Social Enterprise Council of Canada and Buy Social Canada call on Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and other federally-funded programs providing financial and business capacity support to businesses to increase access and opportunities for social enterprise.

This has been a longstanding advocacy piece for the inclusion of social enterprises in traditional government small business supports. The recent legislative update shows that BDC acknowledges this gap in support, and that it is caused by a perceived barrier rather than by any barriers in legislation. We look forward to working with BDC and other government funded small business support organizations to include social enterprises in future funding and business capacity decisions and opportunities.

Read the full blog post to learn more.

Join us on March 6 for a webinar exploring Social Enterprise Franchise Models. We'll be joined by special guest speakers Carla Leon, President and CEO of Just Like Family Home Care, and Rebecca Sherbino, Co-Executive Director of The Raw Carrot, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience running social enterprise franchises in Canada.

March 6, 2024

10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET

Online via Zoom

This webinar is for you if you are:

- A social enterprise manager, executive or practitioner

- Interested in the potential of franchise models for your business

Register now.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Vancouver and online to celebrate David LePage as he steps into a new role: retirement. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to David LePage in the day-to-day operations of Buy Social Canada, although he remains involved in the big picture as Chair of our Board of Directors.

We are grateful for everything David has done for our team and for the larger marketplace revolution; a journey he began long before he founded Buy Social Canada in 2014.

Don't just take our word for it! In our latest blog post we share what his peers from Canada and beyond have to say about David's impact and career.

Save the date to join us on May 16, 2024 from 10am-12pm PT / 1pm-3pm ET for a virtual Marketplace Impact event exploring social procurement and Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) progress and resources.

There will also be plenty of time for networking and shared learnings with peers built into the agenda. More details to be announced.

Hold the date in your calendar.

We're thrilled to welcome three new Community Champions this month: Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA), Le Chantier de l'Economie Sociale, and Community Impact Real Estate Society (CIRES). Community Champions are the individuals and organizations that support a shared mission to grow the social value marketplace and social economy within their networks and communities.

SEDA is the provincial backbone organization for those engaged in community economic development in Saskatchewan. Since 1984, they have assisted communities to become investment ready.

Le Chantier's mission is to promote the social economy model as an integral part of Québec’s economy. In doing so, it contributes to the emergence of this development model which is based on values of solidarity, equity, and transparency.

 

La mission du Chantier de l’économie sociale est de promouvoir l’économie sociale comme partie intégrante de l’économie plurielle du Québec et, ce faisant, de participer à la démocratisation de l’économie ainsi qu’à l’émergence de ce modèle de développement basé sur des valeurs de solidarité, d’équité et de transparence.

CIRES is a commercial lease and property management company and Certified Social Enterprise working towards empowered and equitable communities. Their current portfolio consists of 53 commercial units in 29 buildings in Vancouver's inner city, for a total of 112,452 square feet.

Jacobs, an engineering consulting firm, would like to invite certified social enterprises and diverse-owned businesses working and operating in the Winnipeg area and throughout Manitoba to an information outreach session.

March 7, 2024

1 PM CST

Online via Microsoft Teams

The session will include an overview of the Jacobs organization and our current and upcoming work in water, wastewater, transportation and environmental professional services.

Register here.

As they develop their social procurement practice and implementation, City of Peterborough is gathering information on social enterprises, local and diverse businesses, and certified sustainable businesses they can purchase from, to form a Social Procurement Vendor Registry.

The information in the Social Procurement Vendor Registry will be used by City staff when they are doing low value purchases (below $10,000) and single source procurement, and will not interfere with the competitive bid process.

Join the Registry.

It's not too late to make the most of the year and sign on as a Buy Social Canada Engage Member for 2024!

At $3,000 annually, the Engage Package is a low-cost, high-value option for organizations of any size to get started with social procurement or to maintain connection to evolving best practices.

With the Engage Package you get:

Contact Niamh O'Sullivan to get signed on and take your impact to the next level this year, or to get support with the renewals process if you're an existing Engage Member.

Learn how British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI) members are turning public spending into measurable community benefits in the second Annual Impact Report for 2022/23.

"As our communities increasingly grapple with complex social and environmental challenges, we need every tool in our toolbox to be working for us. Procurement is a huge opportunity, and we are excited to be leaders of a local government-led initiative that is making this opportunity accessible across the province."

- BCSPI Co-Chairs Mayor Vickey Brown (Village of Cumberland) and Councillor Jenna Stoner (District of Squamish)

Read the BCSPI Impact Report.

Providence Health Care (PHC) has formed a partnership with Certified Social Enterprise Binners’ Project at St. Paul’s Hospital to support with waste management and diversion, part of PHC's "continuing efforts to build community capacity and drive positive sustainability initiatives."

They say: "The effectiveness of the Binners’ work in waste management cannot be understated. In the past month, the Binners’ team at St. Paul’s Hospital was able to successfully divert 6,690.8kg of non-clinical waste away from landfill, recording a diversion rate of 88.3% for these specific areas of the hospital."

We look forward to seeing this partnership grow to additional locations.

Learn more.

Register now to save your spot in a cohort of the Social Procurement Professional Certificate course and take a deep dive on social procurement design, implementation and culture change.

April 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2024 from 10am – 12pm PT / 1 – 3pm ET

(Registration deadline: April 8; Early bird deadline: February 27)

Register now to save your spot.

Join TIESS for an English-language virtual webinar: Planning the growth of your social purpose organization for greater impact!

February 20, 2024

7:30am - 9am PT / 10:30am - 12pm ET

Online

Meet and discuss with experts, Hoffman Wolff (SEEnet – RDN), Viviana Fernandez (CDRQ) and Jason Prince (PME Mtl) in this webinar animated by Martine Brouillette (CRÉ – Capitale-Nationale) to introduce the idea of scaling in your organization, find out how to scale, learn about successful examples and access useful resources.

Book your place now.

Certified Social Enterprise CleanStart Property Services is running a new program in partnership with Gastown BIS and the Hastings Crossing BIA to clean up feces left on the street. This program is one part of their larger effort to encourage people to pick up after their pets.

Through the program, CleanStart has been able to hire workers from another Certified Social Enterprise, EMBERS Staffing, increasing opportunities for people facing barriers to employment. 

Woofingtons of LakeCity is a doggy daycare for small dogs under 30lbs in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. As part of the LakeCity Works non-profit, Woofingtons creates employment and volunteer opportunities for individuals living with mental illness.

Watch their feature on CTV News Atlantic to see them in action.

Matthew House Ottawa operates two social enterprises: Matthew House Furniture Bank, where they address furniture poverty by accepting and redistributing gently-used furniture and household items to newcomers and low-income families, and Matthew House Refugee Services, where they provide housing and essential support for newcomers to Canada in their reception and transition houses.

YWCA Metro Vancouver advances gender equity alongside women, families, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people through advocacy and integrated services that help support personal, collective and economic wellbeing.

They operate three social enterprises: the YWCA Hotel, YWCA Health + Fitness Centre, and YWCA Metro Vancouver Employment Services.

Impact Toolbox is a social enterprise in Kelowna, BC, which provides consulting services for equity-led social enterprises and social entrepreneurs in the start up phase. They also offer social entrepreneurship and community engagement training for social change leaders.