Canadian CED
Network News
What is CED? A YouTube response
CCEDNet’s new video on community economic development uses some of the marvellous photos submitted in last fall’s
'What is CED' photo contest to illustrate our diverse and dynamic movement in just over two minutes.
Watch it today! >> Next in CCEDNet's Webinar Series
On February 11th,
Community Supports for Immigrant Entrepreneurship drew on lessons from the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and the Montréal Community Loan Association in considering how to improve immigrant settlement and integration in Canada. Thought you missed it? Well, you can access the recording of this session and others, as well as find out about upcoming webinars, on our website.
Improve Your Impact Measurement with CanadaMeasures and CCEDNet
Back through popular demand, we will be holding another learning webinar on the
CanadaMeasures Initiative (CMI) and their platform for measuring your Social Return on Investment. Register today to earn about this accessible system and how it combines educational tools and impact measurement software designed for grassroots organizations.
CED Wire Updates
Community Development Manitoba-style: CCPA-Manitoba Director, Molly McCracken writes about how Manitoba became the source for inspiration and cutting edge policy | Read more >>- Investing in the Environment: Assiniboine Credit Union Wins Environmental Award: Katie Schewe shares the environmental achievements that lead to ACU's Anne Lindsey Award | Read more >>
- CCEDNet International Activities in 2013: An Important Year: Yvon Poirier highlights the international commitments of CCEDNet | Read more >>
- Become a CED Investor: A Manitoba Guide to Community Investment Opportunities: Ryan O'Connor explores tools for investing in people & communities | Read more >>
National CED News
Have Your Say on the Social Solidarity Recommendations
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) is inviting your organization to contribute to the participatory construction of the Recommendations by Social Solidarity Economy to the Millennium Development Goals post-2015. The Consultation is public and open until March 28. After the current public consultation, RIPESS will release the final document that will incorporate feedback received. It will then be possible for organizations and networks to endorse it, and have their names added to the recommendations. These will then be formally presented to the United Nations.
Canadian Federal Budget CED Highlights
The Road to Balance: Creating Jobs and Opportunities, the Federal government’s 2014 budget, was released earlier this month. This year, CCEDNet submitted two recommendations to the Federal government’s pre-budget consultations related to social procurement, and support for Canadian social enterprises and co-ops.
Neither of these submissions is addressed in The Road to Balance, but several budget items will have impacts on CED organizations across the country. Follow the link below to read these highlights.
Alternative Federal Budget 2014
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released their annual Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) earlier this month. The budget includes many recommendations for CED investments, including: a neighbourhood revitalization program; affordable housing; and the reduction of income inequality. This year’s AFB delivers a plan that would significantly reduce poverty, strengthen the economy, lower unemployment to 5.4% and still balance the budget by 2016-17. It also raises the bar on transparency by providing an analysis of the distributional and poverty impacts of its tax measures—a first for any budget.
CED Tool: Next Generation Evaluation
As the community development sector continues to innovate, it will be ever more important for evaluation to evolve and grow in ways that respond to the increasingly complex, inter-connected, and rapidly changing world in which these initiatives live. This Learning Brief draws from literature and research, as well as more than a dozen interviews with foundation leaders, evaluation practitioners, and social sector thought leaders, with the intention of starting the conversation in the field around Next Generation Evaluation characteristics and approaches.
A Little Bird Told Us: Top Tweets of the Month
For many small businesses, a new year may mean it's time to explore new strategies and partnerships to help them thrive. Switching financial institutions may be a part of that growth strategy, but it can often seem overwhelming. First Calgary Financial (CCEDNet member) is here to help. The credit union is demonstrating its support for all Calgary small businesses by offering 3 months-free business banking account service charges to help make the transition from another financial institution easier. With 16 retail branches, over $2.5 billion in assets, and nearly 80,000 members, First Calgary Financial is the second-largest credit union in Alberta.
Recycling is great for the environment. But by stopping at the Vecova bottle depot, you can also help support employment opportunities for individuals living with disabilities. Thrive featured Vecova's unique approach to providing disability services in a recent blog post. What sets Vecova apart are its various social enterprises. Vecova provides employment support services for over 110 individuals with disabilities. Some clients are employed at their social enterprises that include onsite bottle depot, its new pick-up service, and the airport baggage cart service. In addition to providing training and a living wage, Vecova also offers comprehensive living and wellness support.
In the fall of 2013, the Town of Peace River held a community forum to gather information for the development of an Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy. The diverse group of 29 participants were asked a range of questions in an effort to better understand how poverty affects residents, what initiatives were already being utilized to address the problem, and what innovative ideas community members might have to eliminate poverty going forward. The key findings from that meeting have been summarized and compiled in a final report (click below).
A group of Calgarians are planning to build a seniors housing co-operative to meet the demands of the city’s rapidly aging population. The project - tentatively titled Beacon Housing Initiative - will include 30 to 39 units, and would become the city's first 55+ co-op residence. Proponents of the plan are currently securing development funds, and suggest that this development could be replicated in other aging neighbourhoods in the city.
Here is a brief sampling of some of our most popular tweets from the past 30 days. 
