Winter Newsletter 2010

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Winter Newsletter 2010

Welcome to the Winter 2010 Issue of the Canadian CED Network's e-newsletter for the Ontario Region, your information resource on the latest news and projects in CED in Ontario.

Please contact us with your comments by emailing Ontario@ccednet-rcdec.ca.

 

In This Issue

 

1. New Ontario Program Assistant

The Canadian CED Network welcomes Jeremy Hatt to the Canadian CED Network team. Jeremy is a recent graduate of the University of Guelph where he received a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science with a major in Ecology and wrote for the university's student paper, the Ontarion. He then worked for two years in fundraising for several charities in the Toronto area, where he developed an appreciation for non-profit initiatives. Jeremy joins the Canadian CED Network team through On Co-op's Internship Experience Program (CIEP). He is working closely with the Ontario-based Network staff Paul Chamberlain and Matthew Thompson to support the work of the network and its members in the province. Jeremy is already getting involved in a number of projects and looks forward to utilizing his knowledge and experience to help forward the CED movement.

If you would like more information about the CIEP, please visit ON Co-op's Internship information webpage.

 

2. Telelearning Session on Diverse Housing Needs

The Canadian Social Economy Hub invites you to attend a telelearning session on The Role of the Social Economy in Meeting Diverse Housing Needs. The session will take place Tuesday February 16th at 9:00am Pacific Time and 12:00pm Eastern Time.

Speakers include George Penfold, Regional Innovation Chair in Rural Economic Development at Selkirk College in Castelgar, B.C., and David Hulchanski, Associate Director for Research at the University of Toronto's Cities Centre, and Professor of housing and community development in the Faculty of Social Work. The session will be moderated by Dr. Benjamin Isitt, Assistant Professor and postdoctoral fellow of history at the University of Victoria.  

Call-in information will be given upon registration. The registration deadline is February 12th. This session is in English and will last 1 hour, including a 25 minute discussion. 

Register by phoning (250) 472-4976, or e-mailing sekm@uvic.ca with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. For more information on registration, speaker biographies, and event details, please click here.

For more information about the Canadian Social Economy Hub, please visit: www.socialeconomyhub.ca.

 

3. Feasibility report on Centres for Community Innovation and Design in Waterloo

The Civics Research Co-operative is pleased to announce completion of the final report for the feasibility study on the Centres for Community Innovation and Design (CCID) in the Waterloo Region. The report discusses various facets of shared-space centres, presenting results from the research as they relate to these facets. The report also presents a framework for development comprised of key points and action items. To read the full report please click here.

Initiatives proposed in the report include:

  • A shared multi-tenant space in downtown Kitchener focused on cross-sectoral collaboration, creativity and innovation among small for/not-for-profit enterprises, entrepreneurs and artists with a social/environmental purpose;
  • A developer, manager, and broker of shared spaces where the principle interest would be enabling social enterprises, facilitating collaboration and making use of underutilized space; and
  • Development of the CCID as an association of centres, where centres would be of different sizes, in different communities, with different, although complementary, mandates.

The core outcome of this study is that the region would be best served by an association of shared-space centres developed through a focus on kernels - collaboratives of people or agencies that are engaged in or interested in the development of initiatives across the Region. Groups that are adopting the initiatives of this study or that have a related initiative already underway include the Ray of Hope's Charles Street Development, The Social Planning Council of Cambridge-North Dumfries' Community Innovation Centre, LSPIRGs Centre for Community and Innovative Design, and KWartzLab.

The Civics Research Co-operative would love to hear from initiatives already underway on how their initiatives could contribute to and benefit from being part of the CCID association. Collaboration with others on funding proposals for initiatives related to the CCID would also be welcome.

To get involved, provide feedback, or ask further questions please contact the Co-operative directly at thecrc@civics.ca or (519) 570-9521.

 

4. David Thompson wins Social Economy Scholarship

Congratulations to David Thompson who recently won a social economy scholarship through the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP). David helped with the development of the Northern Ontario CED Network and also participated in "train-the-trainer" sessions through the Canadian CED Network's Youth in Charge program. David now works for the NORDIK Institute, which promotes sustainable communities through a variety of research methods aimed at holistic community development. For the full article on David's scholarship, please click here.

 

5. What is social finance? Participate live!

Socialfinance.ca invites you to discuss and explore the meaning of Social Finance in an interactive, online series, the first topic being: What is Social Finance? To kick-off this series, Causeway has created a short, upbeat video, Re-Imagine Money, introducing social finance. View it here! 

Causeway and Ashoka Canada have partnered with socialfinance.ca to promote social finance in Canada. The series will feature commentary from Ashoka Canada Fellows, social entrepreneurs and practitioners and key enablers of the Canadian non-profit sector including representatives of funding organizations. Information gathered through online discussions will be used to develop a guide to social finance in Canada and used in capacity building workshops.

