English – Page 46 – Canadian CED Network

On June 8, Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard – Saint-Lambert, tabled Bill C-286: An act respecting the establishment of a framework to promote the development of co-operatives in Canada and amending the Department of Industry Act and other Acts.

The purpose of Bill C-286 is to provide for the establishment and implementation of a framework to promote the development of co-operatives in Canada and to amend the Department of Industry Act and the Regional Development Agency Acts to specify that, within their mandates, federal ministers and agencies are to develop and promote the co-operative model in Canada.

“This legislation is the continuation of the work started by my colleague, the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, (Ottawa-Vanier) and the recommendations that came from the Special Committee on Co-operatives in 2012. The aim of the act is to legislate a “home” for the co-operative sector within the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development,” said Alexandra.

This bill would require the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, in collaboration with other federal ministries, agencies, provincial and territorial governments and the co-operative sector to develop and implement a framework on co-operatives. The framework will help coordinate the work of the government and the co-operative sector.

“We want to promote the co-operative movement, to contribute to its development and to facilitate exchange and dialogue between the federal government and the co-operative sector. At the same time we want to instruct our regional economic development agencies to highlight the importance of co-operatives to Canada’s economic development, and to promote their business model on par with other business models,” added Alexandra.

The Bill would also amend The Department on Industry Act and the regional development agencies Acts to add the word “co-operatives” after small and medium sized enterprises.

Read the text of the Bill and follow its progress in the House of Commons

For more information:
Office of Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament
613-995-9301

Official Press Release

Red River College CD/CED Program Recruitment Workshop: June 22nd, 9:30am to 12:00pm The Red River College Community Development/ Community Economic Development Program has space for 25 students for the 2016 -2017 school year. The program is the only CD/CED training program in Manitoba and prepares students with a host of skills to work in community based organizations on a variety of issues and settings.

Join the Program Recruiting Workshop Thursday June 22, from 9:30am to noon.

What is Community Development/ Community Economic Development?

Community Development/Community Economic Development (CD/CED) is a two-year diploma program that prepares graduates to become facilitators of change in communities that may be experiencing multiple barriers to development.

What Can You Expect to Learn?

Practice CD/CED principles universally, to build sustainable, healthy and equitable communities.
Foster trust relationships and build social capital, creative viable teams and networks able to sustain the community development/community economic development process.
Mobilize and empower communities for leadership and critical thinking, through facilitation, education, capacity building, power-sharing, advocating and mentoring.
Communicate across cultures and sectors using visual, written and oral methods to support co-operation and understanding amongst community stakeholders.
Use, adapts and maximize technologies to create and communicate information to communities.
Plan, document and evaluate organizational and community initiatives using a variety of participatory methods.
Support community planning by designing, implementing and reporting on research such as mapping assets, assessing needs and monitoring trends and new practices.
Network to identify, maintain and assess community resources.
Generate revenue and wealth through grants, partnerships, business development and donations; develops funding proposals and business plans; builds and maintains funder relationships; meets reporting requirements.
Manage and administer organizational resources to provide stability and sustainability.
Use human resource management principles to build, motivate and manage staff and volunteers within a safe environment.
Demonstrate personal integrity, reliability, ethics, accountability, and resourcefulness in all roles.

Who Should Apply?

Community developers often refer to themselves as ‘agents of change’. Is this you? If you have an interest in social justice, community action, and mobilization and like to work with people in an inclusive manner this program could be for you.

More information about the CD/CED Program

For more information call (204) 632-2003

Just over a month out from CommonBound (July 8-10, Buffalo, NY), the New Economy Coalition is excited to announce an important piece of this summer’s conference: the keynote speakers. Like the rest of CommonBound, they see plenary spaces as a chance to drive forward some of the most important conversations happening in their movements and beyond.

How can the new economy reach beyond pockets of activity, and into the mainstream? What can we learn from powerful stories abroad, and how might we adopt similar models in our own communities? What is our political and public-sector strategy? What are the big opportunities ahead of us and how do we move forward with plans bold enough to seize them? To get out these questions and more, they will convene a series of all-conference conversations with those at the leading edge of the movement for economic democracy, in the United States and around the world.

