The Investment Readiness Program (IRP) is a Government of Canada grants and contributions program designed to support social purpose organizations (SPO’s) contribute to solving pressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges across Canada. CCEDNet has been the IRP Partners Convener for IRP 2.0 funding (2022-2024). Unfortunately, this funding is coming to an end on March 31, 2024.
CCEDNet is joining fellow IRP Partners, including Catalyst Community Finance Initiative, to advocate for a subsequent round of IRP 3.0 funding. Particularly on the heels of the launch of the Social Finance Fund, now is the time to ensure that we strengthen the bridge between investment readiness and the wider social finance ecosystem in Canada.
The letter below has been signed and sent to Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Please contact Wayne Miranda (wayne (at) catalystcommunityfinance.ca) if you’d like to get involved and sign another/ amended letter.
On November 15th 2023, Boann CEO Derek Ballantyne and Jeff Cyr, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Raven Capital Partners, took to the stage at the Raven Outcomes Finance Summit to announce Boann’s pioneering investment in the Raven Indigenous Outcomes Fund.
The Raven Indigenous Outcomes Fund (RIOF) is a first-of-its-kind fund (C$50M) that manages outcomes-based financing instruments to address priority issues in Indigenous communities.
“Indigenous Peoples and communities have long deserved a higher level of wellbeing and the ability to shape how human services are provided. We are at a unique moment in history where we have the social finance fund and the work of our wholesaler aligning with community priorities and government objectives,” said Jeff Cyr.
“Outcomes finance operates at this unique nexus aligning public, private and philanthropic capital. However, most importantly it actions UNDRIP to create self-determined services, this collective action will reshape the landscape of social finance and, more importantly, improve the lives of countless individuals and communities. I invite investors to really put their capital to work in this unique opportunity. Together we will do great things.”
This is the first investment through which Boann Social Impact will help advance social finance in Canada. RIOF was selected by Boann’s Investment Committee, an independent body with exclusive responsibility over investment decisions. This investment affirms Boann’s commitment to fostering positive change by nurturing a strong social finance sector in Canada and modeling what investing for impact can look like.
To learn more about Boann Social Impact, our investment process, or to reach out with an opportunity for investment, visit boann.ca
Read more about the Raven Indigenous Outcomes Fund from Raven Indigenous Capital Partners’ website here.
Susanna Redekop
Susanna Redekop is the Project Manager for the Sustainable Finance Forum on behalf of CCEDNet. The Sustainable Finance Forum returns to the Shaw Centre in Ottawa on November 28th-29th 2024, bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and innovators at Canada’s premier event on sustainable finance.
A new co-operative federation called the Banker Ladies council is based within a Black feminist cultural tradition called a Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA). This groundbreaking group of Black women are redefining what it means to establish their own economic systems rooted in the systems of trust, reciprocity and cooperativism their ancestors have used for generations.
In New Minas, Nova Scotia, a social enterprise called The Flower Cart Group has been serving persons with disabilities and complex barriers to employment for 53 years. This year they’re realizing their dream of building a new facility to meet the increased demand for their services and expanding their capacity.
In the face of the affordable housing crisis, New Market Funds and New Commons Development’s Small Communities Initiative works with small, rural BC communities to create and preserve affordable housing for vulnerable populations, retrofitting and constructing new builds that are in line with community needs while prioritizing environmental sustainability.
What do these three stories have in common?
They’re all using forms of social finance, a term that encompasses a wide range of organizations, businesses and services that also serve a breadth of community needs and are redefining economic power within a community-based context. If your business, co-op or social enterprise has a mission to improve the social, cultural and/or environmental sustainability within your community, your region, or the sector you’re in and you’re interested in exploring finance options that include the social impact you’re creating – you’re likely considered to be a Social Purpose Organization, and also you’re part of the social finance ecosystem whether you know it or not.
