David Lasby of Imagine Canada will discuss the recently completed mapping of Ontario's social economy that combines nonprofits, co-operatives, credit unions, and other community organizations.
Using data taken from the first-ever census of Ontario co-ops, credit unions and caisses populaires, Mark Ventry from the Ontario Co-operative Association will discuss the social and economic impact of the province's co-op sector, what census information surprised On Co-op, and what the data confirmed.
Sherida Ryan of OISE/University of Toronto will discuss Ontario organizations that meet the broad definition applied to social economy enterprises and that rely on internet-based technology to achieve their organizational objectives, their similarities to traditional social economy enterprises, use of information technology and their understanding of an online social economy enterprise.
Wednesday, January 16, 2007, noon - 1:30 pm
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto
Room 12-199, 12th floor, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto
This event will be simultaneously webcast (see our website for details).
For more information, see http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/lectures.php
Showing posts with label social economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social economy. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
This Holiday Season, Buy Union
Union members, college students, and all kinds of folks are doing the right thing by deciding to wear clothing made under decent conditions, in union shops instead of sweatshops. Click on the links below to find union-made, sweat-free suppliers.
Visit www.shopunionmade.org to buy items from artwork to chocolate, from books and clothing to clocks, computers, and vacation packages.
While you're planning your holiday trips, please visit our Union Hotel Guide (www.unitehere.org/hotelguide) and stay in UNITE HERE hotels across North America.
At Justice Clothing we don't think fashion should hurt. Justice Clothing's mission is to support democratic principles, workers' rights and economic sustainability through the sale and distribution of goods manufactured by workers protected by collective bargaining agreements. http://www.justiceclothing.com
Visit www.shopunionmade.org to buy items from artwork to chocolate, from books and clothing to clocks, computers, and vacation packages.
While you're planning your holiday trips, please visit our Union Hotel Guide (www.unitehere.org/hotelguide) and stay in UNITE HERE hotels across North America.
At Justice Clothing we don't think fashion should hurt. Justice Clothing's mission is to support democratic principles, workers' rights and economic sustainability through the sale and distribution of goods manufactured by workers protected by collective bargaining agreements. http://www.justiceclothing.com
Friday, September 7, 2007
TORONTO STAR: Textbooks economical with words about co-ops
Jack Quarter, Daniel Schugurensky, Erica McCollum and Laurie Mook
Sep 5, 2007
A recent study conducted through the Social Economy Centre at the University of Toronto raises questions about the narrow focus of business and economics textbooks in Ontario's high schools.
The research by professor Daniel Schugurensky and MA student Erica McCollum of OISE/ University of Toronto, examined the contents of 22 business textbooks containing 11,375 pages currently used in Ontario high schools.
In general, these textbooks had very little about non-profits and co-operatives.
When all of the materials referring to co-operatives were totalled, they amounted to 35 pages, or 0.3 per cent of the 11,375 pages in the 22 books.
For non-profits, this amounted to 107 pages, or 0.9 per cent of the total pages. In other words, there is not a lot about these types of organizations within the business texts used in Ontario high schools.
A similar study in 1995 (by professor Jack Quarter and then PhD student Alison Davidson also of OISE/UT), upon which the current study was based, had strikingly similar findings.
Not much has changed in the past 12 years with regard to the treatment of co-operatives and non-profits in business textbooks in Ontario.
Do these types of organizations have a place in business textbooks and business programs?
Arguably, these organizations are not in the mainstream of the business world, but they do have a significant impact upon the economy. A survey of the non-profit sector undertaken by Statistics Canada in 2003 (the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations) found that there were 161,000 incorporated non-profits in Canada, about half of which had charitable status registrations.
The same survey estimated that non-profits had revenues of $112 billion, employ 2 million people (54 per cent full-time), and have a volunteer labour force estimated to be another 1 million full-time equivalent jobs (about 2 billion hours).
The stereotype of non-profits is that their revenues are unearned (donations and grants), but the Statistics Canada survey indicates that 35 per cent is earned through the marketplace; in fact, there are a significant number of non-profits that compete successfully in the market with private sector firms (for example, the YMCAs).
Likewise, the stereotype of co-operatives as small and economically insignificant is belied by the data. For instance, the Co-operatives Secretariat, a federal government agency, reported that in 2003 approximately 9,200 co-operatives brought in $35.8 billion of revenues and employed around 155,000.
