Holiday shoppers have the power to make real impacts in their community. This season, consider social enterprises and co-operatives when purchasing gifts for friends and family. Social enterprises across the country are helping to build stronger communities by providing basic needs for underserved populations, creating employment and training opportunities, and shifting our economy to more socially and environmentally sustainable practices. By shopping locally and socially, you’ll find unique gift ideas and support important capacity-building initiatives in your community.
For help finding social enterprises near you, visit the Canadian Social Enterprise Marketplace. You can even buy a socially-conscious Christmas tree in Vancouver here.
British Columbia CED News
Growing Food, Winning Awards
SoleFood Farm has won both the national Brownie Award for restoring contaminated brownfield sites, and the Real Estate Foundation’s Land Award for addressing a number of social, ecological, and economic issues related to land use. The Vancouver-based social enterprise transforms vacant land into street farms that grow quality fruits and vegetables. The project’s mission is to empower inner-city residents by providing jobs and agricultural training.
Over 30 social entrepreneurs and organizations were recognized last month for their innovative solutions to health, social and environmental challenges facing BC communities today, and in the future. The BC Ideas Competition awarded more than $270,000 to support organizations addressing issues such as homelessness, literacy, Aboriginal community development and community inclusion for people with disabilities. Among those selected from 466 entries was the Community Social Planning Council (CCEDNet member), for their Community Investment Fund submission.
Co-operative cities are places where communities band together to meet their basic needs through collaborative and innovative approaches. That was the message Peter Couchman, CEO of the Plunkett Foundation, delivered as part of his keynote address at the Co-operative City Conference in Vancouver last month. Over 100 people attended the Conference to learn how co-ops can strengthen essential services and improve the quality of life of urbanites through sustainable approaches to arts and culture, food, community energy, and affordable housing.
The Simon Fraser University Certificate Program for Community Economic Development is pleased to announce a partnership with the Golden Community Resources Society. In Spring 2013 we will be offering community economic development training in Golden, BC. If you are interested to learning more, click here to be the first to receive important updates about course schedules and bursaries.
Greening the Strathcona Neighbourhood & Creating Jobs
Learn how the Strathcona Business Improvement Association is greening their neighbourhood, creating jobs and building social inclusion with their Resource Exchange program. This 2010 initiative eases the burden on the landfill and provides materials to those who seek them by simply connecting the two. Businesses contribute their waste and surplus materials and the SBIA beats the bushes finding takers. The full story was originally published in SFU’s CED e-news November 2012. >> Read more
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Help shape SFU's CED Program
Take our survey to shape our sustainable local economies program offering, if you are considering part-time, hands-on education within the next 2 years. The survey is short and will only take five minutes to complete. >> Take the survey
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Nicole Chaland
Program Director | SFU Certificate for Community Economic Development
The Sangudo Opportunity Development Co-operative Story
Like many rural Albertan communities the hamlet of Sangudo was in a slow state of economic decline. In this video, some of the community members who were instrumental in developing the Sangudo Opportunity Develoment Coop, discuss how they created the organization that raised the capital to invest in local businesses.
A look back and ahead to 2013 for the social enterprise sector
It's that time of year again when we look back on the last 12 months and reflect on our accomplishments. In the spirit of this season, SEE Change Magazine has put together a Cross-Canada Social Enterprise Check-Up in which sector leaders share how the field is evolving in their region, what they are working on, and what’s on the horizon for 2013. David LePage (CCEDNet member) highlights the 11 recommendations developed by the Social Innovation Council and the Social Enterprise World Forum 2013 in Calgary as major accomplishments. Brendan Reimer (CCEDNet's regional director) and Marty Donkervoort (CCEDNet member) also contributed to the piece, who sees government procurement and better support for social enterprise start-ups as key to growing the sector.
The International Year of Co-ops may be drawing to a close, but Canada’s co-op sector is already thinking about the future. Three Canadian co-op organizations recently pledged their founding support for a new Co-operative Investment Fund. The Fund, which will launch in 2013, will support the development and expansion of co-operatives through loans and subordinated debt sourced from the co-op sector. To date, financial support has been pledged by Vancity, The Co-operators and the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation. >> Read more
CED Book Club - Community Economic Development: Building For Social Change
Having made major gains in practice and having built local capacities through innovation, Community Economic Development practice now stands at a crossroads. In Building for Social Change, Eric Shragge, Michael Toye and colleagues from across the country offer a timely critical examination of CED practices and debates.
The goal of this book is to describe and analyze CED practice, primarily in Canada, but also the U.S. and Kenya, through a wide range of subjects, the evolution of its definitions and economic dimensions.
Broadway Youth Resource Centre is an integrated one-stop centre that provides a wide range of social, health, education, employment and life skills services to homeless and at-risk youth >>
Vancouver Renewable Energy sells, installs and provides consulting services for renewable energy systems in Metro Vancouver >>
Holiday shoppers have the power to make real impacts in their community. This season, consider social enterprises and co-operatives when purchasing gifts for friends and family. Social enterprises across the country are helping to build stronger communities by providing basic needs for underserved populations, creating employment and training opportunities, and shifting our economy to more socially and environmentally sustainable practices. By shopping locally and socially, you’ll find unique gift ideas and support important capacity-building initiatives in your community.
SoleFood Farm has won both the national Brownie Award for restoring contaminated brownfield sites, and the Real Estate Foundation’s Land Award for addressing a number of social, ecological, and economic issues related to land use. The Vancouver-based social enterprise transforms vacant land into street farms that grow quality fruits and vegetables. The project’s mission is to empower inner-city residents by providing jobs and agricultural training. 
Over 30 social entrepreneurs and organizations were recognized last month for their innovative solutions to health, social and environmental challenges facing BC communities today, and in the future. The 
The Simon Fraser University Certificate Program for Community Economic Development is pleased to announce a partnership with the Golden Community Resources Society. In Spring 2013 we will be offering community economic development training in Golden, BC. If you are interested to learning more, 
Learn how the 
Nicole Chaland
Like many rural Albertan communities the hamlet of Sangudo was in a slow state of economic decline. In this video, some of the community members who were instrumental in developing the Sangudo Opportunity Develoment Coop, discuss how they created the organization that raised the capital to invest in local businesses.
It's that time of year again when we look back on the last 12 months and reflect on our accomplishments. In the spirit of this season, SEE Change Magazine has put together a Cross-Canada Social Enterprise Check-Up in which sector leaders share how the field is evolving in their region, what they are working on, and what’s on the horizon for 2013. David LePage (CCEDNet member) highlights the 11 recommendations developed by the Social Innovation Council and the Social Enterprise World Forum 2013 in Calgary as major accomplishments. Brendan Reimer (CCEDNet's regional director) and Marty Donkervoort (CCEDNet member) also contributed to the piece, who sees government procurement and better support for social enterprise start-ups as key to growing the sector.
The International Year of Co-ops may be drawing to a close, but Canada’s co-op sector is already thinking about the future. Three Canadian co-op organizations recently pledged their founding support for a new Co-operative Investment Fund. The Fund, which will launch in 2013, will support the development and expansion of co-operatives through loans and subordinated debt sourced from the co-op sector. To date, financial support has been pledged by Vancity, The Co-operators and the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation. 
Having made major gains in practice and having built local capacities through innovation, Community Economic Development practice now stands at a crossroads. In Building for Social Change, Eric Shragge, Michael Toye and colleagues from across the country offer a timely critical examination of CED practices and debates.