The Investment Readiness Program and what comes next
The Investment Readiness Program (IRP) was designed to be a funding program to directly provide Social Purpose Organizations with non-repayable capital to get them business development support, and was based on recommendations in Inclusive Innovation, the report guiding the federal government’s initiatives to strengthen social innovation and social finance in Canada. Here at CCEDNet, our IRP team have been leaders in the social finance ecosystem, supporting the creation of collaborative processes thanks to the federal Department Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
As the IRP Partnership Convener, we bring the program partners, including ESDC, together to share learning, insight, and action as we work to support Social Purpose Organizations and the broad social finance ecosystem to enable more social finance across the country. However, now that this second round of funding has ended and we have no confirmation of a future round of IRP funding, we are working together to figure out how best to continue the momentum we have built.
Social finance is one of those concepts that folks seem to generally agree upon as a good thing but it’s perhaps still a bit mysterious, difficult to define and can be confusing because it’s all around us yet it’s hard to put your finger on. Part of the issue is that it’s hard to find a succinct go-to resource for understanding social finance in Canada, and another part of the issue is that the language that’s been developed for this sector has been developed by government and funders on the “supply side” of providing capital, instead of those on the “demand side” who need and are applying for this funding, such as Social Purpose Organizations and those that serve them. Often this kind of work is known by different names and labels from within grassroots organizations and communities doing it themselves.
CCEDNet is leading a project to do just this – to bring folks together from various sectors, regions and communities to define what social finance means on their own terms. This Demand-Side Social Finance Info Hub will be a place to find easily downloadable, shareable content explaining what social finance is and what the impact in Canadian communities has been. It will also be a place to figure out where any given organization fits within the social finance ecosystem, whether social finance is for them. Finally, it will display data from this ecosystem and provide pathways to connect with Social Finance Fund intermediaries when this information becomes available and Social Purpose Organizations can access repayable capital through these intermediaries for the Social Finance Fund. Social finance has been in the spotlight lately, particularly with the federal announcement of the $755 million Social Finance Fund earlier this year in May and we are pleased to be working towards a community-based pathway for access to this capital when it becomes publicly available.
The Sustainable Finance Forum
On November 1-2, 2023, over 600 social finance practitioners, community leaders, elected officials and policy makers came together for the second Sustainable Finance Forum.
Based on the success of the previous Sustainable Finance Forum in 2022, CCEDNet volunteered to support the coordination of the event. MP Ryan Turnbull, a long-time CCEDNet member prior to being elected to represent the riding of Whitby in the House of Commons of Canada, spearheaded this initiative to engage policy makers and create cross-party support for social and sustainable finance. CCEDNet saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness around social finance to policy makers and elected officials, and to connect them with community-led social finance models and leaders across Canada. Last year’s inaugural Sustainable Finance Forum was a closed, invite-only event on Parliament Hill, and CCEDNet’s Executive Director, Mike Toye, advocated that this year’s Forum take place “off the Hill” so that non-government actors including community leaders and Social Purpose Organizations could access the event and take part in these important conversations. Part of CCEDNet’s organizational goals are to advance policy change, and this opportunity is an example of connecting communities and engaging directly with policy makers.
CCEDNet helped convene more than 40 industry leaders as part of the advisory committee for the Sustainable Finance Forum, who informed the program and helped frame the conversations. We are incredibly grateful to Advisory Committee members who supported the planning of the Forum and for the sponsorship of values-aligned credit unions, co-operatives and impact investors such as Desjardins, Vancity, Co-operators, and Addenda Capital who made the event possible.
The 2 days of the Forum were full of rich discussions that included conversations on social finance from different perspectives and across industries, including Sustainable Food Systems, Greening Finance, Indigenous Social Economy and Reconciliation and Affordable Housing. Including both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance, the Forum mobilized an unprecedented lineup of speakers and spoke to a wide range of stakeholders who don’t often get the chance to connect to each other – from Members of Parliament to grassroots organizers and community leaders. Bringing together such a diverse variety of speakers and stakeholders also meant that these conversations were coming from many different points of view and lived experiences, and we heard some painful anecdotes, inspirational stories, as well as pledges that are full of hope and promise.
It is a unique position CCEDNet is in as an intermediary, working with government and working with communities on the ground, that led us to organizing such an event. It is equally a privilege and responsibility to the communities we serve for us to push these conversations forward into action, and to continue to hold ourselves and each other accountable to promises made in creating and maintaining an economy that reflects truly sustainable and inclusive development. We heard multi-party commitments to creating sustainable, climate friendly finance solutions, as well as pledges of making social finance a more central part of our economy. After such an event, we all know that the real work is yet to come in figuring out how to build and strengthen relationships that sustain these actions and propel us forward into new territory towards a more sustainable, socially conscious economic system.