Agriculture co-operatives, although having declined in importance due to the demutualization of some of the largest ones, were still marketing and processing a large share of farmers' production, notably in poultry, dairy and hogs. Two co-operatives are among the top 12 corporations in the food and beverage-manufacturing sector in Canada.
Moreover, eight non-financial co-operatives are among the top 500 corporations in Canada; two of these are among the top 100 corporations.
Le Mouvement des caisses Desjardins, the umbrella organization for credit unions/caisses populaires in francophone Canada, is the largest employer in Quebec and, with a workforce of more than 39,000, is the sixth largest financial institution in Canada with assets of $118 billion in 2005.
These organizations, a group that we classify as part of the social economy, provide flexible, sustainable and innovative approaches to achieving social and economic objectives.
Although they are not the mainstream of the economy, they employ and train people, create economic growth, provide social support, foster community development, and have valuable assets.
Furthermore, they mobilize large numbers of volunteers who contribute to these organizations but whose contributions are typically ignored in conventional accounting.
These organizations are critical to our diverse Canadian landscape, yet the business and economics textbooks of our high-school students and future leaders are strikingly silent about them.
Our research has focused upon the approved textbooks in Ontario's high school business and economics courses.
We haven't reviewed the major business programs in universities, but we know the terrain there is also relatively barren. Something is missing!
Jack Quarter and Laurie Mook are co-directors of the Social Economy Centre at the University of Toronto; Daniel Schugurensky is director of the collaborative graduate program in community development at the University of Toronto, and Erica McCollum is completing her MA at OISE/UT.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Sep 5, 2007
A recent study conducted through the Social Economy Centre at the University of Toronto raises questions about the narrow focus of business and economics textbooks in Ontario's high schools.
The research by professor Daniel Schugurensky and MA student Erica McCollum of OISE/ University of Toronto, examined the contents of 22 business textbooks containing 11,375 pages currently used in Ontario high schools.
In general, these textbooks had very little about non-profits and co-operatives.
When all of the materials referring to co-operatives were totalled, they amounted to 35 pages, or 0.3 per cent of the 11,375 pages in the 22 books.
For non-profits, this amounted to 107 pages, or 0.9 per cent of the total pages. In other words, there is not a lot about these types of organizations within the business texts used in Ontario high schools.
A similar study in 1995 (by professor Jack Quarter and then PhD student Alison Davidson also of OISE/UT), upon which the current study was based, had strikingly similar findings.
Not much has changed in the past 12 years with regard to the treatment of co-operatives and non-profits in business textbooks in Ontario.
Do these types of organizations have a place in business textbooks and business programs?
Arguably, these organizations are not in the mainstream of the business world, but they do have a significant impact upon the economy. A survey of the non-profit sector undertaken by Statistics Canada in 2003 (the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations) found that there were 161,000 incorporated non-profits in Canada, about half of which had charitable status registrations.
The same survey estimated that non-profits had revenues of $112 billion, employ 2 million people (54 per cent full-time), and have a volunteer labour force estimated to be another 1 million full-time equivalent jobs (about 2 billion hours).
The stereotype of non-profits is that their revenues are unearned (donations and grants), but the Statistics Canada survey indicates that 35 per cent is earned through the marketplace; in fact, there are a significant number of non-profits that compete successfully in the market with private sector firms (for example, the YMCAs).
Likewise, the stereotype of co-operatives as small and economically insignificant is belied by the data. For instance, the Co-operatives Secretariat, a federal government agency, reported that in 2003 approximately 9,200 co-operatives brought in $35.8 billion of revenues and employed around 155,000.
Agriculture co-operatives, although having declined in importance due to the demutualization of some of the largest ones, were still marketing and processing a large share of farmers' production, notably in poultry, dairy and hogs. Two co-operatives are among the top 12 corporations in the food and beverage-manufacturing sector in Canada.
Moreover, eight non-financial co-operatives are among the top 500 corporations in Canada; two of these are among the top 100 corporations.
Le Mouvement des caisses Desjardins, the umbrella organization for credit unions/caisses populaires in francophone Canada, is the largest employer in Quebec and, with a workforce of more than 39,000, is the sixth largest financial institution in Canada with assets of $118 billion in 2005.
These organizations, a group that we classify as part of the social economy, provide flexible, sustainable and innovative approaches to achieving social and economic objectives.
Although they are not the mainstream of the economy, they employ and train people, create economic growth, provide social support, foster community development, and have valuable assets.
