March 2012

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In this issue:

Canadian CED Network News

Northern CED News

CED Tools: MaRS Start-Up Library

Canadian CED News

Job Postings

Canadian CED Network News

Canadian CED Network Webinars Available Online

In case you missed them, CCEDNet’s most recent webinars are available to download on our website.

In January, Myriam Lafrance and Roz Lockyer spoke about how women’s economic empowerment activities are building local economies and stronger communities in Canada and internationally. Our December webinar session looked at how fair trade is strengthening communities in Canada and around the world.

>> Read more

Have you Renewed your Membership?

Renewal notices were mailed to all members in January. If you didn’t get one and think you should have, please contact Stéphanie Cloutier at scloutier@ccednet-rcdec.ca or 1-877-202-2268.

In order to vote in Board elections and at the Annual General Meeting, the deadline for memberships to be in good standing is April 13, 2012.

>> Click here to renew your membership on line or for more information on membership 

CCEDNet - Manitoba calls for CED in provincial budget

CCEDNet - Manitoba has sent a pre-budget submission to the Hon. Stan Struthers, M.L.A, Minister of Finance. The submission includes 10 budget-relevant recommendations based on policy resolutions that have been developed, debated, and endorsed by the members of CCEDNet - Manitoba.

In the submission we call on the Province of Manitoba to ensure Budget 2012 invests in things that matter to our Network, such as (1) co-op housing, (2) community-led development, (3) poverty reduction and (4) jobs. 

To learn more, or to find out how you can use this document to draft your own pre-budget submissions, contact Kirsten Bernas at kbernas@ccednet-rcdec.ca

>> Download CCEDNet's budget submission (pdf)

Value for Money: Measuring impact and using SROI

Storytelling is an important tool for demonstrating the value of your community organization. But how do you demonstrate the quantitative benefits to funders and policy-makers? A recent article by Kirsten Bernas, a policy advisor at CCEDNet, traces the evolution of Social Return on Investment calculations and highlights the value in translating social outcomes into financial equivalents, while also demonstrating qualitative results.

>> Read the article in SEE Change Magazine

>> Find more information on SROI on CCEDNet's website

Meet our Members

Carrefour Nunavut provides entrepreneurial and tourist development by offering capacity building and training services and programs. They foster Entrepreneurship by supporting initiatives aiming at creating collective wealth and striving for sustainable development.
>> Visit their website

CCCR is committed to crafting solutions and adaptations to the critical challenges stemming from climate change and peak oil. Our priority is working with communities to increase their resilience, especially their capacity to equitably meet their needs for food, energy, finance, and shelter. >> Visit their website

Northern CED News

New Research demonstrates urgency to Address Housing Issues in Northern Regions

A recent report on housing and homelessness in Inuit communities is adding to the urgent call to improve housing conditions in the Canadian North. The findings of the report are based on results from the 2007–2008 International Polar Year (IPY) Inuit Health Survey.

The research shows that 40% of homes were in need of major repairs and problems with mould were reported in 20% of households. The report indicates that improvements in housing indicators are urgently needed. Of particular concern is the high prevalence of overcrowding in Inuit homes with children, which poses potential consequences for children’s health and well-being.

>> Read more

Arctic Co-operatives recycling initiative pays off

Arctic Co-operative Ltd.'s Aluminum Recycling Project has helped raise $3,000 for a northern community organization. Thanks to the ACL's recycling initiative, Padlei Co-op in Nunavut was able to present a $3,000 cheque to Sila Rainbow, a non-profit organization focused on supporting youth in the community. Made up of volunteers, Sila promotes a variety of causes such as healthy living and anti-bullying strategies.

>> Read more

(Source: Co-op Connections)

Dozens gather to talk poverty reduction in Sanikiluaq

It was a full house in the Nuiyak primary school library, where elders, parents and their children, and the Mayor gathered to hold a community dialogue on poverty reduction. Participants were invited to imagine Sanikiluaq "free of poverty," and how residents can build on the existing strengths of the community to make that a reality. Several innovative ideas were shared, like building a hockey rink, establishing an elders bus shuttle service, and creating a youth-run radio station.

>> Read more in the latest issue of Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction's newsletter 

Live Webinar: Best Practices in Rural Physician Recruitment

SEDA and Grow Our Region are presenting a live, interactive webinar as part of their exclusive 2012 Online Learning Series. Best Practices in Rural Physician Recruitment will take place on March 28 at 1pm CST.

