The Chantier de l’économie sociale has begun a series of strategic meetings to discuss concrete proposals for a more democratic, fair and sustainable economy. The discussion paper is available on line (French only)
We have just updated our website to a new platform that will allow more features and interactivity.
But it may take us some time to get the bugs worked out of this new system. If you see any broken links or functions that don’t work, please let us know by sending an email to
Thanks for your patience as we make improvements to serve you better!
10th Annual Manitoba CD/CED Gathering
Join us October 19th, 2012 at a *new location* – Churchill High School (510 Hay Street). The Gathering is an inspiring annual opportunity for those involved in community development and community economic development to connect, learn, and celebrate together.
Planning is in full swing, with confirmed keynote speaker Raj Patel, and the rest of our program in development. Watch your email for bulletins with news, and visit the 2012 Gathering page regularly for updates as details get confirmed.
>>Click here to for the 2012 Gathering page.
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
CCEDNet-MB staff and members spoke in support of five of the Network’s provincial policy resolutions on June 11, 2012.
Joining the Council of Canadians and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, CCEDNet-MB met with the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade on the morning of June 11, 2012.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss our shared concerns regarding negotiations currently underway toward a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. CCEDNet-MB reiterated its concern that the CETA will prevent the Province of Manitoba from pursuing purchasing policies that support local and sustainable food, that recognize the added social, economic, and environmental value of locally owned businesses, co-operatives, and social enterprises, and that create opportunities for local marginalized groups to gain long-term employment. (Click on the links to read the CCEDNet-MB policy resolutions that promote each type of purchasing policy)
The Minister assured us that the Province of Manitoba was working to ensure the proposed CETA preserves the government’s ability to make strategic use of purchasing policies in areas where the obligations of the CETA do not apply (for example, set-asides for Aboriginal businesses and for regional economic development). He also committed to looking into issuing a press release regarding the Province of Manitoba’s involvement in the CETA negotiations which could help increase transparency regarding how Manitobans interests are being defended at the negotiating table.
Click here to read CCEDNet-MB’s contributions to the meeting with Minister Bjornson, and here for the follow-up letter we sent him.
On the evening of June 11, 2012 CCEDNet-MB staff joined members and other allies to speak to the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development at the Province of Manitoba regarding two Bills that relate to two of our Network’s policy resolutions.
The first was Bill 7 – The Community Renewal Act. CCEDNet-MB spoke alongside two others in favour of this Bill which puts into legislation the Neighbourhoods Alive! model of community development through a community-led and comprehensive approach.
We were pleased to see that the Bill ensures the development of community renewal plans in consultation with residents, the establishment of a Community Renewal Advisory Committee made up of community-based stakeholders to provide advice on community renewal issues, and the establishment of a Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Community Renewal which recognizes the inter-departmental relevance of comprehensive community renewal and the need for high level leadership. We recommended that the Bill be strengthened by adding the terminology of Community Economic Development including its definition and principles, by strengthening the language to more clearly recognize that community renewal is multi-faceted and inter-connected, and by emphasizing the importance of long-term planning and evaluation, along with adequate long-term core funding to ensure these activities can be carried out effectively.
The Committee made no amendments to the Bill, which received Royal Assent in the House on June 14, 2012.
Click here to read the CCEDNet-MB policy resolution that relates to this legislation.
The second Bill CCEDNet-MB spoke to was Bill 24 – The Energy Savings Act. CCEDNet-MB spoke in favour of this Bill, alongside eleven others, which addresses most of the components outlined in our Network’s policy resolution titled Reducing utility bills while creating economic opportunities for low-income Manitobans.
We were pleased to see that the Bill enables the reduction in utility bills for those with the lowest incomes, in particular through the on-meter financing mechanism. We recommended that the Bill be amended to ensure landlords who pay the utility bills cannot raise rents beyond the rental guidelines as a result of building improvements that are gained through this Bill. The Committee later made this amendment. We were also pleased to see that the Bill enables Hydro to support social enterprises and community organizations in assisting people or neighbourhoods in realizing energy efficiency improvements. We recommended the establishment of targets for the number of low-income homes to be retrofitted, the number of low-income neighbourhoods to be retrofitted, and the number of low-income homes to be retrofitted by social enterprises. To facilitate the meeting of these targets, we recommended that Neighbourhood Renewal Corporations be eligible to receive support for working with the community and with social enterprises to complete efficiency upgrades on a neighbourhood-wide basis. Finally, we recommended that the annual energy efficiency plan be developed in consultation with the social enterprise sector and Community Economic Development sector.
