May Newsletter 2010

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May Newsletter 2010

Welcome to the May 2010 Issue of the Canadian CED Network's e-newsletter for the Ontario Region, your information resource on the latest news and projects in CED in Ontario.

Please contact us with your comments by emailing ontario@ccednet-rcdec.ca.

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Avez-vous une idée intéressante pour un article du bulletin? Souhaitez-vous que votre organisme à être présenté dans notre prochaine édition?

Nous cherchons toujours des moyens de rendre nos bulletins électroniques plus intéressants à plus de gens. Nous tenons également à mieux promouvoir les communautés et les activités francophones au milieu de DÉC dans la province. Si vous avez une idée géniale pour un article, ou si vous souhaitez partager des informations intéressantes sur votre organisme ou quelques choses qui se passent dans votre communauté, nous voulons vous entendre.

Veillez à envoyer un courriel à ontario@ccednet-rcdec.ca avec tous les idées, articles, etc., que vous auriez.

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In This Issue

 

 

1. 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy

From cooperatives that have existed for more than a century, to the latest innovative social enterprises, citizen-led efforts to build a people-centred economy are rich in their history and diversity. In the face of recent economic turmoil and growing ecological crises, these approaches are more relevant than ever.

The 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy will bring together leaders and representatives of the community economic development, cooperative, and social economy sectors to build a common agenda and mobilize action for a secure, sustainable economy that puts people and the planet first.

The Summit will be centred on six themes:

  1. Finance and Investment
  2. Enterprise Development
  3. Territorial Revitalization
  4. Organizing the Social Economy Marketplace
  5. Partnerships
  6. International

Each theme has a corresponding issue paper available by pdf on the summit activities page or through a wiki set up for the summit. We encourage you to visit to wiki to edit, discuss, and add comments on each of the issue papers.

For more information on the Summit, registration, and engagement activities leading up to the event, please click here.

The following networks/organizations are currently engaged in the national steering group coordinating this event: the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, the Canadian Co-operative Association, le Chantier de l’économie sociale, the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, Causeway, the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, Enterprising Non-Profits, the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, the Women’s Economic Council, and the BC-Alberta Research Alliance on the Social Economy.

May 30 - June 1, 2010

 Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/summit

 

2. Reminder! Engagement and Learning Telelearning Series

There is still a chance to engage with and hear from top practitioners and academics speak about the 2010 National Summit themes: Enterprise Development and Partnership and Movement Building, as well as Towards a Global People-Centred Economy and all of the themes (French only) - from your phone. Spaces are limited; register by phoning 250-472-4976, or e-mailing sekm@uvic.ca with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. For more information about this session and for the full schedule and speaker bios, click here.

The remaining telelearing sessions include:

Enterprise Development
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, 9:00a.m. PST, 12:00p.m. EST

Towards a Global People-Centered Economy
Thursday, May 6th, 2010, 9:00a.m. PST, 12:00pm EST

All of the Summit Themes (in French only)
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010, 9:00a.m. PST, 12:00p.m. EST

Partnership and Movement Building
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010, 9:00a.m. PST, 12:00p.m. EST

Click here to find out how to register!

 

3. ONN Press Release: Erik Hoskins and Helen Burstyn Announce a Joint Initiative to Strengthen Partnership between Government and Non-profit Sector

On April 22nd, 2010 in Toronto, the Honorable Eric Hoskins, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration made an announcement with Helen Burstyn, Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation that they are heading a joint initiative to strengthen the partnership between government and Ontario's nonprofit sector.

The legislative framework of Ontario's nonprofit sector will be reviewed, coordination between government and the sector will be explored, and the aim is to come up with a series of recommendations that will support the nonprofit industry. A report is due for the winter of 2010.

For more information on the release as well as a list of media link related to this article, please click here to visit the Ontario Nonprofit Network's website.

 

4. Toronto Enterprise Fund's 2010 Business Plan Competition

The Toronto Enterprise Fund provides grants to social enterprises - revenue generating ventures founded by nonprofit organizations or community groups to create jobs or training opportunities for very low-income individuals.

If you are planning to enter the Toronto Enterprise Fund’s 2010 Business Plan Competition, your organization or group must have a comprehensive business plan for a social enterprise that would employ people who are socially marginalized or low income. This year, the deadline for the Competition is September 13th, 2010. If your organization is selected as a finalist in the Competition, you will receive seed funding between $5,000 and $50,000 to start your social enterprise.

For more details on eligibility and how to apply, please visit
http://www.torontoenterprisefund.ca/_bin/apply.cfm

The Toronto Enterprise Fund is also hosting a series of workshops to help you write your business plan. If you plan to apply in 2010, it is strongly recommended you join these interactive workshops that will help you with your general business planning process.

The first workshop has passed but the remaining workshops are still available:

Workshop 2: Market research and marketing (second half of May 2010)
Workshop 3: Financial management and operations (early June 2010)
Workshop 4: Social programming design for social enterprises (early July 2010)

More information regarding the workshops’ content, date and location will be made available in due course on Toronto Enterprise Fund's website.

 

5. Technical Assistance Funding Available

Technical Assistance Funding (TAF) is a funding program through On Co-op that has been designed to allow co-operatives to hire outside expertise to help them start and grow their organization. A co-op developer or other consultant is hired for the group to work on particular project or to coach a group looking to form a co-operative.

2010-11 Technical Assistance funding is now available. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis, starting Monday, May 10th, 2010. More information as well as links to the application and eligibility criteria, can be found on the On Co-op Website at http://ontario.coop/pages/index.php?main_id=134 or by e-mailing Jen Heneberry, Co-op Development Manager.