Register for CommonBound

Here are a few of the speakers:

Elandria Williams is Co-Editor of Beautiful Solutions and is on the Education Team and Organizational Leadership Team of the Highlander Research and Education Center. She coordinates the Southern Grassroots Economies Project, co-leads the Governance and Economics curriculum, and supports community leaders and organizers in the South and Appalachia.

Federica Bandini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Economics at the Università di Bologna, where she coordinates the academic master on Social Economy. Federica is also Director of the Master on Management of Social Enterprises at L. Bocconi University in Milan.

Kali Akuno is a Co-Founder and Co-Director of Cooperation Jackson. He served as the Director of Special Projects and External Funding in the Mayoral Administration of the late Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, MS. Kali is also an educator, writer, and an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.

Makani Themba is Chief Strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies based in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, Makani served as the Founder and Executive Director of The Praxis Project, a nonprofit organization helping communities use media and policy advocacy to advance health justice. She is author of Making Policy, Making Change, and she has also co-authored with Hunter Cutting Talking the Walk: Communications Guide for Racial Justice.

Malachi Larrabee Garza currently serves as Director of the Community Justice Network for Youth at the W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI). Before coming to the BI, Malachi spent 5 years at the School of Unity and Liberation (S.O.U.L.) as the Advanced Political Education Director. Malachi co-founded the Brown Boi Project in 2006 and currently sits as Chair of its Board of Directors.

Nancy Neamtan is a Co-Founder and former Executive Director of Chantier de l’économie sociale. Over the past 30 years, Nancy has been at the heart of the social and solidarity economy movement, working first as a community organizer, then as Executive Director of RESO, a community economic development corporation, and since 1998 with Chantier.

In the coming weeks they will be announcing more speakers, workshops and other details for July. Don’t miss out: Register today for CommonBound 2016.

P.S. Register before June 1st and you’ll receive 2 original posters designed by artists Jennifer Luxton and Favianna Rodriguez. Only a few days left!

Sheila North Wilson The Grand Chief of the organization representing northern Manitoba First Nations unveiled a 10-point economic action plan for the region that includes green energy, social enterprise and employment for community members.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said the plan is based on traditional values and solutions, as well as new ideas that make sense for the north.

The plan calls for improving job opportunities and training in the north, as well as measures to improve health, including more affordable healthy food and increasing the number of indigenous doctors and nurses.

She said there are a lot of people who work in home construction in the community, but for the most part, the hydroelectric dams are going to Manitobans living in the south.

Manitoba Hydro said it has a plan to hire more people from the north, but North Wilson said it isn’t working.

“I know a lot of people who apply and don’t get the jobs,” she said.

Part of the problem, she said, has to do with the skill sets applicants have. She said even not having a drivers’ licence can mean an automatic no hire.

North Wilson also wants the federal and provincial government to deliver driver’s training on First Nations, as well as set up a heating utility to replace diesel fuel and allow community-sized First Nation-owned solar and wind projects.

MKO released the plan as the Federal Liberals are beginning their policy convention in Winnipeg and prior to the release of the Progressive Conservatives’ provincial budget for Manitoba.

North Wilson hopes leaders at the federal and provincial levels have the will and desire to make change.

She wants to see real effort made in next three to four years, while she, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister are in their first terms.

Download 2016-May 25 MKO Economic Development Strategy DRAFT

Originally published by CTV Winnipeg on May 26, 2016

Minister Jean-Yves Duclos provided an address to participants of ECONOUS2016 in Montréal, May18, 2016 (watch video above)

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, has provided further details regarding the increase in funding to the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) that was announced as part of Budget 2016 support for social infrastructure. The additional investment will provide communities across Canada with the flexibility and support they need to help prevent and reduce homelessness.

One of the Government of Canada’s priorities is to empower all Canadians to build better lives for themselves and to enable them to contribute to and share in the prosperity of our society. In order to meet this commitment, the Government recognizes that it must respond to the pressing and unmet needs of communities across the country with regards to homelessness.