Susanna Redekop
Susanna Redekop is the Project Manager for the Sustainable Finance Forum on behalf of CCEDNet. The Sustainable Finance Forum returns to the Shaw Centre in Ottawa on November 28th-29th 2024, bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and innovators at Canada’s premier event on sustainable finance.
Marisol Fornoni
Marisol Fornoni is the Partnerships Manager for the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), part of the Regional Initiatives team at CCEDNet. As part of the Investment Readiness Program team, Marisol convenes and maintains important partner relations to build a thriving IRP Ecosystem embedded in the Social Finance Social Innovation sector for Social Purpose Organizations (SPOs) and communities across Canada.
CCEDNet is sad to share the news that former Executive Director Rupert Downing passed away on Nov 2.
Rupert was key in the development of CCEDNet’s early years. He was appointed Executive Director in 2002, less than three years after the Network’s incorporation in 1999. Over the next six years until his departure in 2008, Rupert was fundamental in the organization’s initial growth and structure.
But his history in social, economic and environmental efforts stretched back to the beginning of his professional life. He was involved in managing sustainable development policies and programs for more than 40 years in rural, urban and Indigenous communities across Canada, in the UK, and around the world.
While leading CCEDNet, he helped to establish and directed the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, editing one of the capstone publications on Canada’s Social Economy. Prior to his time at CCEDNet, Rupert helped to establish and lead the Ministry of Community Development in the Government of British Columbia.
Most recently, Rupert was named to the Government of Canada’s Social Innovation Advisory Council, a recognition of his expertise in social enterprise financing and development.
Rupert (in orange) with staff, 2008
He also ran an international consulting firm specializing in sustainable community development, research and public policy development, and he owned and managed a Fair-Trade Social Enterprise operating on Vancouver Island, “Lalocal”.
But it was Rupert’s character and compassion that made an impression on many people. Whether it was his background in theatre, his love of animals and nature and the world, his willingness to have fun, or his feathered friends that joined many virtual meetings, his passion for life, and social and economic justice, inspired people around the world.
I learned so much and was inspired by Rupert. His ability to frame complex ideas, visions, and strategies into language that would command the attention of a room full of decision makers was impressive and I observed this skill attentively.
There was also a lot of fun and laughter, as his wit and intellect were accompanied by a theatrical humour and sense of adventure that created so many legacy stories.
Brendan Reimer, former CCEDNet-Manitoba Regional Co-ordinator
The poem below, which he posted on Facebook this past March, reveals a bit about what made him so endearing.
A celebration of Rupert’s life was held on Saturday November 18 with family and close friends. Budd Hall, Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education at the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria, and friend of Rupert’s, wrote this poetic reflection for the celebration.
Every day brings a smile
When I get up and sit on my patio the Steller’s Jays cackle at me and I cackle back to their delight. And we smile.
The Ravens nesting in my conifers croak at me to which I reply and then they bring their fledging onto my deck to explore and steal baubles. And we smile.
The Eagles bring their fledgling to the beach to experience their first incoming tide, and we enjoy their first experience of the ocean. And we smile.
The rabbits bring their young out to nibble on the Camas sprouts and I fell them to mow the lawn. And we smile.
The squirrels cavort in the trees and search for their hidden stash in the raised beds. And we smile.
The stags rut in the backyard and sometimes gallop down to me and stand face to face, and we smile. Their families then curl up in the Spring sunshine in their safe place, and we smile.
My raccoon clan has been here way longer than any human. I have related to the matriarchs all my time here, through thick and thin, and they always introduce me to their successors. I’m now sitting on my bench every day with our current Mama chatting, and then dividing some food for the family. We always smile.
My dogs take me out to play every day, and tell me to not be so serious. And we smile.
My neighbours probably think I am crazy for all the talking I do to animals, but what the heck, I smile.
My cockatiel spends every moment he can on my shoulder, nibbling my ear, and singing. We always smile.
My wife and family bring me great joy and we smile.
