COVID-19 Update: Join us for the online Symposium!

At Buy Social Canada's core our goal is to help shape healthy communities.

Now, more than ever we are seeing the importance of shaping thriving and resilient local economies. Things will change after the dust has settled from this crisis and the importance of social value procurement can not be understated. Join us to learn from industry experts and the Social Procurement Champion Award winners.

Currently the best action we can take to help our community is to adapt our in-person Symposium to a digital event as we practice social distancing and isolation to limit the rate of infection of COVID-19.

With gratitude for the technology that makes this possible we look forward to connecting with you at the Buy Social Canada Digital Symposium.

View the program and register

In Canada, Australia and across Europe, Citizens’ Assemblies and other deliberative processes are successfully tackling some of the most pressing and intractable political issues.

Right now, 150 randomly selected French citizens are meeting over seventeen weekends to develop a national climate strategy. In Scotland, 120 citizens are meeting over six weekends to consider their society’s future. A regional government in Belgium established the first permanent Citizens' Commission, while Copenhagen's City Council will soon consider recommendations from a Citizens' Assembly to pedestrianize a large swathe of its core. Here at home, 32 randomly selected Torontonians met this summer to advise City Council on meeting its climate targets.

Across Europe and North America, Citizens’ Assemblies and Reference Panels are helping to address growing mistrust and polarization while upending assumptions about the ability and willingness of citizens to play a more central role in political affairs.

MASS LBP principal, Peter MacLeod, one of Canada’s leading authorities on public engagement and deliberative democracy, will describe how these processes have begun to reshape politics across Europe and within Canada.

With an introduction by DAVE MESLIN 
author of Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up.

Peter MacLeod is the founder and principal of MASS LBP, and one of Canada’s leading experts in public engagement and deliberative democracy. Since its founding in 2007, MASS has completed more than 200 major policy projects for governments and public agencies across Canada while pioneering the use of Civic Lotteries and Citizen Reference Panels and earning international recognition for its work.

Peter frequently writes and speaks about the citizen’s experience of the state, the importance of public imagination, and the future of responsible government.

He is the past chair of Toronto’s Wellesley Institute for Urban Health, and currently serves on the boards of Tides Canada, an environmental charity, as well as the Environics Institute and the YMCA of Greater Toronto. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

MASS LBP is Canada's home for democratic innovation and public strategy. Since 2007, MASS has led some of the country's most original and ambitious efforts to engage citizens in tackling tough policy choices while pioneering the use of Civic Lotteries and Reference Panels on behalf of forward-thinking governments.

Register here!

Our cities are becoming increasingly unaffordable and income inequality is widening faster than ever before. People, communities, and an entire generation are being squeezed out. The decisions made in the halls of power can either take us down a more progressive path or deepen the divide. Unfortunately, many decision-makers are removed from the day-to-day experiences of the people they represent. So how can we influence and shape the decisions being made? What power do we have to create meaningful change and transform our cities? In this Five Good Ideas session, Michal Hay, founder of Progress Toronto, shares her experiences on building power, winning, and making change. She offers to give good ideas for building democratic power to win.

Can't make it to the live event? You can remotely access the presentation and participate in a virtual chat during the session on the Five Good Ideas webpage.

Find out more!

Join a conversation to explore how local organizing principles and approaches can contribute to the creation of more sustainable, fair and inclusive economies.

The Local Organizing for Fair Economies Community of Practice met twice in Fall 2019, exchanging ideas, learning, and experiences. We're looking forward to invigorating conversation and expanding our circle in 2020 with an exciting calendar ahead.

January's conversation will be on "Local Organizing for Responsible Development":

The Toronto Community Benefits Network is a leader in local organizing for equitable economic opportunities and inclusion for all, directly impacting the development process in the City of Toronto. Learn from their tangible examples about how to build grassroots support to enable policy reform and in the process transform local economies.

Kumsa Baker, Campaigns Manager for the Toronto Community Benefits Network, will share knowledge and experiences, followed by facilitated discussion and group conversations. 

Join us from 1:00-2:30pm Eastern Standard Time on January 31, 2020.

Register now and connection details will be emailed to you, as well as a reminder a few days before the session.

PRESENTER

Kumsa Baker - Campaigns Manager, Toronto Community Benefits Network

Since getting involved in the labour movement organizing for a union at his workplace, Rogers Centre a.k.a the Skydome, Kumsa Baker has been an advocate for decent work and equitable employment opportunities for all in Toronto. In 2015, Kumsa joined the Research Department at his Hospitality and Food Service worker union, UNITE HERE, supporting key campaigns across North America. He has also organized with the Toronto 15 & Fairness Campaign who were successful in organizing for and winning major changes and improvements to the outdated Ontario Employment Standards Act. In 2017, Kumsa was recognized for his advocacy being selected for the 2017 Young Workers Award by the Ontario Federation of Labour. Kumsa currently works as Campaigns Manager with the Toronto Community Benefits Network, supporting Toronto neighbourhoods in organizing for fairer economies and equitable, local economic development through Community Benefits Agreements

LOGISTICS

• The Local Organizing for Fair Economies Community of Practice is an online conversation space, held through video conferencing on Zoom.
• This session is in English.
• You will need speakers or a headset on your computer.  To ensure your system will be compatible with our webinar platform, look at the Zoom quick start guide prior to the session. 
• Further login details will be sent along with a registration confirmation.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

The Local Organizing for Fair Economies Community of Practice faciliates conversations with people from across Canada and Indigenous territories to:

• Curate resources (Community Benefits page)
• Facilitate conversations about challenges and solutions
• Track policy updates (municipal, provincial, federal, Indigenous, etc.)
• Help identify resources available

Business doesn’t have to be just about the bottom line. Community leaders know that business can be done differently, and can be a tool for social innovation that unlocks effective solutions to pressing social, cultural and environmental concerns.

The Investment Readiness Program (IRP) aims to support them. Successful applicants will get between $10,000 - $100,000 to invest in their social enterprise and help make an even greater positive change in their community. These funds can be used to research, launch, design, measure and scale up your social enterprise to achieve your sustainability plan to take on investment in the future.

This free webinar is intended for social purpose organizations interested in applying to the IRP.  Find out more about the program and the steps to apply.

Register Now