CreateAction - Call for Proposals for Host Organizations
 The Canadian CED Network is Proud to Announce the Return of CreateAction! Now in it's 9th incarnation, the CreateAction program offers six-month work experience placement to post-graduate youth with a career focus in CED. We are recruiting up to 40 community-based CED organizations to host work experience participants for 25 weeks starting in April 1st. A special focus for this intake will be on building capacity and sustainability of innovative community enterprises and supporting the development of new community enterprises.
Northern CED News
No Place for Poverty in NWT
 Earlier this month, Glen Abernethy, the GNWT minister responsible for the Antipoverty Strategy, made a statement in the Legislative Assembly on the status of the government's Anti-Poverty Strategy. In his statement, Minister Abernethy spoke about the underlying causes, complexities and consequences of living in poverty. "A strong, diversified economy increases employment opportunities where they are most needed. Those opportunities come from investments in education and early childhood development. All of this work has the goal of reducing and preventing poverty," said Minister Abernethy. In response to these issues, the budget before the housing earmarks investment for mental health and addictions plans, early childhood development, and employment opportunities. 
Local Food Coming to Yellowknife
 Coming to a Yellowknife community near you - local food! The Yellowknife Commons Co-operative is currently exploring the opportunity of establishing a farmers market beginning in June 2013. The Commons is actively looking for people interested in joining the market to grow and/or resell local food items. Plans are also underway to facilitate access to land for urban farming in Yellowknife. The group assembled earlier this month to discuss and prepare for these coming opportunities and the revival of a successful Yellowknife Farmers Market. For more information, contact YellowknifeCommonsCoop@gmail.com
Nunavut Residents Weigh in on Sustainable Food
 Access to country food and sustainable community initiatives were identified by more than 100 people who gathered in January to discuss food security in Iqaluit. Participants that attended the three-day session represented a broad range of community stakeholders, yet left the table agreeing on six priorities for action. Among the directions identified by symposium attendees include, expanding sustainable school breakfast programs, transferring traditional skills and knowledge, and empowering people to take on local food production. The Nunavut Food Security Coalition will now develop the priorities into a strategic actions.
National CED News
A Second Opinion: 2013 Alternative Budget
 Austerity measures are not the way to kickstart an already stagnant economy, warns the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. With the release of its annual Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), the CCPA shows how austerity can be replaced by a plan that strengthens the economy, leads to a better quality of life for all Canadians, and eliminates the deficit by 2016. The Alternative Federal Budget shows what the federal government could do if it decided to seriously tackle Canadians’ largest social, economic, and environmental concerns. According to the CCPA, the AFB Plan would generate 200,000-300,000 full time jobs. CCEDNet co-authored the chapter on Cities and Communities and contributed to several other portions of the final document.
Social Impact Bonds, Explained CED
 In a recent article for the CCPA, John Loxley - a professor of economics at the University Manitoba - holds a microscope to the growing phenomenon of social impact bonds (SiBs). In a SiB arrangement, the private or social sector finances and delivers services under contract to the public sector, against a bond issued by the public sector, promising to accomplish specified delivery criteria. If the criteria are met, then the private or social sector agencies cash in the bond to receive reimbursement of their costs plus a rate of return based on performance. In the article, John explains the what, why, and how of SiBs by providing case study examples from the UK. He also defines the potential and challenges of this form of social finance.
CED Book Club: Developments in Asia's Solidarity Economy
 This publication entitled Developments in Solidarity Economy in Asia contains 19 chapters and is divided into four parts. It captures an overview of SE developments across Asia and the proposed strategies to scale the movement up to the next level with a wider reach. The first two chapters provide reflections of the 2011 Asian Solidarity Economy Forum, and summarizes the ideas shared during the conference on how to meet the challenges currently faced by the social solidarity economy. The third chapter documents the developments in Asia's solidarity economy since 2011. The book sheds light on the basic concepts and theory of the solidarity economy. The final chapters provide in-depth views into the experiences and community impacts generated by the solidarity economy across Asia.
CED Tool: Community Capital Scan
 The CCS, Community Capital Scan, is an internet based instrument offers the opportunity to gain insight into how projects or programmes might contribute to the sustainable development of a community. This insight generated through a questionnaire that is completed by all relevant stakeholders. The questions relate to the six capitals of sustainable community development: natural capital, physical capital, economic capital, social capital, human capital and cultural capital. To facilitate interpretation, the outcomes are presented graphically. In addition, the scan offers an opportunity to make a wide range of suggestions for improvements to the project.
Community Development Award Season
 It's that time of year again to nominate an outstanding co-operative and/or social enterprise in your community. The annual Canadian Co-operative Awards recognizes excellence and achievement in the Canadian co-op sector in four award categories: The Canadian Co-operative Achievement Award; the Global Educator Award; the CCA Co-operative Governance Awards; and the Canadian Co-operative Hall of Fame Pioneer Inductees. The deadline for nominations for all the awards is March 31, 2013.
Nominations are also now being accepted for Trico Charitable Foundation's Social EnterPrize Awards. The awards recognize and celebrate leadership and excellence in social entrepreneurship across Canada, with prizes totalling over $80,000. The deadline for applications is May 10.
Top Tweets of the Month
 Here is a sampling of the messages we launched into the Twitter-sphere this past month. To follow us on Twitter, click here.
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