Last month, Winnipeg’s City Council successfully voted to create a ‘buy local’ procurement policy. The procurement specialists at the city have been given 3 months to bring the policy back to Council. Stakeholder engagements are now underway and you can get involved by answering their survey.

CCEDNet congratulates the current Council on this initiative and encourages them to take it further by leveraging the City’s purchasing power to do social good. CCEDNet members have been leaders across Canada and here in Manitoba, developing and advocating for this practice of social procurement. As articulated in our policy resolution Procurement for Community Benefit, many local members have been actively engaging the city on how it can increase impact, support employment, and address major civic challenges like waste by contracting with social enterprises.

This is a major opportunity to create a long-term, impactful relationship between the social enterprise movement and the City of Winnipeg. Answer the survey here. Submissions are being collected until May 31.

For more information, contact Sarah Leeson-Klym, Regional Director at 204-943-0547 or sleesonklym at ccednet-rcdec.ca.