9:30am - 12:00pm Eastern Time

Imagine a supermarket run by people with disabilities. Or a go-karting arena run by at-risk youth. These are just two examples of the kinds of social enterprises you’ll find across the Atlantic.

Europe has shown itself to be a leader in the growth of social enterprises. Governments across the continent have innovated rapidly to support business for good: introducing various legal forms, building social investment markets, and incentivizing social procurement.

This online workshop consists of two brief presentations and an interactive session.

First, we'll describe the German and Scottish social enterprise ecosystems through case studies. Then you’ll break out into groups for an interactive session to imagine a new future for social enterprises in Ontario. Social entrepreneurs will be invited to share their challenges and brainstorm supportive policies.

Breakfast will be provided. If you're a social enterprise, contact us for a discount! (CCEDNet member's get in for free!)

Register for Social Enterprises Across the Atlantic: Lessons from Germany & Scotland

Agenda:

09:30-10:00am - Registration and breakfast
10:00-11:00am - Presentations
11:00-11:45am - Breakout session
11:45-12:00pm - Report back

Presenters:

Bronwyn Oatley is an independent social enterprise consultant, providing social enterprise business model development, program design, grant writing, and research. She formerly served as a Policy Advisor in the Social Enterprise Branch of the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth for the Province of Ontario.

Nabeel Ahmed is the Network Coordinator for Social Enterprise Toronto and was part of a tour of the social enterprise landscape in Scotland in September 2016.

9:30am - 5:00pm
Centre for Social Innovation
192 Spadina Avenue

Are you interested in employee ownership as a means of exit or as a way to increase your company’s social impact and value?

Employee ownership plans (specifically Employee Share Ownership Plans or ESOPs) allow eligible employees to purchase shares in their employer’s company, with or without financial assistance. There is increasing interest in ESOPs from a social perspective, because this form of business ownership offers employees access to capital assets that increase as the company’s value rises–an important benefit in a time of rapidly increasing income inequality around the world.

Register for Employee Ownership & Your Company

This form of ownership can be a big win-win for employees and companies. Independent studies in the US, Canada, and the UK have shown that ESOP companies enjoy higher growth rates, higher net profit margins, higher productivity, higher returns on equity invested, and higher return on capital employed.

Workshop participants will explore employee ownership with some of Toronto’s top experts. Co-hosted by B Lab, ESOP Association of Canada, ESOP Builders Inc., Gardiner Miller Arnold LLP, Kalex Valuations, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, and the Shared Enterprise Institute, we will help you understand how employee-owned businesses manage growth, retain talent, and prepare for succession. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

• Articulate the Social and Business Case for employee ownership
• Understand how to introduce employee ownership into a business
• Outline how employee ownership can help increase revenue, engage the community, and deepen relationships with suppliers.

10:30am – 11:30am

Despite growing prosperity, thousands of Torontonians still live in poverty. In this webinar, learn about how local anchors, such as governments and educational institutions, can use their sizeable, everyday procurement and infrastructure spending to create jobs, drive inclusive economic growth and transform the local economies of cities.

In our keynote, Kurt Sommer will talk about the Baltimore Integration Partnership which has helped over 800 residents secure jobs and leveraged $149 million of investment for Baltimore’s inner-core neighbourhoods.

For more information, contact Wayne Chu at wayne.chu at toronto.ca

Register for Transforming Cities Through the Power of Anchor Procurement

Download the event poster

Speakers

Creating an anchor strategy for Toronto
Wayne Chu,  AnchorTO Program Lead

East Scarborough Works: Local institutions as economic drivers
Gillian Mason, Principal, Gillian Mason & Associates and Advisor to East Scarborough Storefront

Learn how Baltimore anchors are creating jobs and driving inclusive economic development for low-income residents.
Kurt Sommer, Director, Baltimore Integration Partnership

This is a webinar hosted by WebEx. Users will be required to listen via their computer speakers. Go to webex.com/test-meeting.html to check compatbility.

4:00pm - 6:00pm
26 Wellington St East 
12th Floor - Boardroom A

Is your non-profit social enterprise looking for an opportunity to grow?

Whether you’re looking to purchase new equipment, hire staff or grow your inventory, the Mixed Capital Opportunities Fund (Mixed Cap) will support the expansion of early stage, high growth non-profit social enterprises by providing a hybrid form of capital. This innovative collaboration between the Toronto Enterprise Fund (TEF) and Alterna Savings provides an opportunity to learn how to leverage grants and will make financing more accessible to social enterprises.

Mixed Cap is funded by the Province of Ontario and United Way Toronto & York Region (through a gift from the Polar Foundation), with all loan financing coming from Alterna Savings. Through the Mixed Cap application process you will be able to apply for between $10,000 and $30,000 in total investment, split equally between a loan and a grant. 

Learn more about the components of the hybrid grant as well as have the opportunity to ask questions about applicant eligibility and how to apply.

Register for the Mixed Cap Information Session

The next application deadline is April 11th 2017, following this March 22nd session.

Reminder of Application Criteria:

• Attend a mandatory information session (register here!)
• Be an incorporated non-profit social enterprise
• Have identified a solid business opportunity
• Be located/operating in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area
• Submit a business plan as part of the application process