Furthermore, they mobilize large numbers of volunteers who contribute to these organizations but whose contributions are typically ignored in conventional accounting.
These organizations are critical to our diverse Canadian landscape, yet the business and economics textbooks of our high-school students and future leaders are strikingly silent about them.
Our research has focused upon the approved textbooks in Ontario's high school business and economics courses.
We haven't reviewed the major business programs in universities, but we know the terrain there is also relatively barren. Something is missing!
Jack Quarter and Laurie Mook are co-directors of the Social Economy Centre at the University of Toronto; Daniel Schugurensky is director of the collaborative graduate program in community development at the University of Toronto, and Erica McCollum is completing her MA at OISE/UT.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Corporate Social Responsibility: The Paths Taken by Two Ontario Credit Unions
Panel: Corporate Social Responsibility: The Paths Taken by Two Ontario Credit Unions
Full details at: http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/lectures.php
Scott Windsor, Senior Manager, Corporate and Community Relations and Employee Communications, Meridian Credit Union
Kimberley Ney, Senior Vice President Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, Alterna Savings
Moderator: Denyse Guy, Executive Director, Ontario Co-operative Association
Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto
Room 12-199, 12th floor, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto.
Scott Windsor of Meridian Credit Union and Kimberley Ney of Alterna Savings and Credit Union discuss Corporate Responsibility from their credit union perspectives. Scott will discuss the challenges of implementing a new CSR program following his organization's corporate merger. He will focus on the development of Meridian's Good Neighbour Program and the formation and implementation of the credit union's CSR, sponsorship and donation programs. Kimberley will present Alterna Savings' initiatives in community economic development and its role in shaping financial literacy, corporate accountability and environmental sustainability programs. She will share Alterna's perspective on philanthropy, including some unique "twists." Denyse Guy, Executive Director of the Ontario Cooperative Association, will moderate the session.
Bring your lunch and mug. Water, coffee and tea will be provided. To RSVP, or for more information, contact Sherap Winn: (416) 923-6641, ext. 2087 or swinn@oise.utoronto.ca
The webcast will be broadcast live at the time of the event. Go to http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/webcast.php for instructions and to view the webcast
Full details at: http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/lectures.php
Scott Windsor, Senior Manager, Corporate and Community Relations and Employee Communications, Meridian Credit Union
Kimberley Ney, Senior Vice President Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, Alterna Savings
Moderator: Denyse Guy, Executive Director, Ontario Co-operative Association
Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto
Room 12-199, 12th floor, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto.
Scott Windsor of Meridian Credit Union and Kimberley Ney of Alterna Savings and Credit Union discuss Corporate Responsibility from their credit union perspectives. Scott will discuss the challenges of implementing a new CSR program following his organization's corporate merger. He will focus on the development of Meridian's Good Neighbour Program and the formation and implementation of the credit union's CSR, sponsorship and donation programs. Kimberley will present Alterna Savings' initiatives in community economic development and its role in shaping financial literacy, corporate accountability and environmental sustainability programs. She will share Alterna's perspective on philanthropy, including some unique "twists." Denyse Guy, Executive Director of the Ontario Cooperative Association, will moderate the session.
Bring your lunch and mug. Water, coffee and tea will be provided. To RSVP, or for more information, contact Sherap Winn: (416) 923-6641, ext. 2087 or swinn@oise.utoronto.ca
The webcast will be broadcast live at the time of the event. Go to http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/english/webcast.php for instructions and to view the webcast
Sunday, April 8, 2007
‘Part of the Solution’: The role of community-based green co-operatives in advancing sustainable development and energy literacy
Fiona Duguid, WindShare Co-operative and doctoral candidate, University of Toronto
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
12.00-1.30 pm
OISE/UT, 252 Bloor St West, Room 7-162
After five years of development, WindShare Co-operative in Toronto, Ontario became the first urban wind turbine in North America and the first co-operatively owned and operated wind turbine in Canada. The development of WindShare Co-operative has spurred the growth of a green energy co-operative sector in Ontario. This presentation, which draws on 27 interviews and a focus group with members of WindShare Co-operative, focuses on the roles of community-based green energy co-operatives in advancing sustainable energy development and energy literacy. Members of WindShare expressed resounding feelings of pride, efficacy and understanding of WindShare’s role in sustainable energy. WindShare Co-operative provided the structure whereby members felt a part of the solution in terms of sustainable energy development. From this study it was found that policies and practices at all levels of government should encourage the advancement of green energy co-operatives to support Canada’s efforts at public involvement in addressing climate change.