The Gathering was a significant day to anchor our local community and social economy to a larger movement for change. Over 350 participants, presenters, and volunteers came together at St. John’s high school to learn, laugh, and experience Community Economic Development in action.
The day began with a blessing from Elder Mae Louise Campbell from the Clan Mothers Healing Village, followed by a panel from the project exploring their new models of existence that are deeply anchored in community and connection to the land. They are embodying the heart and spirit of CED. Their social enterprise, Mother Earth Construction, creates family and feeds hope. Val, Jamie, Tia, Danny, and Amanda spoke about their experiences in this sisterhood.
Christine Clarke, from Freedom Dreams Cooperative Education, explored the concept of economic justice: anchoring in community through the cooperative model to transform our workplaces towards care and have agency over our own work When we deeply care for each other in our organizations and enterprises, they can be sites of personal and community transformation.
After a shared meal, participants came together for the Gathering Afternoon Plenary. Anny Chen and Laura Tyler led an exercise to solidify learning about collaboration and immediately put it into practice.
Our collective knowledge and experience grew with two workshop opportunities during the day. Workshops were presented by local community builders on topics like intercultural storytelling, creating inclusive spaces, rural CED, cooperatives, and social enterprise. Participants learned from panels and presentations, from small group sharing, and through community building networking games.
Throughout the day, greater collaboration was facilitated, solidified, and propelled toward a collective vision for change. The Gathering continues to serve as an anchor for community builders.
Photos by Travis Ross
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Levels of government signal a new approach to collaboration and partnership in Manitoba, including solving complex problems through social economy alternatives
Representing our members and our Network’s collaborative CED approach, CCEDNet Manitoba participated in an exciting announcement on October 27, 2023.
Premier Wab Kinew, Minister Dan Vandal (represented by MP Terry Duguid), and Mayor Scott Gillingham came together to announce a new era of collaboration to help solve complex challenges and support alternatives in our communities. This includes governments looking to the valuable contributions that CED enterprises and organizations to achieve these goals collaboratively.
AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick was present at the event, and Elder Mae Louise Campbell (Clan Mothers Healing Village and frequent speaker at the CCEDNet Gathering) opened the event in a spirit of cooperation and friendship.
CCEDNet Manitoba will receive $75,000 from PrairiesCan over three years in support of the annual Gathering of CED community builders. This support will be essential for the Network to continue this important annual tradition of bringing CED leaders together, supported by an advising team of community members.
CCEDNet members BUILD and Purpose Construction will receive $631,000 to complete green retrofits of the Social Enterprise Centre, supporting the demonstration space that supports employment and training opportunities for those facing multiple barriers to employment.
The event was hosted by another CCEDNet Manitoba member, United Way Winnipeg. It was fitting to be hosted by the United Way given their collaborative way of working to engage individuals and mobilize collective action to improve lives and build community.
Provincial Election ushers in change and new government
On October 4, Manitoba elected a new provincial government.
Check out this summary of key Departments and Ministers responsible for priorities of the Community Economic Development sector in Manitoba. Your guide to the Departments, contacts, and priorities as an advocate for CED – including mandate letter highlights!
The second annual Sustainable Finance Forum at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa is shaping up to be twice the size and even more impactful than last year’s. Be one of 400 people to take part in two full days of engaging keynote speakers and productive breakout sessions.
This year’s Forum will focus on collective action and implementation and will bring together stakeholders across Canada. It will cover themes that are relevant to Canadians including: cost of living, affordable housing, healthcare, economic development, climate change, food insecurity and more!
Esteemed speakers will include Mark Carney and Eric Usher, as well as Ministers Anita Anand, Jenna Sudds, and Sean Fraser, among many others.
Every quarter, CCEDNet sends our members an exclusive communiqué, packed with valuable insights, updates, and opportunities from within our network and beyond. Each communiqué also shines the spotlight on one member and the impactful work they’re doing.
For the October 2023 communiqué, CCEDNet spotlighted Eviance, a member organization that works across Canada. For the past 26 years, Eviance has been helping people with disabilities in Canada and their allies advance human rights through intersectional, community-based research that is committed to action-based, sustainable solutions.