The Committee made three amendments to the Bill, which received Royal Assent in the House on June 14, 2012.
CCEDNet-MB will continue to work with members to ensure that the implementation of these Bills adequately aligns with our policy resolutions.
Click here to read the transcript from the evening which includes CCEDNet-MB’s presentations to the Committee (beginning on page 62 and again on 76), questions and comments from provincial MLA’s, and outcomes including amendments made
The Canadian CED Network and partners invite you to attend an upcoming film screening and forum:
Film Screening & Forum
Four dates, four locations:
7:00 pm June 18 Room B101 UFV ABBOTSFORD (33844 King Rd)
7:00 pm June 19 NEW WEST Public Library (716 6 Ave)
7:00 pm June 20 Room 2600 SFU SURREY (13450 102 Ave)
7:00 pm June 21 Room 1900 SFU VANCOUVER (515 W Hastings)
admission by donation * no-one turned away for lack of funds * all proceeds go to SFU’s bursary program to support leaders from traditionally excluded communities in the community economic development program * charitable tax receipt for donations over $20
Partners:
SFU Community Economic Development | Mennonite Central Committee | the Hospitality Project Mission Possible | The Canadian CED Network | Skyworks Foundation
Join us at the 10th Annual Manitoba CD/CED Gathering:
OCTOBER 19, 2012
*NEW LOCATION*
Churchill High School (510 Hay St.)
Don’t miss out on Manitoba’s premier community economic development event, taking place October 19 at Churchill High School in Winnipeg. For ten years, the Gathering has provided a unique opportunity for community members, government officials, students and social entrepreneurs to come together and learn about innovative ways to reduce poverty and build stronger communities in Manitoba.
Here are some reasons to attend the 2012 Gathering:
- A barrier-free event that provides a great opportunity for networking and connecting with people from a variety of sectors
- Learn about and celebrate the success of CED initiatives across the province
- Choose from a wide range of workshop topics and themes
- Learn some helpful hints for building capacity and engaging your community
- Delicious lunch and snacks will be catered by a variety of social enterprises from across the city!
More info to follow!
Watch our Gathering website page more information on our keynote speaker, online registration, and workshop line-up! In the meantime, contact Sarah Leeson-Klym with questions about the Gathering: or 204-943-0547.
#gath2012
In his new book, CCEDNet founding member Mike Lewis, of the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, builds on 35 years of leadership in community economic development, the social economy and development finance in Canada and internationally to cast the challenges facing us in a new light.
With so many books being written about peak oil, climate change, and their implications for our people and planet, what’s different about The Resilience Imperative? Its central thesis is that climate change and escalating energy prices compel us to reinvent our economic life on a much more local and regional basis. But how to do it? This is the vexing question. How do we forge a steady-state economy that is socially, ecologically and economically sensible and sustainable? Is it even possible, or just the naive notion of do-gooders?
The Resilience Imperative resonates with the possible! Using a range of theory and incisive historical and contemporary analysis for a launchpad, it presents case after case of creative, strategic action in the world of today. These strategic pathways demonstrate how people in Asia, Europe and North America are learning to meet basic needs for food, land, housing, energy, and finance more locally and regionally. Their example shows how we too might navigate transition and strengthen resilience where we live. Powerfully, the authors bring these innovations back down to earth by revealing the implications, in dollars and cents, for the cost of living of the average household.
By defining connections more vividly and obstacles more clearly, this book helps readers see just what we can unleash once we put our shoulders to the common weal of innovation – locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. We can take on the status quo, practically and politically. Moreover, co-operatives, trusts, and the social economy are crucial to scaling up these innovations and powering down our economic lives to something sensible and sustainable.
For more background, read Innovations Lead Way for Citizens to Shift to Local Economies, or download the flyer.
The Resilience Imperative is published by New Society Publishers.
Canada and the European Union are in the process of negotiating a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). This agreement would eliminate most tariffs between Canada and the EU and change some non-trade related government policies such as those related to labour, health, farming, public safety, and environmental rules and regulations.
Negotiations began in 2009 and progress has been made in the areas of goods, services, investment, government procurement, and more. The Government of Canada has made the CETA negotiations a priority in its international trade agenda and negotiating parties aim to conclude negotiations in 2012.