As a result, Budget 2016 will invest an additional $111.8 million to enhance services to address homelessness through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy over two years, starting in 2016–17. More than $12.5 million of that new funding will be invested towards the Innovative Solutions to Homelessness (ISH) stream. That important increase will allow a wide range of organizations and stakeholders to develop and test innovative approaches to prevent and reduce homelessness — particularly among specific homeless populations such as Indigenous Canadians, youth, women fleeing violence and veterans.

Furthermore, this investment will provide increased funding for the 61 Designated Communities and will ensure that more communities across Canada have access to HPS funding by creating more flexibility under the Rural and Remote Homelessness stream. Details regarding funding allocations will be provided to Designated Communities in the coming weeks.

Budget 2016 also announced a broad engagement process with provinces and territories, Indigenous and other communities and key stakeholders in the coming year to develop a National Housing Strategy. In this context, the Government of Canada will engage in a consultation process as we move forward on the design and implementation of future investments in housing and homelessness.

Quick Facts

Budget 2016 $111.8 million investment to address homelessness is the first increase since the creation of the National Homelessness Initiative in 1999.
Since its launch, nearly 35,000 Canadians who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless have benefitted from education and training opportunities; over 34,000 have received help to find work; more than 6,000 new shelter beds have been created; and have helped place over 82,000 people in more stable housing.

Quote

“Every segment of our society must be treated with dignity and respect and be given the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. The face of homelessness is changing and we have to adapt to provide the adequate support to communities to build capacity to help homeless population’s lead valuable lives. That is why, through Budget 2016, we are increasing funding to meet the needs of communities across the country to prevent and reduce homelessness and to explore innovative ways to address specific homeless populations.” – The Honorable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Associated Link

Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Budget 2016

Contacts

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media at hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Follow on Twitter

Minister Duclos
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media at hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Follow on Twitter

CCEDNet's AGM 2015 Energized by ECONOUS2016, our successful national CED conference in Montréal, the Annual General Meeting of CCEDNet was held entirely online on Thursday June 9 at:

2:30 Newfoundland, 2pm Atlantic, 1pm Eastern, 12pm Central, 11am Mountain, 10am Pacific, for 1 hour.

This year, in addition to regular business, members were asked to ratify strategic updates to CCEDNet’s purposes of incorporation.

Board Nominations and AGM Resolutions
Board Elections
AGM Documents
Register for the AGM

Board Nominations and AGM Resolutions

The deadline for Board Nominations and AGM Resolutions was April 19.

Board Elections

Four nominations were received for four vacancies, so the four candidates were declared elected by acclamation. Congratulations to Laurie Cook, Walter Hossli, Marianne Jurzyniec, and Yvon Poirier. Meet our new Directors.

AGM Documents

In terms of background materials, you can consult CCEDNet’s current By laws.

Register Now

The deadline to register for the AGM was June 6. All members in good standing were encouraged to participate.

In 2017, Canadians across the country will celebrate Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation (Canada 150), a key milestone in the life of our country. The overarching theme to celebrating Canada 150 is “Strong. Proud. Free”, which includes a vision to Give Back to Canada, through lasting legacies that extend beyond 2017.

As part of the government-wide Canada 150 celebrations, the Government of Canada has launched the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, which will invest $150 million over two years to projects that will rehabilitate and improve existing cultural and community infrastructure across Canada. These projects will reflect our shared history and optimism for the future while leaving a lasting legacy in celebration of Canada 150.

The Government of Canada is now doubling its investment in community and cultural infrastructure, providing an additional $150 million over two years to renovate, expand or improve these spaces across Canada, including projects designed to promote the Government’s priorities to ensure a better future for Indigenous peoples and promote a clean growth economy, through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP 150).

A part of the federal government’s celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, this program responds to the significant demand for community infrastructure improvements.

The program is being administered across Canada by the regional development agencies (RDAs), with each RDA determining how funding is delivered in their respective regions.

