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“The growing buzz around local food in particular makes it a great entry point for CED. What’s more, interest in local food and local business seems to cut across political ideologies in an area and during an era of stark political and cultural differences.”
Brian Emerson
Reflections of a 2012 SFU Community Economic Development Graduate
CED is a strategy for citizens to create local economies that meet real social needs in deliberate, creative, artful, elegant, meaningful and joyful ways. It is method for creating human-scale economies that respect ecological constraints, and in the words of John Todd, that are “predicated on the particularities of place”. For me, the most important principles are community control and ownership, place-based, ecological sustainability, resilience, cooperation, participation, and economic justice and democracy.
The growing buzz around local food in particular makes it a great entry point for CED. What’s more, interest in local food and local business seems to cut across political ideologies in an area and during an era of stark political and cultural differences.
Utilizing an integrated CED approach to developing local food systems is a great way to tackle many public challenges at once. If done well, this can be an efficient and effective way to spend increasingly scarce public funds – a prospect that has broad political appeal. I believe this argument can help garner additional political, social and financial support for local food-based CED, that can in turn, be leveraged for even greater support and impact. In addition, [food related] projects, once developed, have the potential to provide ongoing CED services and programs (the business incubator, revolving loan fund and local food infrastructure). In other words, leveraging the current political and financial support for these kinds of local food/CED initiatives could continue to generate additional benefits for years to come.
The SFU CED Certificate Program has given me the confidence to refocus my career and become an active CED practitioner. When I started the program I had a solid academic background in political economy and a decent grasp of the broad strategies and policy approaches needed to achieve sustainable community economic development. The Certificate Program exposed me to a full spectrum of theories, frameworks, strategies, institutions and participatory processes related to the actual practice of community economic development. I strongly believe that the approaches I learned during the program are indispensable to meeting the challenges of the 21st Century (e.g. climate change, resource constraints, inequality, unemployment, economic instability). Completing the program has empowered me to become an active agent and advocate within the growing global movement to build more equitable, democratic, ecologically sensitive, and resilient human-scale economies. I plan to utilize the knowledge that I’ve gained to help plan and initiate CED projects within the nonprofit and public sectors.
Apply now for the 2012-2013 cohort. Contact Nicole Chaland at (250) 686-1167 or certced@sfu.ca More information is available at www.sfu.ca/cscd/ced
CED News
Community Futures Northern BC Magazine Launch
Read about the history of community futures in British Columbia, business profiles, community initiatives, and much more.
>> Click Here to read the free inaugural issue
Economics for the 99% Booklet
The Center for Popular Economics has produced this resource which we hope will be useful for activists who are fighting for an economy for the 99% – one that is just and sustainable.
>> View the resource here
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives new report
“A Green Industrial Revolution: Climate Justice, Green Jobs and Sustainable Production in Canada”
>> Download the full report
The BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance will receive funding for new research initiative focusing on sustainability.
>> Read about the project
BC CED Events
GNPI Mentoring Our Rising Executives (MORE): Cross-Sectoral Mentorship Program: Now accepting allications for Victoria sessions starting September 15, 2012. Application deadline July 15, 2012
>> For more information
SFU Certificate Program for Community Economic Development
www.sfu.ca/cscd/ced
Accepting Applications Now! Deadline to apply for the fall 2012 cohort is July 31, 2012. Contact Nicole Chaland at certced@sfu.ca or (250) 686-1167
Enterprising non-profits has published its fall calendar for Social Enterprise workshops across BC. Next Workshop: September 10, 2012.
>> For more dates, times, and cities, Click Here
Visit Vancouver Island for A Congress on Economic Development Through the Arts, Culture & Tourism
September 10 to September 13, 2012 in Chemainus, BC
>> For more information click here
2012 National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference Series Tour
September 12 to 14, 2012 in Osoyoos, BC
>> Click Here for more information
61st Annual Western Cities Conference: “Shift Happens” -- including some of North America’s most influential speakers on the topics of multigenerational workplaces, authentic leadership, teams, and current economic and environmental challenges. October 1 to 4, 2012 in Burnaby, BC
>> Read more
National Events
2012 Urban Agriculture Summit: Building Capacity for Action
August 15 to 18, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario
>> See website
Rimini Conference in Economics and Finance 2012: Cities, Open Economies, and Public Policy
August 16 to 18, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario
>> More information
7th Atlantic Summer Institute on Healthy and Safe Communities: Leadership for Active Communities: Inspiration to Action
August 22 to 24, 2012 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
>> More information
2012 National Infrastructure Summit
September 10 to 12, 2012 in Regina, Saskatchewan
>> Click for more information
The Economic Developers of Canada Association presents: 2012 Conference: Canada’s Other Coast
September 29 to October 2, 2012 in Iqaluit, Nunavut
>> Visit website for more information
2012 Communities Collaborating Institute: Innovating Together Conference
October 1 to 5, 2012 in Kitchener, Ontario
>>Click Here for more information and early registration:
Imagine 2012: International Conference on Co-operative Economics
October 6 to 11, 2012 in Quebec City, Quebec
>> Click Here for information about this event
Creating Rural Connections Conference and Tradeshow 2012
October 11 to 13, 2012 in Olds, Alberta
>> Click Here for more information
Centre for Civic Governance: Shaping the Future of Our Communities
October 12 to October 13, 2012 in Richmond Hill, Ontario
>> Click Here for more information
Cando 19th Annual National Conference & AGM – “Building Capacity-Building Communities”
October 22 to 25, 2012 in Membertou, Nova Scotia
>> Click Here For information and registration
Conference: Smart Energy Communities in Cold Climates
November 18 to 21, 2012 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
>> Click Here for information
Get Smarter Section
Upcoming Lectures in Victoria, BC:
September 18th, 4-5pm - Tamara Vrooman, Vancity President and CEO will be opening our Fall Speaker Series with Changing the game: Vancity’s journey to redefine wealth. Bob Wright Centre, Room A104.
October 4th, Dr. Timothy Mitchell will be presenting at UVic as CCCBE’s 2012 Distinguished Speaker. Dr. Mitchell is a Professor at Columbia University and author of Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil. Details available soon.
Discover the Co-operative Difference: An online orientation program for co-ops and credit unions. Do you want to know more about the size, scope and impact of co-operatives and credit unions in Canada and around the world? Check out www.thecoopdifference.coop for more information.
New Free E-Book
Community-University Research Partnerships: Reflections on the Canadian Social Economy Experience is one of three new e-books published by the University of Victoria. The book examines experiences within the research networks of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships.
Opportunities
*Call for 2013/2014 Centre for Co-operative & Community-Based Economy Fellowships*
This summer be sure to check out the call for 2013/2014 CCCBE Faculty, Graduate Student, Community, Sabbatical and Visiting Fellowships which can be found at: http://www.uvic.ca/cccbe. The application deadline is October 31st, 2012
Social Enterprise Development Grants offered by Enterprising Non-Profits
Application deadline: November 15, 2012 For guidelines and application form:
http://www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca/enp-events-and-grants/grants
Employment: Check out the job, funding, and bursary opportunities offered by the First Nations in BC: http://fnbc.info/jobs
International Development Internships at Rooftops Canada
More info
Donate some $ green $ to help Vancouver become the greenest city by 2020. http://www.vancouverfoundation.ca/whatsnew/GreenestCityFund.htm