May 2nd, 2013
The Social Economy Initiative (SEI) at the Desautels Faculty of Management integrates social entrepreneurship and social innovation into its teaching, research, and outreach activities.
Over 600 people attended the inaugural event on April 16th in Montreal, where a panel comprised of the Right Honourable Paul Martin, the Chantier de l’économie sociale’s Nancy Neamtan, Prof. Henry Mintzberg and the Foundation’s President Stephen Huddart discussed new approaches to creating social and economic value.
Click here to learn more.
Tags: Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill Launches New Initiative, Social Economy Initiative, Stephen Huddart
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May 2nd, 2013
The Regional Value Chain program, part of the Foundation’s Sustainable Food Systems initiative, is supporting work to strengthen regional food systems in communities across Canada. Two new reports funded under this program have been published that reflect the diversity of approaches being taken:
Feeding Diversity: Community Access and Commercialization of World Crops: so called ‘world crops’—grains, pulses and vegetables that reflect the cultural origins of immigrant communities—play an important role in the diets of newcomers to Canada, as well as presenting niche market opportunities for farmers and grocers. Recently Toronto Public Health and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre published a report that assesses market opportunities for local world crop producers.
A common challenge facing regional food systems is that the means of efficiently distributing locally grown foods to institutional buyers no longer exist, having been displaced by systems that favour an import/export economy. The Perth County Regional Food Hub Feasibility Study examines the potential to invest in local infrastructure to restore vitality to a regional market. Coordinating the work, Foundation partner Food Secure Canada convenes a Local and Sustainable Food Systems network that provides members with ongoing opportunities for learning and collaboration.
Tags: Feeding Diversity: Community Access and Commercialization of World Crops, Food Secure Canada, New Sustainable Food Reports, Sustainable Food Systems initiative, The Perth County Regional Food Hub Feasibility Study
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May 2nd, 2013
Recognizing that an economy geared for perpetual growth cannot be contained on a finite planet, the Foundation supports work aimed at creating an economy where markets work for the environment rather than against it. Past and current grantees include Pembina, Sustainable Prosperity and The Natural Step Canada.
The Foundation will be prioritizing ‘energy and the economy’ in its granting and program-related investing in this field. In keeping with this focus, the Foundation recently approved a grant to Clean Energy Canada, which works with clean energy companies, provincial governments and environmental organizations to accelerate the transition to a prosperous low carbon economy.
Learn more about the Foundation’s grant to Clean Energy Canada.
Tags: Clean Energy Canada, Energy and the Economy, Pembina, Sustainable Prosperity, The Natural Step Canada
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May 1st, 2013
The University of Waterloo’s Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation is a partnership between leading academics, experts from the public, private, and community sectors from across the country, and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. Nominations are now being accepted for participation in the program’s 2013-2014 offering, whose theme is Young Canadians Innovating for a Resilient Canada.
It will be focused on, but not limited to, individuals aged 22-35 with experience as change-makers, and who want to learn to work for broad system change (political, economic, legal, education, environmental, social, etc). Together, this cohort will collaborate to more deeply understand our national systems, to identify key challenges, and to develop social innovation strategies that can move social and environmental systems in positive directions.
Nominees may come from the private, public, or community sectors, and must have a clear passion for change, a tolerance for risk, a deep appreciation for collaboration, a high interest in learning, and a strong desire for action. If you know someone who fits this profile, please consider nominating them for a spot in this sought after program.
For program information, please click here.
Tags: Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, Social innovation, University of Waterloo
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May 1st, 2013
This premier week-long learning event provides an opportunity to join a community of practitioners engaged in new ways of leading community transformation.
For more information click here.
Tags: Tamarack, Tamarack's 2013 Communities Collaborating Institute
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May 1st, 2013
No single organization—however innovative or powerful—can chart the course to sustainability alone.
The Natural Step invites you to the Accelerate: Collaborating for Sustainability conference taking place on June 10-11, 2013 in Guelph, Ontario, as an opportunity to learn from and with prominent colleagues in the field and to experience collaboration by playing creatively with your ideas and interest.
Click here to find out more about the conference and the Call for Expressions of Interest for their Sustainability Transition Lab.
Tags: Accelerate: Collaborating for Sustainability, Sustainability, The Natural Step Canada
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April 29th, 2013
A forum for exploring the delicious, diverse, and delicate potential for social finance and impact investing in our food system will be taking place on Saturday May 25 and Sunday May 26 at the
Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.
For more info visit Sustain Ontario.
Tags: Farms, Fish and Finance, Food, Impact Investing, Social Finance, Sustain Ontario
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March 24th, 2013
ALLIES—a joint initiative of the Maytree Foundation and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation—recently released a report on ways that employers are improving immigrant employment practices.
The report, More Employers Adopt Good Immigrant Employment Practices—based on a five-year review of applications to the Best Employers for New Canadians competition—highlights successful practices and provides recommendations on how employers can lead their peers by implementing immigrant employment strategies.
On March 13, the winners of the 2013 Best Employers for New Canadians competition were announced in the Globe and Mail, click here to see who made the list.
Tags: ALLIES, Best Employers for New Canadians, More Employers Adopt Good Immigrant Employment Practices, The Maytree Foundation
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March 20th, 2013
The Indspire Institute, a new Indigenous education initiative, was launched on March 15 in Calgary before almost 300 educators at Indspire’s first National Gathering for Indigenous Education. Indspire President Roberta Jamieson noted that while the Institute focuses on Indigenous learners, teachers, and families, it is open to all students interested in knowing more about their Indigenous fellow citizens.
A virtual space for learning, the Indspire Institute offers an array of online tools, resources, and forums designed to provide support to teachers and increase participation and completion rates among Indigenous youth. The Foundation is a founding partner in the Institute, along with Suncor Energy Foundation and the federal government.
At the launch, Foundation President and CEO Stephen Huddart spoke about the role that public, private, and philanthropic partnerships play in supporting innovation in education. His remarks can be read here.
To sign up as a member of the Indspire Institute or to learn more about Indspire programs, visit www.indspire.ca.
Tags: Indspire, Indspire Institute, National Gathering for Indigenous Education, Roberta Jamieson, Stephen Huddart
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March 19th, 2013
A new report from Foundation grantee, Girls Action Foundation, reveals that girls still face many hurdles despite gains in education and legal equality.
Beyond Appearances: Brief on the Main Issues Facing Girls in Canada, highlights that while many advances have been made to improve the status of girls in Canada, significant real-life challenges (self-esteem, violence, mental and physical health, education and career prospects, and other systemic barriers) remain, especially for girls who are socially and economically marginalized.
Read the full report here to learn more.
Tags: Beyond Appearances: Brief on the Main Issues Facing Girls in Canada, Girls Action Foundation
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