The funding will be delivered by the 6 federal regional development agencies

British Columbia | Alberta | Saskatchewan | Manitoba

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), will invest an additional $46.2 million in Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program projects in Western Canada.

Applications to Western Economic Diversification will be accepted until Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016 at 1pm Pacific Time | 2pm Mountain Time | 3pm Central Time.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in Western Canada, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the WD website

Northern Ontario

The Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) will invest an additional $6.4 million in Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program projects in Northern Ontario.

Applications to FedNor will be accepted until all funding dollars are allocated to approved projects.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in Northern Ontario, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the FedNor website

Southern Ontario

FedDev Ontario is delivering the program in southern Ontario with a total allocation of up to $88.8 million over two years. During the first intake of the program, FedDev received more than 1,100 applications, requesting more than $260 million in funding. Up to $44.4 million is now available under Intake Two.

FedDev may contribute up to $1 million per eligible project. Funding recipients may receive up to 50 percent of total eligible project costs.

Priority may be given to projects that require a federal contribution of 33.3 percent of total eligible project costs and to projects with a smaller scope to ensure broad program reach and that projects can be completed within the program timeframes.

Applications to FedDev will be accepted until June 26, 2016 at 5pm Eastern Time. Early submission of applications is encouraged.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in Southern Ontario, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the FedDev website

Québec

Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions (CED), will invest an additional $31.2 million in Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program projects in Québec.

Applications to CED will be accepted until July 8, 2016 at 5pm Eastern Time.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program for Québec Regions, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the CED website

New Brunswick | Nova Scotia | Prince Edward Island | Newfoundland & Labrador

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) will invest an additional $16.6 million in Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program projects in Atlantic Canada.

Applications to ACOA will be accepted until all funding dollars are allocated to approved projects.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in Atlantic Canada, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the ACOA website

Nunavut | Northwest Territories | Yukon

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will invest an additional $6.4 million in Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program projects in Northern Canada.

Applications to CanNor will be accepted until all funding dollars are allocated to approved projects.

Detailed information on the delivery of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program in Northern Canada, including important details on eligibility, application requirements and program priorities, are available on the CanNor website

Further Resources

Government of Canada News Releases
Ottawa sets deadlines for $150-million infrastructure program, Globe and Mail – May 24, 2016

Finance Minister Roger Melanson

Applications are being accepted for community economic development corporations and co-operative associations that want to participate in the Small Business Investor Tax Credit program.

“As we prioritize job creation, we are working to help small businesses access capital from more sources so they can grow, be competitive and create employment,” said Finance Minister Roger Melanson. “This is a new opportunity for New Brunswickers to invest in their own communities, the people they know and the projects they believe in.”

The use of community economic development corporations is a new approach that will encourage local investment throughout the province.

The tax credit provides a 50 per cent non-refundable personal income tax credit of up to $125,000 per year to individuals who invest in eligible small businesses and community economic development corporations or co-operative associations in the province.

“Our organization, which is made up of 40 co-operatives in New Brunswick, including two investment co-operatives, is now better equipped in terms of support thanks to this new program that promotes investment in collective enterprises,” said Melvin Doiron, general manager of the Coopérative de développement régional-Acadie. “Knowing that an application involving one of our members is in the process of being submitted, we are convinced that many initiatives could benefit from this new form of financing.”

Details on the tax credit, including applications for corporations and community economic development corporation or associations, are available online.

Read more: New Brunswick Publishes Regulations Creating CED Corporations

Article written by Scott Doherty and originally published on May 26, 2016 by the Sackville Tribune Post

Two graduates of this year’s SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development wanted to share some of their CED learnings from the program to the people in their communities.

Amy Quarry and Diandra Oliver, both accomplished CED practitioners in their communities of Quesnel and Prince George, approached Nicole Chaland, the program director, and economist Michael Shuman, one of their CED instructors, to see if they could make it happen.

And they did! Next week, from May 30 – June 3, Michael Shuman will be touring northern B.C. presenting ‘Local Economy Solutions,’ a workshop about building community prosperity through strengthening the local economy.

