What's New
March 4, 2011
Trico Charitable Foundation recently announced three major initiatives to encourage and promote social entrepreneurship in Calgary and across Canada.
The Foundation will provide $500 thousand over five years as the Founding Partner of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation's "socialpreneur" Alberta initiative. This program will assist young, socially-minded Alberta entrepreneurs in the establishment of new businesses.
The Foundation has also launched an Enterprising Non-Profits (enp) program in Alberta. enp-Alberta's objective will be to empower Alberta non-profit organizations to enhance their sustainability by providing grants and technical assistance in support of the development and growth of their social enterprise.
The third initiative is the establishment of the Trico Charitable Foundation Social EnterPrize. Every year two individuals and two organizations working in social enterprise in the non-profit sector will be awarded a cash prize to assist them in personal and organizational development and the advancement of their important work.
February 2, 2011
Three years ago, on January 29, 2008, Calgary launched a 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.
The goal: By January 29, 2018, an individual or family will stay in an emergency shelter or sleep outside for no longer than one week before moving into a safe, decent, affordable home with the support needed to sustain it. This goal is within reach.
Watch this video to learn more about the Plan's history, progress made and next steps.
Three Years In: Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness from Kaelen Ohm on Vimeo.
January 20, 2010
Going Local
Author and activist Michael Shuman with REAP Calgary’s Stephanie Jackman at Thrive’s “Going Local” event yesterday
It was a packed house at Knox United Church yesterday, as hundreds of engaged Calgarians turned up to hear the thoughts of American author and small business activist Michael Shuman.
Brought in by Thrive – Calgary’s Community Economic Development Network, the author of The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition had plenty to say about this ever-expanding boom-and-bust town of ours, and my, oh my, did people ever want to hear it.
The fact is, many Calgarians are sitting up and taking notice of the reality that Cowtown isn't the most conducive place for a small business to set up shop, given our penchant for big box buying and the frequency in which we turn a blind eye when we see an independent retailer – or an entire street of independent retailers, for that matter – struggling to stay afloat.
No skin off our backs to see 17 Ave. S.W. lose store after store – it’s back to the mega mall we go.
We tell ourselves that in the end, we’re just being price-conscious consumers. And that economies of scale, offshore production and big box shopping are the keys to low prices. Aren’t they?
Not so, according to Shuman, who gave hundreds of examples of international communities now thriving in response to their support of locally owned businesses. Sure, the cost to produce those imported goods might be lower, but the money spent on transport alone is astronomical.
Now imagine what would happen if each of us re-directed just 10 percent of our spending on import goods towards the local economy?
You can bet we’d see more jobs, income and wealth in our community, as well as engaged, self-reliant citizens capable of making both global and locally minded decisions. Less vulnerable to a global economic meltdown, less focused on attracting outside businesses to our city and more intent on keeping the ones we do have going.
Call it a groundswell now, but when oil rises to $150 a barrel again, you can bet it’ll be more like a mainstream movement. And perhaps when it happens, former meccas of foot traffic like 17 Ave. will be able to support independent retailers again after all.
http://blog.calsun.canoe.ca/sixinthecity/2010/01/14/going_local
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