On Co-op will be hosting a 60-minute question and answer session via teleconference on Wednesday May 5th, 2010 at 10a.m. for co-op developers or groups that wish to get more information about the 2010-11 technical assistance program. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail Jen Heneberry to sign up as soon as possible.

 

6. Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) Annex Information Sessions

Are you an innovator? A world-changer? An iconoclast?

Join a networked community of like-minded people in downtown Toronto as part of the new Centre for Social Innovation Annex, and discover the value of working in a diverse environment with other creative social innovators.

CSI's upcoming information sessions will show you the space, describe their vision, and explain the application process. Info sessions will be held on the 2nd floor of 720 Bathurst at the following times:

May 25th 3:00-4:00
May 26th 9:30-10:30
May 27th 5:30-6:30

Please RSVP for the one of the information sessions listed above by emailing csiannex@socialinnovation.ca.
 

 

7. Gender, Rurality, Transformation Conference

The Rural Women Making Change research program will be hosting a conference on gender relations and the changing dynamics of Canadian rural life on May 13th - 14th, 2010 at the University of Guelph.

In a context where the sexual division of labour continues to be critical to survival, gender relations become a flashpoint for struggles over how change is negotiated, resisted, accommodated, and embraced.

Developments in scholarship pertaining to gender and to rural places allow scholars to bring these issues into focus in new ways. Older theoretical constructs, such as power and empowerment, commodity production, social reproduction, division of labour, patriarchy, and labour market, are complemented by new ones like difference, diversity, representation, mobility, and identity. This conference aims to address this broad range of rural gender issues through multiple disciplinary and theoretical lenses.

Conference registration is limited and free of charge. Register now at http://www.rwmc.uoguelph.ca/page.php?p=83.

 

8. Community Power Finance Forum

The Community Power Finance Forum will present community power project developers, funders, and policy makers with finance, funding, and project management information relevant to community-owned renewable power projects in Ontario, under the province’s Green Energy Act and the Feed in Tariff regime.

Community Power Finance Forum Mission Statement:

The Green Energy Act (GEA) presents a significant opportunity for community participation the growth of renewable energy production in Ontario. In order to leverage this opportunity and facilitate a large-scale deployment of community-owned power generation, a number of power funders, financial instruments (equity, debt, venture), and other sector players (suppliers and operators) need to be engaged.

Presented by MaRS, the GEAA and D&D Securities, the Community Power Finance Forum serves to educate the community power sector as to the extent of this opportunity, and present methods of participation. The primary audience of the event includes the community power sector: municipalities and community groups, including energy coops, farmers, and rural landowners, institutions, urban project aggregators, and other non-profits; and the funding institutions who will support the community power sector.

The forum will take place on May 10th, 2010 and the cost is $200.00. To register for this event, please click here.

 

9. SECC Webinar: Nonprofits Making Profits

Apologies for any crossposting with this event.

The Social Enterprise Council of Canada invites you to the first in a series of webinars entitled "Nonprofits Making Profits: Social Enterprise and Legal Issues in Canada".

Social enterprise is emerging in Canada as a powerful tool for nonprofits to affect positive change in communities. This growth is causing many to consider the existing and potential legal structure options that may best support the development of sustainable, high-impact enterprises.

On Monday, May 10th, 12:30 EST, join Susan Manwaring (Partner, Miller Thompson LLP), and Margaret Mason (Partner, Bull Housser & Tupper LLP) as they put into context the current legal issues surrounding nonprofits and social enterprises, and discuss what types of incorporation structures are currently legal and in use in various parts of Canada. David LePage of the Enterprising NonProfits Program will lead a panel discussion, and Anne Jamieson of the Toronto Enterprise Fund will moderate the webinar, including a question and answer session with participants.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from two of Canada's leading experts on nonprofit and social enterprise law. Register by 12:00 noon May 7, 2010 by clicking here. The web link and teleconference number will be sent to you after noon on May 7th.

 

10. Do the Math: Put Food in the Budget and Help Reduce Poverty

Join The Stop Community Food Centre and support the campaign Put Food in the Budget and help reduce poverty.

You can support this campaign by taking the Do the Math survey, which calculates what you would need to make ends meet if your situation changed and you had to rely on social assistance.

Would you have to move? How much would you need for rent and groceries? Is a telephone or internet connection a necessary expense? What about a cup of coffee or having a friend over for dinner? Do the Math and compare your results to what single people on social assistance receive each month.

If you are concerned that social assistance is inadequate for a healthy, dignified life, this is a chance to have your voice heard.

 

11. Communities, Chaose, and Collaboration

What are the most significant challenges facing society today and why are our typical responses proving ineffective? How can the renewal of our society be fostered? What role can communities play in providing the ingenuity and innovation needed for such a renewal?

These and other related questions are the focus on this upcoming telelearning dialogue. Thomas Homer-Dixon is a global visionary and the award-winning author of The Upside of Down which proposes a theory of the growth, crisis, and renewal of societies. He is also the author of The Ingenuity Gap, which explores the critical gap between our need for ideas to solve complex problems and our actual supply of those ideas.

Title: Communities, Chaos, & Collaboration
Series: 2010 Communities Collaborating Institute (CCI) Thought-Leader Series, Tamarack Seminar Series
Speakers: Thomas Homer-Dixon and Mark Cabaj
Location: via conference call
Date: Thursday, May 20th, 2010, 11:55a.m., EST

To register for this telelearning event, please click here.

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