The series will address the following seven topics:

1. What is social finance?

2. What are the different types of finance that exist in Canada?

3. What organizations are suited for each type of finance?

4. What financial challenges do social enterprises face?

5. How to get finance

6. Lessons from abroad: social finance in other parts of the world

7. How to get started.

Please send your questions to Cian Knights.

 

6. Social Enterprise Development Workshops

A series of workshops and coaching opportunities are being offered by the Collaborative for Innovative Social Enterprise Development (CISED) for organizations wanting to start or grow a social enterprise that supports their mandate. These half-day workshops will be offered over several months and will provide organizations with training and follow-up coaching to undertake social enterprise exploration, early stage feasibility analysis, and business planning for their venture. A dynamic team of trainers and coaches comprised of private sector professionals, academics, funders, social enterprise practitioners and entrepreneurs has been established to provide a wide variety of expertise and experience.

The six half-day workshops are scheduled to begin on Thursday February 25th, 2010 and will conclude on May 13th. The cost is $150 per person for the complete package and registration is limited. To register or for further information please contact Brenda Richardson at (613) 725-3494, ext 105 or by email.

 

7. Upcoming TORC Events

The Ontario Rural Council invites you to two upcoming events in March. 

The first is an hour-long webinar with Ethel Cote, Social Enterprise Practitioner and Consultant, titled Social Enterprise - Business Supporting Community and Economic Development. The webinar will take place on March 3rd between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., where you will learn more about social enterprise as an approach to support rural revitalization, create jobs and address community economic development. To register for this event, please click here.

The second event is a TORC Northern Health Forum held on March 31st in the Shinawauk Hall at Algoma University. “Transforming Northern Heath: Innovations Making a Difference”, is an engaging day of shared learning and dialogue on the innovations re-shaping northern health and healthcare. A live webcast of the keynote address by forum presenter the Honourable Dr. Carolyn Bennett, is also available. Please note advanced registration is required. To register for this event, please click here.

For more information on upcoming events, and registration, please visit the TORC website.

 

8. Call for Papers! Student Social Economy Conference

The Social Economy Student Network (SESN) invites you to attend a student conference on June 1st, 2010: Exploring the role of the Social Economy in a changing world.

Research and shared perspectives on the Social Economy play an important role in informing the way we imagine social life in Canada as well as shaping the way in which the economy, individuals, and the environment will co-exist in the future. Since it is recognized that each individual embodies a unique perspective on the Social Economy and that it is a community of these diverse perspectives which dictates the manner in which the Social Economy movement will move forward - we are pleased to create a space where students and those with interest in the Social Economy may share their perspectives.

This one-day Social Economy Student Network conference will be held at Concordia University in Montréal June 1st, 2010 (with a social event for presenters, organizers and attendees to follow). The Deadline for abstract submissions is March 1st, 2010. Anybody who has had experience working with and researching various aspects of the Social Economy is invited to submit an abstract.

The Social Economy Student Network’s Student Conference on the Social Economy is held in association with the Association for Non-Profit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) June 2nd - 4rth, and the Canadian Association for Studies in Cooperation (CASC) June 1st – 4rth.  All students submitting abstracts to the Student Conference on the Social Economy are encouraged to participate in the ANSER and CASC conferences as well as the 1st day of the National Summit on a People-Centred Economy.

 

9. National Summit on a People-Centred Economy

Join the movement for economic alternatives at the 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy. From cooperatives that have existed for more than a centure to the latest innovative social enterprises, citizen-led efforts to build a people-centred economy are rich in their history and diversity. In the face of recent economic turmoil and growing ecological crises, these approaches are more relevant than ever.

The 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy will bring together leaders and representatives of the community economic development, cooperative, and social economy sectors to build a common agenda and mobilize action for a secure, sustainable economy that puts people and the planet first.

The Summit will be centred on six themes:

1. Finance and Investment

2. Enterprise Development

3. Territorial Revitalization

4. Organizing the Social Economy Marketplace

5. Partnerships / Sector Development

6. International

The summit takes place May 30th - June 1st, 2010 at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. For more information on the event, please click here. Registration will be open by the end of February.

The following networks/organizations are currently engaged in the national steering group coordinating this event: the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, the Canadian Co-operative Association, le Chantier de l’économie sociale, the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships, Causeway, the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, Enterprising Non-Profits, the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, the Women’s Economic Council, and the BC-Alberta Research Alliance on the Social Economy.

 

10. Pension Summit: Can You Retire With Dignity?

The Ontario Federation of Labour, in cooperation with the Canadian Labour Congress is holding a one-day Pension Summit in Toronto to address the following issues: employers are not keeping their pension promises, more than 60% of Ontarians don't have a workplace pension, and almost half a million seniors in Ontario live on less than $15,000 per year.

It doesn't have to be this way. Canadians can have a fair and secure pension system. This is our "medicare moment" to get the pension reform Canadians need.

The summit takes place on March 27th at Park Hyatt Toronto, 4 Avenue Road, Toronto at 9:00a.m. The cost is $125.00 (retirees no charge) and registration is required. For more information, please contact Kathy Neumann at 416-443-7674 or 1-800-668-9138.

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