The Canadian CED Network

The Canadian CED Network in Ontario brings together an emerging group of individuals and organizations representing a broad range of communities across our region. Members are developing strong CED initiatives and plans to strengthen and grow community economic foundations.

CCEDNet Ontario Ontario Election Guide

The Canadian CED Network hosted its first ever Ontario CED Event entitled Connections to Revitalize Communities on June 8, 2011.  Approximately 130 people convened at the Learning Enrichment Foundation in Toronto to learn from and share with each other. 

Click here for more information about the event and for resources coming out of the event.

CCEDNet Ontario Poster of Organizational Members

We encourage you to display this  poster proudly in your workplace to illustrate to your staff, clients and community partners how your organization contributes to something bigger: a broad-based movement made up of many different kinds of organizations, all committed to community economic development and working to strengthen local communities. 

Click on the poster to download it.

Organizations that become members during this year will have their logos included on next year’s poster. Click here to become a member.

Other recent activities in which the Ontario region has been involved in are:

• Ontario Social Economy Roundtable Social Finance Policy Papers
  Social finance has an important role to play in the development of the social economy in Ontario. The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable (OSER) has just published four social finance policy papers with recommendations aimed at strengthening the social economy through improving access to capital for social enterprises and nonprofit organizations in Ontario.

1. 
   Create Tax Incentives for Social Enterprise 
   A package deal should offer both an incentive to investors and a vehicle for matching investors with enterprising nonprofit organizations. This package should consist of a tax credit for the investor, and an investment fund that receives monies and makes investments in qualifying organizations. The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable paper shows how tax incentives can best be used as a mechanism to improve the sector’s access to capital.
2. Change Infrastructure Ontario’s Eligibility Criteria 
   Community-based nonprofit social enterprises should have access to this source of funding. The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable report describes how this might best be done so the government and sector can move forward on this initiative.
3. Enable the Nonprofit Sector to Issue Community Bonds
   This change would give nonprofits the same powers as those provided to cooperatives under the Cooperatives Act, using the same regulatory process. The Ontario Social Economy Roundtable business plan for community bonds will help government and the sector move forward on this initiative.
4. RRSP eligibility for Social Enterprise Tax Credits and Community Bonds 
   A provincial social enterprise investment tax credit or regulated community bonds, would benefit Ontario’s social economy most if they were eligible for registration under Registered Retirement Savings Accounts and Tax-Free Savings Accounts. Liaison with the Canada Revenue Agency will be important to smooth the registration process for individual non-profits and social investment funds.

• Consultations with Provincial Government: Since Septemeber 2009, The Northern Ontario CED Network has come together on several occassions to discuss their strategic approach to the Government of Ontario's consultations on reviewing the forest tenure system, and the Proposed Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.  Professor David Robinson from Laurentian University shared his knowledge with the Network, allowing members to attend the consultations with and informed and unified voice.  Professor Robinson was recently a featured panelist on TVO's 'The Agenda' with Steve Paikin, where he strongly advocated for community control of the natural resources in Northern Ontario.  Click here to watch the episode. 

• The Canadian CED Network Partners with ONN and OSER on Regional Consultations: The Canadian CED Network, working closely with the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) and the Ontario Social Economy Roundtable (OSER), have recently wrapped up a series of province-wide regional consultations.  The day long events engaged local community organizations on sector issues and and stimulated discussion on what needs to be done to improve the capacity of the sector.  Stay tuned to the Ontario Region's website for updates on the outcomes of these consultations.

• Submission to the Ontario 2009 Pre-Budget Consultations: On November 21, 2008, the Canadian CED Network's National Program Director, Paul Chamberlain, spoke during one of the provincial government's pre-budget consultations, stating the case for the inclusion of CED in the provincial budget.  Click here to read this submission.
• Creating an Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act: The Canadian CED Network has issued a response in the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services' process for modernizing the Ontario Corporations Act. The Canadian CED Network has reviewed many of the responses and briefings of other involved organizations and key players and have engaged our Ontario members in developing our own response. To read the document, please click here.

• Under new funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation the Canadian CED Network is advancing the network in the province. We will be continuing with our regional workshops and tele-learning sessions to inspire further collaboration and information sharing within the CED sector. A youth internship pilot program has been developed to create CED work experience opportunities to Canadian immigrant and Aboriginal youth in the North. As well, we are actively contributing to the formation of a provincial Immigrant and Refugee Community Action Network (ICAN).

• The Canadian CED Network is collaborating with other leaders on the Ontario Social Economy Consortium to build the social economy of Ontario. A major focus of this project is the development of an Ontario Social Enterprise Trust that would provide long-term patient capital loans to social enterprises throughout the province.