The Canadian CED Network promotes government purchasing policies that recognize the added social, economic, and environmental value of locally owned businesses, co-operatives, and so
cial enterprises. In doing so, we encourage governments to use purchasing as a tool for creating stronger and more inclusive local economies, building more sustainable communities, protecting the environment, promoting ethical business practices, and for creating new opportunities for marginalized groups to gain long-term local employment. However, the ability of provincial and municipal governments to continue this practice is now coming under threat.
Ongoing negotiations for the proposed CETA have revealed the EU’s intent to gain unrestricted access to purchasing by provinces, municipalities, school boards, universities, hospitals, and provincial and municipal crown corporations. If achieved, it could significantly reduce or even eliminate provincial and municipal purchasing policies that encourage local development, or set performance requirements obliging foreign suppliers to purchase locally, train local workers, or reinvest a portion of profits into local communities.
Community Benefit Agreements provide a tool governments can use to continue to purchase from local small businesses, co-operatives, and social enterprises without interfering with trade agreements. Community Benefit Agreements allow government purchasing to include a value to social components as well as price, quality, and environment considerations in all Request for Proposals. (Click here to learn more about community benefit agreements).
For more information on Community Benefit Agreements or on CETA and its implications for CED, please contact Kirsten Bernas with CCEDNet’s Policy Council at . You can also visit the Trade Justice Network’s website at www.tradejustice.ca for more information or to get involved by signing their Open Declaration. Alternatively, please contact us if you have any information you would like to share regarding CETA and CED.
By Kirsten Bernas
(Research & Policy Advisor, CCEDNet)
March 6, 2012
This article originally appeared on SEEChangeMagazine.com
Measuring social and economic impacts is vital to the growth of innovative community solutions
Every day, Shaun Loney sees positive change in the lives of his co-workers as a result of their participation at Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD). BUILD is a social enterprise operating out of Winnipeg’s inner-city. Individuals with multiple barriers are hired to complete energy and water efficiency retrofits on private and public low-income housing units. Many participants have had contact with the criminal justice system and do not have a high school diploma or formal work history.
BUILD prepares participants for further education and training or employment through a Community Economic Development approach that integrates economic and social objectives. In addition to hard skills, participants develop soft skills and life skills through access to a driver’s licensing program, financial management courses, parenting courses, tutoring in basic literacy and numeracy, cultural programming, and counselling. Over 90 percent of participants who complete the six-month program go on to further education and training, or employment.
Shaun can tell story after story to demonstrate the social value his organization creates. What he and other practitioners cannot easily do is quantify that value. This is something that funders and policy-makers are increasingly interested in understanding.
Several methods of measuring social value have emerged over the last fifteen years, and they continue to be scrutinized and refined. Social Return on Investment (SROI) is one method often used by social enterprises to demonstrate the value of outcomes that are not captured in traditional financial return models.
Beyond traditional financial return models
SROI analyses translate social outcomes into financial equivalents. But not every social outcome can be assigned a monetary value, so SROI analyses also demonstrate value in qualitative terms. By measuring the value of social benefits relative to the costs of achieving them, SROI analyses can help inform decision-making processes. They can reveal the effectiveness of interventions, which allows practitioners to adjust their practice and funders and policy-makers to allocate resources in a way that optimizes social outcomes.
The SROI methodology was first developed by the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) in San Francisco beginning in 1996. REDF’s SROI analyses compared investment in a social enterprise to the value created by that investment. This included enterprise value (i.e. financial returns) and social purpose value (i.e. reduced welfare payments and health expenditures), and a combined “blended value.” REDF’s methodology also qualitatively demonstrated the positive changes that cannot be easily monetized, such as improved housing stability and self-esteem.1
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) in the United Kingdom built upon REDF’s SROI methodology to make it as applicable and usable as possible. NEF’s approach emphasized stakeholder involvement in the identification of social value. It added impact mapping to the analysis, which demonstrates step-by-step how an organization’s actions create change. It also introduced “deadweight analysis” to provide a method to estimate how much of the change would have occurred in the absence of the organization’s actions.2
A formal revision to the SROI methodology was again produced by a consortium led by the international SROI Network. The 2009 Guide to SROI (updated in 2012)3 is based on NEF’s SROI analysis and a methodology established by practitioners in the USA and Europe in the mid-2000s.4 It applies the seven principles of good measurement developed by the SROI Network:
- Involve stakeholders
- Understand what changes
- Value the things that matter
- Only include what is material
- Do not over-claim
- Be transparent
- Verify the result
The challenges of measuring SROI
Currently, there is no single accepted methodology for conducting SROI analyses. The international SROI Network encourages the application of the seven principles to build consistency within the social metrics field, but they have yet to be universally accepted. Other challenges related to SROI analyses go beyond the lack of consistency in methodologies used.