The free workshops, co-ordinated by the Certificate Program for Community Economic Development, will be presented in Prince George, Quesnel, Vanderhoof, Hazelton and Smithers.

“Michael Shuman presents a “local living economies” (LLE) approach to economic development that focuses on building up local businesses and inviting community participation,” says Nicole Chaland, program director for SFU’s Certificate Program for Community Economic Development. “As part of the workshop, Michael Shuman guides participants to conduct a leakage analysis on the community, to find out where money leaves the community and to figure out ways to plug those leaks.”

These workshops were made possible through partnerships with local sponsors in each region. Sponsors are the City of Prince George, Integris Credit Union, Innovation Central Society, City of Quesnel, Community Futures North Cariboo, Quesnel Downtown Association, Small Town Love, West Quesnel BIA, Bulkley Credit Union, Town of Smithers, Community Futures Nadina, Doug Donaldson, MLA Stikine, Smithers District Chamber of Commerce, Storytellers’ Foundation, Doug Donaldson, MLA Stikine, Skeena Watershed Conservation Society, Village of Hazelton, Northwest Community College – Hazelton campus, Community Futures Stuart Nechako and Invest Local BC.

A huge thank you also goes out to Amy Quarry and Diandra Oliver for their commitment and vision.

Workshop details

Admission is free but registration is required.

May 30, Prince George – The Hubspace, 1299 Third Ave., 1 – 5 p.m.
Register at https://localeconomysolution_princegeorge.eventbrite.ca

May 31, Quesnel – The Lodge, 1262 Maple Heights Rd., 1 – 5 p.m.
Register at https://localeconomysolution_quesnel.eventbrite.ca

June 1, Vanderhoof – Nechako Community Church, 1393 Highway 16 East, 1 – 5 p.m.
Register at https://localeconomysolution_vanderhoof.eventbrite.ca

June 2, Hazelton – The Learning Shop, 1 – 5 p.m.
Register by emailing beth at upperskeena.ca

June 3, Smithers – Pioneer Place Activity Centre, 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.
Register at http://localeconomysolution_smithers.eventbrite.ca

About Michael

Michael Shuman is an economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur. He currently is Director of Community Portals for Mission Markets and a Fellow at three organizations: the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), Cutting Edge Capital, and Post-Carbon Institute. He is one of the North America’s leading experts on community economics and the advantages of small-scale businesses in an era of globalization.

He has authored, coauthored, or edited eight books including Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Move Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity, and The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition.

A prolific speaker, Shuman has given an average of more than one invited talk per week, mostly to local governments and universities, for 30 years—in 47 states and eight countries. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, such as the Lehrer News Hour and NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

Shuman has written nearly one hundred published articles for such periodicals as New York Times, Washington Post, Nation, Weekly Standard, Foreign Policy, Parade, and The Chronicle on Philanthropy. In 1980 he won First Prize in the Rabinowitch Essay Competition of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on “How to Prevent Nuclear War.”

Shuman received an A.B. with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University in 1979 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1982. Between 1987 and 1990 he was a W.K. Kellogg National Leadership Fellow. He is also a member of both the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar.

The next program runs from October 2016 to May 2017.

Applications are now open.

Find out more at www.sfu.ca/cscd/ced

The SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development is a hands-on professional development program for people who are working on making change in their communities. Every year, the program has a wide mix of students from across B.C. and Alberta. Community builders, social workers, social entrepreneurs, community economic developers and others work together on real problems and business ideas they are working on in their communities.

The program is part-time, delivered mostly online over eight months, with two one-week residencies in Vancouver in October and May.

SFU's Certificate Program for Community Economic Development Simon Fraser University (SFU) is looking for candidates for the 2016/17 Certificate Program for Community Economic Development. The next program runs from October 2016 to May 2017 and applications are being accepted until June 30, 2016.

SFU’s Certificate Program for Community Economic Development empowers you to help build a sustainable, local economy.