We spoke with Susan L. Hardie, the organization’s executive director, about how Eviance is building an inclusive, equitable and accessible society. In the text below, Susan provides insights into the organization’s approach and impact. She also explains how Eviance is helping CCEDNet make some of our programming more accessible to people with disabilities.
A bit about Eviance
Eviance is a nationally oriented organization committed to driving societal change. We describe ourselves as a knowledge hub, and our operations include a main office in Winnipeg, as well as a virtual office in Ontario, with team members currently working out of Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec.
Our primary focus is on addressing human rights and promoting equity through the lens of lived experiences. Our ultimate goal is to bolster intersectional action-oriented solutions that advance human rights and encourage decision-making that centers on equity in Canada, which we believe helps all people living here, not only those who live with disabilities. We place great importance on offering sustainable solutions to systemic problems related to equity and human rights. Additionally, we are dedicated to supporting the diverse disability networks we collaborate with by addressing the issues they face.
Alignment with social justice principles
Consequently, our work is guided by and aligns with the social justice principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and various other international social justice frameworks. We have extensive experience in disability rights monitoring, human rights training and education, applied social research and utilization focused evaluations.
Our work is intended to be useful for a wide range of audiences including people with lived experience of disability, DPOs (disabled peoples organisations) and other disability organizations, other non-profit organizations, governments, funders and the general public. Our work is also guided by best practices in accessibility and knowledge mobilization.
Becoming a bilingual organization
In striving to become a truly bilingual organization (2017 Eviance Strategic Plan), we found that there was not an accurate translation into French of the legal name of “the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies Incorporated”. Thus, in 2018 we launched the new organization brand name of “Eviance” that represents an amalgamation of three core activities of CCDS; more specifically, “evidence”, “advancement” and “vie” which is French for “life”.
Thus Eviance is a community-based knowledge hub on cross-disability issues, (inclusive of disability studies but not limited, inclusive of disability justice but not limited), that embraces an intersectional, human rights and reflexive approach in all its work (i.e. community-based projects, education, inclusive development, and knowledge mobilization).
Eviance as a STARCAP community partner
Editor’s note: In this section, Susan explains how Eviance is helping to make the Synergia Transition and Resilience Climate Action Program, or STARCAP, more accessible. One of STARCAP’s key elements is a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), which is used to help mobilize community-led climate action.
We initially thought that there might be barriers for the diverse disability communities after reviewing the MOOC curriculum. We flagged right away to the STARCAP Project Lead and a meeting was convened immediately with CCEDNet Project Lead and Manager to discuss the perceived barriers for meaningful engagement of the diverse, disability communities. We were able to agree that we would focus our efforts in working to provide feedback on accessibility issues, and potential solutions, with the MOOC curriculum and associated CCEDNet processes.
In addition, we agreed that a smaller group of participants would engage in the STARCAP program, with hopes that for the upcoming year the STARCAP program would be enhanced with regard to accessibility, and inclusion, and that Eviance could readily and ethically invite the diverse, disability communities to meaningfully engage and learn together about climate action and how the diverse disability communities may want to engage within its sector and more broadly with civil society partners on this key issue. We are now working as a community partner with STARCAP and implementing climate action in our developing Youth Leadership Program.
Learn more about Eviance
Eviance is an important contributor to a more equitable society and we encourage all our members to learn more about them and check out their new website: https://www.eviance.ca
Social enterprises across Canada tackle complex social challenges while operating successful businesses and reinvesting profits into community, a new report from Buy Social Canada shows.
A group of people in aprons and hairnets peel and chop carrots in an industrial kitchen. Image credit: The Raw Carrot, a social enterprise in Paris, Ontario. https://therawcarrot.com/
Vancouver, September 19, 2023 – Social enterprises sell goods and services and reinvest their profits into their social, environmental or cultural mission. New research published today busts myths about social enterprises and shows they are profitable while offering solutions for economic, social and environmental challenges. A survey of 132 social enterprises paints a robust picture of the sector to showcase successes, challenges and opportunities. Case studies such as Hiregood’s employment of people living with homelessness through contracts with the City of Edmonton and Purpose Construction’s commitment to Indigenous employment and affordable housing show what can be possible if we support and grow the social enterprise movement in Canada.