First, it can be difficult to capture all impacts. Which impacts get captured can depend on the judgment and imagination of those involved. Furthermore, it can be difficult to agree on how to monetize certain changes, such as increased self-esteem. Second, it can be difficult to make reliable comparisons between organizations that are competing for contracts or funds using SROI results, especially when the organizations don’t use comparable methods and judgments. Third, SROI results may not provide a reliable basis from which decisions to scale up or replicate an intervention can be made, especially when they fail to describe the underlying processes that explain how value is created. Finally, it can be costly to undertake a detailed SROI analysis with fully trained staff that can effectively carry out the methodology.5
Increasing awareness and creating consistency
A number of organizations in Canada are coming together under the umbrella of the SROI Canada Network to address some of these challenges. SROI Canada hopes to build the capacity of organizations to do SROI analyses using a common language and common tools. Members of the network can access an evolving proxy database with consistent estimates of financial value for a variety of social outcomes, which allows them to save on costs associated with researching financial proxies.
SROI Canada also offers training opportunities and is the only organization that can offer accreditation practitioner training in Canada. Accreditation can build consistency in the use of SROI by ensuring practitioners use a consistent methodology based on the seven principles of good measurement.6
The tools and training offered by SROI Canada will help social enterprises like BUILD demonstrate their full value. Already, BUILD has participated in some preliminary SROI calculations that it can build upon. These calculations demonstrated to the provincial government the value generated by increased taxes, avoided welfare payments, and avoided crime-related costs.
These additional revenues allow the government to expect a payback on its initial investment in the social enterprise within two years. Shaun Loney believes that these results should help provide the evidence that is needed to give his enterprise a competitive edge over private sector companies that are doing the same physical work without generating comparable returns to government. He hopes that, along with his stories, these numbers will broaden the case for the provincial government to invest in social enterprises like BUILD as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the employability crisis facing Aboriginal people in Manitoba.
Learn more
BUILD is a member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, which brings people and organizations together to share knowledge and build a collective voice in support of community economic development. The network understands that SROI analyses can provide CED organizations with a solid evidence base from which they can demonstrate the value of their work. It has prioritized the development of a list of existing SROI resources to help CED practitioners better understand and apply this emerging field of study.
These resources can be accessed at http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/node/10468.
Case studies featured on this webpage include an economic evaluation of Alberta’s Immigrant Access Fund Micro-Loan program, which assists immigrants in acquiring Canadian accreditation and training. It reveals annual rates of return of 33% or more, with returns upward of 100% for higher earning occupations such as for physicians. A separate study on Quebec’s employment training businesses found that governments recoup two-thirds of expenditures in the first year, and completely recover their investment in just 29 months. Please visit the webpage for more examples.
If you are aware of other resources please send them to Kirsten Bernas at
1. A detailed description of REDF’s methodology and examples of its application to specific social enterprises can be found on its website www.redf.org.
2. In 2008, NEF published a second edition of Measuring Real Value: a DIY Guide to Social Return on Investment which details its four-stage SROI analysis.This publication and case studies applying NEF’s methodology can be found on its website at www.neweconomics.org. NEF also provides consulting that offers a wide range of SROI support services including full evaluations, training, practitioner support and external verification http://www.nef-consulting.co.uk/services/sroi/.
3. Both publications can be found on the SROI Network’s website thesroinetwork.org.
4. This methodology is described in Olsen, Sara & Nicholls, Jeremy et al’s A Framework for Approaches to SROI Analysis. 2005 and in Peter Scholten’s Social Return on Investment: a guide to SROI. 2006.
5. These and other challenges related to conduction SROI analyses are described in Arvidson et al’s The Ambitions and Challenges of SROI. 2010.
6. More information on SROI Canada can be found on their website www.sroi-canada.ca.
Registration for Connections 2012: Community Investment Solutions for a Better Ontario is now open! Click here to register today!
Connections 2012 will seek to explore the systemic shift happening within Ontario’s economy that is felt acutely by the communities we live in. More than ever we need an investment strategy that builds on local skills, assets and people to reduce inequality and strengthen communities. Focusing on community economic development, Connections 2012 will bring together representatives of community organizations, co-operatives, social enterprises, government, and academic institutions to focus on innovative solutions for our communities.