Fiona Duguid is completing her doctorate in the Adult Education department at the Ontario Institute for the Study of Education at the University of Toronto. Her research looks at sustainable energy development through green energy co-operatives. She is working with WindShare Co-operative and with the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
12.00-1.30 pm
OISE/UT, 252 Bloor St West, Room 7-162
After five years of development, WindShare Co-operative in Toronto, Ontario became the first urban wind turbine in North America and the first co-operatively owned and operated wind turbine in Canada. The development of WindShare Co-operative has spurred the growth of a green energy co-operative sector in Ontario. This presentation, which draws on 27 interviews and a focus group with members of WindShare Co-operative, focuses on the roles of community-based green energy co-operatives in advancing sustainable energy development and energy literacy. Members of WindShare expressed resounding feelings of pride, efficacy and understanding of WindShare’s role in sustainable energy. WindShare Co-operative provided the structure whereby members felt a part of the solution in terms of sustainable energy development. From this study it was found that policies and practices at all levels of government should encourage the advancement of green energy co-operatives to support Canada’s efforts at public involvement in addressing climate change.
Fiona Duguid is completing her doctorate in the Adult Education department at the Ontario Institute for the Study of Education at the University of Toronto. Her research looks at sustainable energy development through green energy co-operatives. She is working with WindShare Co-operative and with the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative.
Monday, April 2, 2007
New Approaches to Lifelong Learning Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography of Studies Based on Data from the Research Network on New Approaches to Lifelong Learning
The Research Network on New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL), was developed to generate and disseminate knowledge related to lifelong learning in Canada. Between 1996 and 2002, this network was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
NALL undertook a wide array of research, networking and dissemination activities. The NALL network involved over one hundred members across forty-five research projects, including over 20 community partners (trade unions, equity groups, training boards and other community organizations), almost 70 academic researchers and collaborators, and over 20 university and college partners.
Over the course of the four years, NALL widely disseminated key research findings via academic publications, conferences and the NALL website (www.nall.ca), as well as creating assessment tools for the field.
The Research Network on New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL), was developed to generate and disseminate knowledge related to lifelong learning in Canada. Between 1996 and 2002, this network was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
NALL undertook a wide array of research, networking and dissemination activities. The NALL network involved over one hundred members across forty-five research projects, including over 20 community partners (trade unions, equity groups, training boards and other community organizations), almost 70 academic researchers and collaborators, and over 20 university and college partners.
Over the course of the four years, NALL widely disseminated key research findings via academic publications, conferences and the NALL website (www.nall.ca), as well as creating assessment tools for the field.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Beyond profits
They're businesses, not social agencies, but their bottom line is geared to helping the needy
Mar 24, 2007 04:30 AM
Stuart Laidlaw
The Toronto Star
Miodrag Mialevic likes most of what comes with working in a kitchen – the smells, the sounds, the creativity, the chance to taste different foods every day.
But there are things he doesn't like, things made all the worse by his clinical depression, such as teasing about his condition or bosses who don't seem to care.
"There was not much sympathy," Mialevic says of restaurants he has worked at in the past.
In the hurly-burly of a fast-paced commercial kitchen, niceties can sometimes fall by the wayside under the pressure of getting good food to hurried wait staff, he says.
Mialevic is now at the Raging Spoon, a catering service run by and for people with mental health conditions. It teaches them to work in a restaurant and to take on more responsibility for the food being produced.
For more see: http://www.thestar.com/Life/article/194656
Mar 24, 2007 04:30 AM
Stuart Laidlaw
The Toronto Star
Miodrag Mialevic likes most of what comes with working in a kitchen – the smells, the sounds, the creativity, the chance to taste different foods every day.
But there are things he doesn't like, things made all the worse by his clinical depression, such as teasing about his condition or bosses who don't seem to care.
"There was not much sympathy," Mialevic says of restaurants he has worked at in the past.
In the hurly-burly of a fast-paced commercial kitchen, niceties can sometimes fall by the wayside under the pressure of getting good food to hurried wait staff, he says.
Mialevic is now at the Raging Spoon, a catering service run by and for people with mental health conditions. It teaches them to work in a restaurant and to take on more responsibility for the food being produced.
For more see: http://www.thestar.com/Life/article/194656
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