They offer a hands-on learning environment and a unique opportunity to grow your professional networks. The program is part-time over eights months. There are 2 one-week residencies in Vancouver, with the rest of the program delivered in a live, interactive, online classroom.

The CED program instructors are accomplished practitioners that share your passion for change and community development, want you to succeed and are genuinely eager to help you get there.

Their courses are relevant, and practical, whether you are out in your community finding out about local inititiatives, or working on projects with others in your cohort. Throughout the program, they focus on skill-building, personal growth and developing leadership skills.

When you join SFU’s CED program, you join a network of people committed to building strong, sustainable local economies. The program design intentionally facilitates the building and maintaining of relationships. Your network can be your strongest resource and so the SFU CED program helps students & alumni connect through events, newsletters and social media.

Every year, they have a wide mix of students: community builders, social workers, social entrepreneurs, communicators, community economic developers and other movers and shakers of all different stripes.

When selecting their cohort, attitude and experience matter most. They are seeking applicants who want to make positive change in their communities. If this sounds like you, then apply today!

Apply at www.sfu.cacscdced

Communities are at the heart of what CCEDNet peeps do. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when you put 230 community champions together over three days, you get one heck of a community.

Hosted by CCEDNet member CEDEC, ECONOUS2016 was the first national CED conference in several years, so there was a lot of catching up to do. Interest was high. Participants came from nearly every province and territory (next time, Nunavut!) and an amazing cross-section of backgrounds. A glimpse at some of the organizations represented gives you an idea.

Leading up to the conference, a tremendous amount of preparation went into the conference design. We had an excellent Program Committee from diverse sectors who advised on speaker and workshop selection, support from Michelle Holliday and Michael Jones on engagement strategies, and an important preliminary meeting of thought leaders to identify key questions for the event. The report of that meeting set the stage for ECONOUS2016, focusing our three days around three guiding questions:

What can we celebrate and carry forward in CED?
What strategic opportunities are before us now?
What’s next for CED and what stewardship is needed?

To begin with the theme of celebration, having Rankin MacSween deliver the opening keynote was a natural fit. Rankin is CEO of New Dawn Enterprises in Sydney, Nova Scotia — Canada’s first community economic development organization — which is marking it’s 40^th anniversary this year. Definitely a milestone to celebrate! Rankin is a masterful storyteller, and his opening keynote emphasized the principles that have guided New Dawn Enterprises over its 40-year journey: faith, hope and freedom. But being one of the leaders of CED in Canada does not mean it’s always easy. Rankin’s tale of New Dawn’s near death experience in an epic battle with the federal government over a development project was sobering. New Dawn’s survival and subsequent success is a lesson in persistence and resiliency.

That lesson is also apt for CED in Canada more broadly. The decades since CED came to Canada have been ones of smaller government and growing individualism. In this context, the tremendously diverse scope of community-led innovation presented in workshops at the conference is all the more impressive.

And it is encouraging to hear that the highest-levels of policy-making recognize the need for greater community leadership. In his remarks to the conference, Angel Gurría, the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development couldn’t be clearer: “The only way we can promote inclusive and sustainable growth is by working with our local communities. Development is always a bottom-up process.”

Thursday’s morning plenary considered the many strategic opportunities facing CED currently. Renowned McGill management professor Henry Mintzberg spoke of the need not just for leadership, but ‘communityship’ and rebalancing society with a strong ‘plural’ sector. Jonathan Rosenthal of the New Economy Coalition recognized the need to reweave the fabric of our human connections, and heal the historical wounds of ‘othering’. Nancy Neamtan of the Chantier de l’économie sociale in Québec emphasized the huge potential of creating socially-oriented, community-rooted businesses, and Laure Waridel of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre of Sustainable Development Operationalization suggested that CED can help redefine the logic of development to one that prioritizes human well-being in a viable ecosystem.

