| | CCEDNet Webinars Available Online New webinars on the latest social economy research and microfinance are now available online. We also have sessions on social impact bonds, the versatility of coops, community resilience, financial management for sustainability and the Canada Revenue Agency's new guidelines for Charitable Status and CED, among others. Check out our Webinars page for more information on all the sessions. CCEDNet also partnered with the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria for a webinar series they recently offered on youth social entrepreneurship. The three webinars explore how young people and youth-serving organizations are using social enterprise to create sustainable livelihoods. 
Atlantic CED NewsImproving Access to Food, One Carrot at a Time A new co-operative grocery store in a low income neighbourhood of Halifax is currently being built, carrot by carrot. The Community Carrot Co-op will provide food purchased from local and regional farmers at affordable prices to customers in the neighbourhood. From the simple goal of improving accessibility to healthy and affordable food, the co-op now has a board of directors and complete business plan. Despite this progress, there remains a good deal of work to be done. The Co-op is currently undertaking fundraising efforts, and connecting with other co-ops for guidance.
Flowercart Helping Individuals Reach Potential  For most businesses, a regional labour shortage could hinder growth and long-term viability. For the Flowercart - a social enterprise in King's County, Nova Scotia - a shrinking labour force has presented an opportunity to support economically disenfranchised people. The Flowercart social enterprise employs 50 individuals daily to work in their bakery, catering, and packaging business. Thanks to the entrepreneurship and support of Flowercart, individuals with intellectual disabilities can realize their potential, live independently, and contribute to the labour force in King's County.
Cooperation Among Dairy Co-ops In the true spirit of cooperation among co-operatives, Nova Scotia-based Farmers Dairy is set to officially merge with Quebec-based Agropur. Members from both dairy co-operatives voted convincingly in favour of the merger. "Farmers Dairy has always been a leader in the Atlantic dairy industry and this merger is the next step in the evolution of that continued leadership. The new Agropur Co-operative allows us to continue to produce and process our milk locally while benefiting from the advantages of being part of a larger national co-operative," said Jeannie van Dyk, chair of Farmers. (Source: CCA News Brief)
National CED NewsTaking Community Economic Development Mainstream Members and supporters of the Canadian CED Network are well aware of the economic and social benefits of CED. But what would it take to bring these ideas into the mainstream? After studying this question for a year, Localise West Midlands has come up with some answers. Using CCEDNet's definition of CED as a starting point, their research report provides directions for how CED can be integrated into local economies to help create more successful, socially just and diverse places. The report also includes a literature review on the benefits of localised economies, which finds that CED-led communities out-perform communities with centralized economies on several indicators including job creation, social inclusion, and income distribution.
CED Tool: Grant Connect Imagine Canada has recently launched a new tool, Grant Connect, which is an innovative and comprehensive funder database providing detailed searchable information thousands of funding opportunities for Canadian charities, as well as easy to use donor management tools. Imagine Canada is now inviting non-profits across the country to take part in a free trial of this new service, as well as informational webinars. This proprietary grading system analyzes the capacity of each listed funder as well as their connection to your non-profit's cause. Through Grant Connect, you'll instantly know who your best funding prospects are without having to do hours of research.
CED Book Club - Youth Homelessness in Canada  Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice aims to fill a gap in the information available on homelessness by providing an accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis in the field. In this book, leading Canadian scholars present key findings from their research on youth homelessness. In an effort to make this research accessible as well as relevant to decision-makers and practitioners, contributing authors have been asked to address the 'so whatness' of their research; to make clear the policy and practice implications of their research so as to better inform the efforts of those working to address youth homelessness.
A Little Bird Told Us: Top Tweets of the Month Here are some of our most popular tweets from the last 30 days. Don't already follow us on Twitter? Click here- Top 10 Ingredients of a Local Economy: And The Pioneers That are Leading the Way http://bit.ly/14BwsOo @bealocalist #neweconomy
- From #Housing to #HealthCare, 7 Co-ops That Are Changing Our Economy: #Coop stories from diverse sectors http://ow.ly/kmIJ1 @yesmagazine
- Canada should take the lead in encouraging social enterprise http://ow.ly/kmHCl #socent
- New research highlights role of #coop's in strengthening environmental health of local economies http://ow.ly/kUKeH #food
- Social enterprises need a new 'ecosystem' of support, according to a sector expert http://ow.ly/kmIay #socent
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