“Social enterprises in Canada are solidly embedded in communities, work across business models, deliver a vast array of goods and services, and they create significant revenues, employment, and social impact.” – Sell with Impact: Stories and Research from the Canadian Social Enterprise Sector
Many people in Canada may not know what a social enterprise is. Or they may think of it as a charitable, grant based, small scale passion project. Despite the myth that social enterprises aren’t profitable, the report shows the total gross revenues for the social enterprises surveyed in 2022 was $4.1 billion. GreenShield Canada alone, a national health service social enterprise, reported an annual revenue of $3.9 billion in 2022.
Social enterprises surveyed employ over 9,000 people and paid $141.3 million in employee wages in 2022 (no employment data was shared by GreenShield Canada).
85% of enterprises surveyed intentionally provide additional supports for employees that go beyond the standard offerings of medical and dental benefits.
Examples include: transportation support, professional development, coaching, housing support, family re-unification, hygiene products, and spiritual care.
Rebecca Sherbino, Executive Director at The Raw Carrot understands the importance and impact of supportive employment. She explains, “What we really want to see with supportive employment is moving away from ‘here’s your monthly cheque now go away.’ There’s such a large community of people who want to work.” Work can be more than income. It can mean stability, purpose, a sense of value and belonging in community.
There are many challenges facing our communities: housing, poverty, social exclusion, climate change, and inequality. Social enterprises offer solutions to complex issues but need more support from government, corporate purchasers and funders to increase access to markets and finance.
Dan Kershaw, Executive Director of Furniture Bank shares, “We’ve built Canada’s largest furniture reuse network, diverting over 3 million pounds from landfills annually. Providing cost-effective, simple solutions for businesses like IKEA further demonstrates our role in circular economy impact and job creation.”
The report challenges the preconception that social enterprise is a new fad, highlighting several social enterprises including GreenShield Canada, founded in 1957, MetroWorks, founded in Halifax in 1977, and EMBERS, which has been operating in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside since 2001.
“This is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the effort that has gone into building these social enterprises, the lives they have changed, and the community well-being they have created.” – Elizabeth Chick-Blount, Buy Social Canada CEO
The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada. Learn more at https://nctr.ca/exhibits/survivors-flag/
This Saturday, September 30, is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is an opportunity for all of us in the community economic development (CED) movement to honour the courage, wisdom, and worldviews of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. It is also a reminder that, in order for the CED movement to be effective, everything we do must be grounded in the principles of decolonization and reconciliation.
The last residential school may have closed in 1996, but that doesn’t mean that the violence of colonialism has disappeared. Whether we are settlers or Indigenous, colonialism is an oppressive force that continues to structure our lives, our economies, and our communities.
As CED practitioners, a commitment to decolonization and reconciliation requires us to ask ourselves questions that may make us uncomfortable. For example, how do we uphold and benefit from colonialism, whether we intend to or not? What sacrifices might we have to make in order to redistribute power and wealth equitably to Indigenous communities, as well as to other peoples who are held down by colonial oppression?
We should not shy away from the discomfort produced by such questions. However, we shouldn’t get trapped in it either, because the process of envisioning decolonial futures can also be tremendously energizing. Decolonization and reconciliation are pathways toward building community economies where interdependence, sustainability, and abundance are made reality for all. These concepts are all foundational to the CED movement, which of course has always been shaped by contributions from Indigenous peoples, such as the Neechi Principles. Therefore, decolonization and reconciliation (especially economic reconciliation) should not be thought of as something external or optional to doing effective CED — rather, they must be embraced by everyone in the movement.
CCEDNet offices are closed on Monday so that staff can observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in whatever ways feel meaningful. Here are a few resources that are helping us reflect on the roles that we all might play in honouring truth and committing to reconciliation:
Video – Phyllis Webstad explains the story of her experience at Residential School and the origin of Orange Shirt Day in Canada. She discusses the present situation and her hopes for the future.
Vidéo – The vision of Kukpi7 Fred Robbins, also from the Orange Shirt Society.
An election has been called for October 3, 2023 in Manitoba and advance voting is open! There is still a lot going on in the Network around the election – campaigns to support, debates to attend, lawn signs to put up, and letters to parties to send.