Across Saskatchewan, rural communities are losing access to healthcare services at all levels while other communities are holding their breath hoping that their local physician(s) will stay. The webinar facilitator, Tracy Schira-Parker, will discuss how to attract the right physician for your community and help participants understand the financial and fundraising requirements of the recruitment process.

>> Read more

CED Tool

MaRS Start Up Library

Do you know how big your market is? Need the latest trends? Not sure what blogs to read? The Startup Library is a curated collection of resources that help entrepreneurs answer common market-research questions and understand the startup ecosystem.

Built by the research experts at MaRS Market Intelligence, they have selected the "best of the best" in various categories - all designed to help you spend less time surfing and more time doing.

The collection features links to public domain resources from the government, private, and non-profit sectors.

>> Read more 

Canadian CED News

A Budget for the Rest of Us: Alternative Federal Budget 2012

The 2012 Alternative Federal Budget (AFB): A Budget for the Rest of Us, was launched this week by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

What makes the AFB different? It recognizes and proposes preliminary solutions to climate change and rampant inequality. The AFB also proposes innovative public investment initiatives that will help us avoid "a lost decade of high unemployment, depressed incomes, and chronic insecurity. Many of these proposals include CED principles, and CCEDNet is a proud contributor to the AFB report.

>> Download the AFB 2012 (pdf)

Co-operators outnumber shareholders 3-to-1

Did you know that India is home to the largest co-operative member population at 240 million? How about the fact that 70% of Irish people are co-op members? It's all in a new research report, whose key finding is the fact that co-operative members triple the number of shareholders worldwide.

The report, written by Co-ops UK Secretary-General Ed Mayo, also suggests that the co-operative sector is demonstrating growth and resiliency, despite the uncertainties in global markets. Mayo concludes, "Despite the focus of attention on stockmarkets, however, it is co-operative enterprise that touches the lives of more people as owners worldwide."

>> Read more

Defend our social housing - national petition

A coalition of housing organizations across Canada concerned over the withdrawal of federal funding for existing social housing have launched a petition to urge the government to increase funding for the renovation of existing social housing units and to continue to fund the operating subsidies for all the 900,000 plus social housing units across the country. 

CCEDNet has worked closely with our members, including the Right to Housing Coalition, to urge all levels of government to improve the accessibility of affordable and social housing in Canada (see our policy resolution, Affordable and social housing as a part of neighbourhood renewal, for more information). 

>> Read more

Save the Date! Funding Policies and the Nonprofit Sector Policy Forum

The Institute for Nonprofit Studies at Mount Royal University will host a policy forum on October 15-16, 2012 entitled "Funding Policies and the Nonprofit Sector in Western Canada".

The purpose of this forum is to examine and profile the context and application of current nonprofit funding policies in each of the four western provinces. Academic researchers will present a contextual analysis of nonprofit funding and senior policy makers, leading academics, and nonprofit executives will have the opportunity to discuss the implications of these initiatives. The forum will be held at Mount Royal University. Registration will begin in the early summer.

>> Contact Kim Warnke at kwarn464@mymru.ca for more information

(Source: ANSER Bulletin, March 2012)

2012 Quebec International Summit of Co-operatives

“An economic giant, but a political mouse.” That’s how the co-operative movement has sometimes been described. How can it become a real sphere of influence in economic and political arenas?

This is the fourth major theme of the Quebec International Summit of Co-operatives, held October 8-11, 2012 in Quebec City. Participants of the Summit will have an opportunity to hear internationally-renowned guest speakers and actively take part in discussions on key ways to increase the influence of the co-operative and mutual model worldwide.

(Source: On Co-op News)

>> Read more

CED Book Club - Businesses With a Difference: Balancing the Social and the Economic

This 2012 book explores how market-based social economy firms such as social enterprises, social purpose businesses, co-operatives, credit unions, and community economic development corporations meet distinct social needs while making money. This book considers whether these types of businesses have the potential for growth in the modern economy. Through international case studies, including comparative analyses, this innovative collection highlights the unique issues that must be addressed when associations are accountable not to investors and shareholders, but instead to ordinary people.

>> Read more 

Job Postings

For the latest CED postings visit the National and Regional job pages on CCEDNet's website

National | AB | SK | MB | North

Positions to post? Send them to breimer@ccednet-rcdec.ca

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