As part of this event we have some exciting workshops lined up for you. You can learn more about the workshops and the agenda for the day by visiting our event webpage: http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/OntarioCEDEvent2012. There you will also find a draft program (a final version will be posted in the beginning of May) available for download and containing descriptions of each workshop.
Subsidies are available for participants coming from rural areas! For more information visit our event webpage.
Accommodations
As extra incentive to register early, for a limited time you can take advantage of reduced accommodation rates at the Delta Chelsea in downtown Toronto (33 Gerrard Street West) as a participant of Connections 2012. Up until May 9th you can reserve a room at the following prices:
- $125.00 for Single or Double occupancy
- $145.00 for Triple
- $165.00 for Quad
Call the Reservations Department at 1-800-CHELSEA (1-800-243-5732) and identify yourself as being with the Group “Canadian CED Network” before May 9th to take advantage of this offer. Spaces are limited so don’t delay!
Shoulder Events
For those of you coming from further away, to make your travels even more worth it there are a couple of other activities that may just pique your interest.
- June 6th
- Social Purpose Enteprise Tour: From noon to 5pm, take a tour of several Toronto-based social enterprises that are part of the Social Purpose Enterprise Network of Toronto.
- CCEDNet’s AGM: At 7pm, members of the Canadian CED Network will be meeting at the Learning Enrichment Foundation for the annual general meeting
- June 8th
- Community Bond Workshop: The Ontario Nonprofit Network will be holding a one-day workshop on communtiy bonds. Stay tuned for more information!
Sponsorship
There is still time to contribute to this event. Your contribution, no matter how great or small ($100 – $20,000), helps to make this a great event. For details on sponsorship opportunities please visit our event page to download the sponsorship options brochure.
The Canadian Social Economy Hub has produced three final publications building on the results of the national, 6-year research program. Follow the links below to view these publications in our Resource Library.Order printed copies from the University of Victoria bookstore.
Assembling Understandings: Findings from the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, 2005-2011
By Matthew Thompson and Joy EmmanuelClose to 400 products were generated through the various research projects coming out of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP). This body of research is a substantial contribution to understanding the history, the current context, and the future of the social economy in Canada.With Assembling Understandings, the Canadian Social Economy Hub has developed a thematic summary of the CSERP outputs, exploring the following dominant crosscutting themes within the research findings: Mapping, Social Enterprise, Co-operatives, Indigenous Peoples, Organizational Governance & Capacity, Social Finance, and Public Policy.What emerges with Assembling Understandings is a detailed snapshot of the remarkably robust and innovative nature of Canada’s social economy, and demonstrates where key developments can potentially have a significant influence on the continued economic growth and social impact of the sector.
Access this publication in our Resource Library
Canadian Public Policy and the Social Economy
Rupert Downing, EditorOver the five years of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, public policy emerged as a key theme.This e-book brings together the National Hub’s public policy and knowledge mobilization paper series, three papers examining strategic and practical aspects of public policy development, and new research on the links between the social economy and environmental sustainability.International comparisons present some of the characteristics of jurisdictions where public policy has contributed to a dynamic social economy sector, and papers on governance, financing and procurement focus on some of the issues that are key for the development of the social economy.Canadian Public Policy and the Social Economy is a convenient compilation of the major works on public policy produced by the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships.
Access this publication in our Resource Library
Community-University Research Partnerships: Reflections on the Canadian Social Economy Experience
Peter V. Hall and Ian MacPherson, EditorsEdited by CCEDNet Research Committee Chair Peter Hall and Canadian Social Economy Hub Principal Investigator Ian MacPherson, this book explores lessons for community-university engagement by reflecting on the experiences, achievements and challenges of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP).Between 2006 and 2012, the six regional nodes and the Hub conducted research on the social economy in Canada. This research entailed an unprecedented level of pan-Canadian experimentation within collaborative models of engagement, knowledge creation, sectoral (self) definition and policy development. While some parts of the social economy are professionalized and have formalized organizational structures that interact well with the university sector, important parts are emergent, informal and highly localized. Each of the CSERPs had to grapple with longstanding questions about building and sustaining community-university partnerships.In Community-University Research Partnerships each of the nodes and the Hub describe their experiences in developing meaningful approaches to partnership-building and engagement and share insights on the process and challenges of forging (and maintaining) practitioner-university engagement.
Access this publication in our Resource Library