The Friday morning panel was a high point for many. A frank discussion on what’s next for CED between two pioneers in the field and three passionate newer voices produced a human ‘ice cream sandwich’ when the young Algonquin entrepreneur Marie-Cécile Nottaway noticed the very pale-skinned Mike Lewis was seated between herself and first generation Canadian Nadia Kidwai. Questions of diversity and inclusion, as well as the language and framing we use to speak about CED, created some very important and heartfelt moments on stage. Laurent Lessard, from the student housing social enterprise UTILE, suggested that CED should assert itself as a development approach with ‘trickle up’ economics to replace the failings of the trickle down model. Marie-Cécile revealed that she is in business for her family and her community, and that ‘it takes a community to raise a business.’ The panel closed with call to reach more diverse audiences with the CED message.

Carol Anne Hilton’s keynote on #indigenomics was a powerful illustration of how that is already happening. An idea that originated as a Twitter hashtag, Carol Anne explained the rationale that led to its creation: because new thinking is required, new language is needed that can provide a platform for understanding, bringing new perspectives and expanding awareness. With calls for greater responsibility in economic development and a rapidly evolving legal framework for Canada’s Indigenous peoples, #indigenomics reminds us of the ‘WHY’ – using indigenous wisdom to lead us to economic success.

ECONOUS2016 identified several key opportunities for community leaders. Two of those were mentioned by Jean-Yves Duclos, the federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, in his remarks to the conference. He called for conference participants’ input on two important federal government initiatives: a social innovation and social finance strategy, and a national poverty reduction strategy. CCEDNet will continue to share information about consultations on those strategies and work with members and partners to provide clear recommendations to make those strategies effective.

Ultimately, that was the final message of the event. The amazing innovation being led in communities is constantly evolving, and our ability as community leaders to make an ongoing impact is multiplied by the connections that continuously provide information, ideas and lessons to guide our efforts, and allow us to speak more powerfully and clearly to governments, partners and the public. ECONOUS2016 was part of what we intend to be an extended pan-Canadian conversation that will allow us to shape the future of community economic development in Canada together. So we invite you to continue to read CCEDNet newsletters, follow us on social media, become a member, and contribute to your national network.

If you missed ECONOUS2016, you can download the program and workshop presentations, watch the plenary videos, skim the twitter stream and see some of the pictures.

And I hope you’ll plan to join us in Calgary for the next National CED Conference in the fall of 2017, hosted by Thrive, Calgary’s CED Network, along with Momentum, Calgary Economic Development, REAP Business Association, Mount Royal University and the Calgary Economic Partnership. Watch CCEDNet newsletters for more information.

A big thank you to all our sponsors, participants, and to our 2016 host CEDEC for a successful event!

Michael Toye is the Executive Director of the Canadian CED Network. He has also taught courses on CED and social enterprise at Concordia University and has written a number of articles and other publications on CED and the social economy, including co-editing the book, Community Economic Development: Building for Social Change.

Read Michael’s blogs

Follow Michael on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Social Innovation Challenge Winners May 2-6 was the final week of the 2015/2016 SFU CED program and we ended with a bang!

Students pitched their social impact ideas for a total prize pool of $20,000 for the Social Innovation Challenge, an exciting part of the SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development over the past three years.

The challenge is a “collab-etiton” in which students collaborate on rapid prototyping and project design. 14 students pitched project ideas, and then the students spent two days working together on improving and refining their ideas, choosing the top five to pitch to a panel of judges.

Our Social Innovation winners were:

Donna McBride for her project the Third Wheel.

Donna is director of operations at Momentum in Calgary, a CED organization offering programming in the areas of business development, skills training and financial literacy.

Donna has three sons, one of whom has cerebral palsy. She has spent much of her life helping her son live his best life, and believes that everyone can succeed if given the right tools and supports.

The Third Wheel is a new business Donna is launching with two community members who use wheelchairs, which will offer emergency wheelchair repair services evenings, weekends and holidays.

There are currently no repair services available outside of normal business hours to the thousands of Calgarians who use some form of mobility aid. By providing an emergency service in the off-hours, we will lessen the amount of down-time experienced by people with disabilities when their equipment breaks down. Since the company will be operated by people with disabilities, we’re also creating employment opportunities for people who may have been challenged to find suitable work in the mainstream workforce.

