are met;

Opportunity and Inclusion: Helping Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity; and

Resilience and Security: Supporting the middle class by protecting Canadians from falling into poverty and by supporting income security and resilience.

Read Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy

For the first time in Canada’s history, the Strategy sets an official measure of income poverty: Canada’s Official Poverty Line, based on the cost of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living in communities across the country.

Opportunity for All sets, for the first time, ambitious and concrete poverty reduction targets: a 20 % reduction in poverty by 2020 and a 50 % reduction in poverty by 2030, which, relative to 2015 levels, will lead to the lowest poverty rate in Canada’s history.

A National Advisory Council on Poverty will advise the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development on poverty reduction and will publicly report, in each year, on the progress that has been made toward poverty reduction.

The Government also proposes to introduce the first Poverty Reduction Act in Parliament in Canada’s history. This Act would entrench the targets, Canada’s Official Poverty Line, and the Advisory Council into legislation.

Dedication
Minister’s message
Foreword from Miles Corak, Economist-In-Residence at Employment and Social Development Canada
Executive summary
Chapter 1: Opportunity for All
Chapter 2: Taking Stock of Accomplishments
Chapter 3: Dignity
Chapter 4: Opportunity and Inclusion
Chapter 5: Resilience and Security
Chapter 6: Working with Provinces, Territories and Communities
Chapter 7: Working with Indigenous Peoples
  First Nations
  Inuit
  Métis
Chapter 8: Ensuring a Lasting Impact
Chapter 9: Improving Measurement of Poverty
Chapter 10: Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+)
Chapter 11: Going Forward: Canada in 2030
Annex 1: The Statistical Fine Print
Annex 2: List of Government Initiatives that Support Poverty Reduction

Source: Employment and Social Development Canada

At the last meeting of CCEDNet’s Board of Directors, Laurie Cook was selected as the new President of the Board. She takes over from Ryan Gibson, who had been President since 2015.

Laurie is Director of Strategic Development and Custom Learning at the Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia. Her passion is community development, and has been active professionally in the field for a number of years as a facilitator and community developer. She was first elected to the CCEDNet Board in 2016. Read Laurie’s full bio.

The Board extends its warm appreciation to Ryan Gibson for his leadership over the last three years.

CCEDNet’s new Board Officers are:

Laurie Cook, President
Carol Madsen, Vice-President
Diana Jedig, Treasurer
Yvon Poirier, Secretary

Learn more about CCEDNet’s Board >>

Can I just say that I am thrilled to be co-hosting EconoUs2018 with CCEDNet? The thrill is for two reasons…

The first reason is that, in my world, which is the environmental non-profit world, there is often an underlying feeling that we need to fundamentally change how our society views and values the natural environment, and that there is an intrinsic link between social justice and the environment. Imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered a whole bunch of CED people who think the same way! In my experience, environment-y folks don’t talk much to CED-y folks, but I have learned over the last year that these two sets of people share a similar vision for a better world. I am very excited that this conference is focussed specifically on PEOPLE, PLANET, and ECONOMY – to help us all make the links and work better together!

The other reason is that the New Brunswick Environmental Network, as the name suggests, is a provincial organization. While I occasionally travel to other provinces to talk about our work, it is rare that I get to show off our beautiful province to travellers from away. I am very excited to share some of New Brunswick’s great people and places with my fellow Canadians and others from around the world. With that in mind, our team has put together some great local tours that explore both of New Brunswick’s coasts (the rocky Bay of Fundy and the sandy beaches of the Northumberland Straight), Acadian and Mi’Kmaq cultures, the local art scene, and much more. I can’t wait to see you here!

Raissa Marks has been with the NBEN since 2006. She grew up in Albert County, New Brunswick. After high school, she was away from the province for about 10 years, living, learning, and working in Montreal, Toronto, and Virginia. Raissa now lives in Riverview with her husband, Chris, and their two daughters. Little-known fact: Raissa also worked for the NBEN as a summer student in 1998 and 1999!

The Government of the United Kingdom has launched their first Civil Society Strategy in 15 years. The Strategy will build stronger communities by bringing together businesses, charities and the public sector, the Government has vowed today.

Civil society refers to organisations and individuals working to create social value, enriching lives and building a fairer society for all.

The new vision places communities at the centre of decision-making and focuses on five key foundations of social value: people, places and the public, private and social sectors.

The work follows the Government’s Industrial Strategy, published last year. The strategy complements plans to grow Britain’s economy and boost productivity by building a more connected society, where everyone can play their part in a fairer, healthier and more prosperous country.

It creates more opportunities for people to actively take part in community decisions, as well as highlighting ways to harness the power of digital and technology for public good.

The Civil Society Strategy will:

Unlock £20 million from inactive charitable trusts (those which spend less than 30% of their annual income) to support community organisations over the next two years. The work will be carried out in conjunction with the Charity Commission and UK Community Foundations.
Launch an ‘Innovation in Democracy’ pilot scheme in six regions across the country. This will trial creative ways for people to take a more direct role in decisions that affect their local area. This could include Citizens’ Juries or mass participation in decision-making on community issues via an online poll or app.
Establish an independent organisation that will distribute £90 million from dormant bank accounts to get disadvantaged young people into employment. This new organisation will harness the experience of grassroots youth workers, businesses, and other local services, to help young people achieve their full potential.
Create an independent organisation to use £55 million from dormant bank accounts to tackle financial exclusion and the problem of access to affordable credit.
Support charities to make their voices heard on issues that matter to them and ensuring that charitable trustees reflect the diversity of the society they serve.
Strengthen Britain’s values of corporate responsibility, through the launch of a major new Leadership Group, formed of senior figures from the business, investment and social sectors, to put social and environmental responsibility at the heart of company decisions.
Use digital technology for good to improve the work charities can provide to support healthy ageing, bolster online safety and better connect people in an effort to tackle loneliness.
Improve the use of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to ensure that organisations can generate more social value for communities when spending public money on government contracts.

Source: The Government of the United Kingdom

Reactions

“…some good stuff and some underwhelming policy too…” – first impressions of the Civil Society Strategy from Co-ops UK
“This strategy could still be a good springboard for social enterprise” – Social Enterprise UK response to the Civil Society Strategy

ABOUT THE CANADIAN CED NETWORK

ABOUT THE POSITION

Read the Full Job Posting here

Offset the market’s shortfalls

A new tool at the heart of the ecosystem

The Garantie solidaire

Quebec’s social economy

Winnipeg Votes 2018

Make Community Economic Development a Priority

A Fairer and Stronger Local Economy: We Want to Work we_want_to_work_logo_-_final.png

we_want_to_work_logo_-_final.png

Tackling Poverty and Homelessness: Winnipeg Without Poverty winnipeg_without_poverty_cover.png

winnipeg_without_poverty_cover.png

Right to Housing: Housing is City Business

Election Information

Manitoba Learns workshops and capacity building opportunities seek to build knowledge within the core community organizations and social economy enterprises in our sector, by equipping individuals with the skills they need to thrive in their work.

Program Information:

Eligibility:

Key Dates:

Application:

Download Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities

Table of Contents

Download Inclusive Innovation: New Ideas and New Partnerships for Stronger Communities

Apply to the Libro Social Enterprise Incubator

Key highlights:

Criteria:

Key Dates:

Read Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy

Table of Contents

The Civil Society Strategy will:

Reactions

A Fairer and Stronger Local Economy: We Want to Work

we_want_to_work_logo_-_final.png

Tackling Poverty and Homelessness: Winnipeg Without Poverty

winnipeg_without_poverty_cover.png