The Third Wheel won $10K which will go toward the first year costs of a van and modifications so that we can begin offering our mobile repair service.

“The SFU CED program gave me the impetus and the tools to take action toward solving this problem in Calgary. Being surrounded by like-minded learners and supported by the experience that everyone brings to the table was exactly what I needed to move forward.”

Diandra Oliver for the Home Sweet Home Field School

Diandra is a writer, feminist, and community-developer from northern B.C. who co-founded Home Sweet Home with Laura Sapergia. Home Sweet Home is a community-funded economic project that has worked since 2012 to diversify the Northern B.C. food system, primarily in our community of Prince George.

Diandra pitched a summer tour iteration of the HSH Field School, a multi-day, multi-platform learning opportunity for northern B.C communities to easily address gaps and challenges in their local food systems.

The HSH Field School is delivered with a keen eye on ensuring long-term and important community impacts. We will work directly with community partners to identify short and long-term goals, areas of strength, and possible opportunities for improvement, inspiring a deep-rooted commitment to and ownership of the local food economy. The field school will also deliver hard skills (marketing, business development, advocacy, conflict resolution) and opportunities for celebration.

Diandra was awarded $5000 to kick off the Field School tour this summer.

“Most northern communities have no resources or infrastructure to deliver sustainable and strong food projects. Most municipalities have bylaws that restrict food production or businesses. Participating in the CED program has given me the tools to do more than just call out the injustices, but to support communities to work together to rebuild their own economy, one table at a time.”

Jessica Matthies Vergata for the Calgary Kitchen Library

Jessica Matthies Vergata has a Calgary business called Preserve Foodskills, a culinary education centre with a strong focus on heritage skills like canning, brewing, meat-curing, and fermenting. Preserve Foodskills also offers a product line in partnership with a local urban agriculture CSA program, and is working to develop a food hub in Calgary with other local businesses and organizations.

Jessica pitched the Calgary Kitchen Library. It is a kitchen-equipment lending program, where any member of the public can become a member and borrow equipment for up to one week at a time. The Calgary Kitchen Library mitigates barriers to cooking by making kitchen equipment accessible for anyone who either can’t afford to purchase or store equipment, or for anyone who wants to exit the cycle of constantly needing to purchase things and the inevitable waste that follows.

Jessica was awarded $3000 towards some of the startup costs, such as marketing, supplementing inventory, and wages for a part-time employee.

“The SFU CED program has definitely created the fertile ground for this project to arise by attracting an amazing cohort of students. Without the connections made within this program, the Calgary Kitchen Library would not have had enough support within the community to go forward.”

Eric Burton for his proposal to create a comprehensive community economic development certification program.

Eric Burton Ec. D, is co-founder of Factor 5 Group, a social enterprise focused on co-creating sustainable communities through economic development expertise and service.

Eric pitched a comprehensive community economic development certification program that will establish community economic development standards to guide practitioners, organizations, communities and governments in achieving sustainable community economic development.

Eric was awarded $2000 towards going to Montreal for the CCEDNet Conference ECONOUS2016 in May, and starting to pull sopme people together to start this discussion.

“The SFU CED program provided the knowledge and framework to develop innovative concepts that are central to co-creating sustainable communities. As a result, we have been able to refine our core ideas and move them from concept through to planning and implementation. Most importantly, it established a peer network of friends, partners and colleagues that we have come to trust and respect thanks to their rigorous constructive feedback and creative insight.”

With thanks to the Dragonfly Fund at Tides Canada for funding this challenge.

Students in the CED program come from all over Canada. They are champions for local living economies and work in social enterprise, non-profits, business associations, credit unions and municipal government. They all share a passion for a new economy—one that values people, places, and the planet.

Applications for the 2016/2017 SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development are now open. To find out more, visit www.sfu.ca/cscd/ced

Source

The program is part-time, delivered mostly online over eight months, with two one-week residencies in Vancouver in October and May.