Buy Social Canada July Newsletter
Here's the latest in social enterprise and social procurement news
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Register now for Marketplace Impact: Social Enterprise Forward on September 10 | |
Join Buy Social Canada to share stories and progress from the social enterprise sector in Canada as we celebrate how far we’ve come, and look ahead at what’s next as we continue to build a marketplace that centres social enterprise as the business model of the future.
September 10, 2024
10am-12pm PT / 1pm-3pm ET
Online via Airmeet
Social enterprise is a business model whose core purpose is to create a more equitable, inclusive, and just society. It is a key pillar in the establishment of a social value marketplace: a marketplace that contributes to building community wealth, rather than extracting human and natural value to accumulate private economic profits.
This year we are celebrating 10 years of Buy Social Canada. We will launch a new free resource, the Guide to Social Enterprise. This Guide builds on the first two editions of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide, and our decade of work to certify, champion and build capacity for social enterprises in Canada. We can’t wait to share it with you at the Marketplace Impact event.
This will be a free, engaging event to promote and advance social enterprise best practices. The event features insights from speakers, a new free resource for a social enterprise business plan, and opportunities for conversation and networking with peers.
Thank you to Chandos Construction for sponsoring this event.
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Save your spot in the Social Procurement Professional Certificate September cohort | |
The Social Procurement Professional Certificate program has been developed to provide both private and public sector participants with in-depth knowledge of the fundamental components of social procurement success; how to create a social value culture within your organization; steps needed to develop Social Procurement policy; and how to implement social procurement practices into your current RFx processes, to leverage procurement spend to drive more social value.
This course is for you if you are:
- A member of senior government leadership looking to use procurement to improve social value and community outcomes
- A member of senior private sector leadership looking to use social value as a competitive advantage and drive business growth
- Procurement staff (public and private) conducting the purchase of goods & services, consulting, construction and IT
- A mid-level manager aiming to deliver on the social value goals of their organization
The course consists of four 2-hour virtual trainings with interactive hands on activities and homework, and can qualify for continuing professional development (CPD) hours.
Read the course outline (pdf) to learn more.
September cohort dates:
September 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2024 from 10am – 12pm PT / 1 – 3pm ET
Course cost (not including tax):
- $499 early bird (until August 9)
- $585 regular
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Learn more about the Community Benefits in Construction: Mandate, Design and Implement Guide on August 15 | |
Register for this webinar to explore a new Community Benefits in Construction: Mandate, Design and Implement Guide that supports community advocates, policy makers and project owners who want to create community benefits in construction, infrastructure, and development projects.
August 15, 2024
10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET
Online via Zoom
In addition to an overview of the Guide, we will share updates and best practices from current projects across the country which are implementing community benefits.
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What is social procurement? Webinar with Buy Social Canada and Tapestry Community Capital on July 23 | |
Join Tapestry Community Capital and Buy Social Canada for a webinar introducing you to Canada's social procurement landscape.
July 23, 2024
10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET
Online via Zoom
Whether you work for a social enterprise and are looking to grow your contracts with buyers or you have purchasing power and are looking for ways to use it for good, this is an opportunity to learn and connect with likeminded professionals.
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Buy Social Canada featured on SiteNews as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary | |
A new article from SiteNews highlights our 10 year celebrations and the impact Buy Social Canada has created in the construction sector through community benefits and other kinds of social procurement implementation as "one of the main forces behind the movement."
“We’re talking about opening up a pipeline of people and businesses that you may not have encountered before and so really this is an opportunity as the industry is facing a skill shortage, as we’re experiencing these supply chain issues,” she said. “These are people and businesses that are ready to serve you and work with you on that project to ensure that you are both successful and we are really seeing that.”
Thank you to Jason Deboski from Delnor Construction and Tim Coldwell from Énska Advisors for sharing your experiences and kind words.
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Buy Social Canada supports clients to build relationships between supply and demand | |
Building relationships in Winnipeg
Last month the City of Winnipeg, with the support of Buy Social Canada and co-chairs Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and CCEDNet Manitoba, hosted their second Social Procurement Roundtable of the year. The topic was Construction Sector Opportunities.
Buy Social Canada designed and supported the creation of the Roundtable as a part of our contract for the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan at the City of Winnipeg. This quarter's Roundtable invited purchasers and social value suppliers to learn about the City’s new sustainable procurement bid requirements and construction project tools, and provided a space for contractors to connect with social enterprises, Indigenous business and diverse businesses. There were over 50 attendees, including diverse suppliers, contractors with the City, and public sector purchasers.
The Roundtable is one way we can help to facilitate and build relationships between social value suppliers and purchasers, which is key for supporting supply and demand and ensuring the successful implementation of social procurement.
We are grateful for the leadership of the City of Winnipeg and the Roundtable co-chairs Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and CCEDNet Manitoba for advancing sustainable procurement implementation.
Pictured: The Roundtable participants in conversation (top row), Corinne Evason, Sustainable Procurement Liaison for City of Winnipeg (bottom left) and Michael Barkman, Manitoba Network Manager for CCEDNet Manitoba (bottom right).
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Building relationships in Edmonton
As consultants working with the City of Edmonton to implement sustainable procurement, the City's recent Purchase with Purpose event was energizing and encouraging. It's great to see so many social purchasers and social enterprises making connections to buy and sell with impact. Thank you to everyone involved.
Pictured: Tori Williamson and Joséphine Adegnon (Buy Social Canada) with the City of Edmonton procurement team (top row), Social Purchasing Partner Explore Edmonton's booth at the event (bottom left), Joséphine with the team from Certified Social Enterprise GROW Women Leaders (bottom right).
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BCSPI Members: It's time to register for upcoming core trainings | |
BCSPI core training sessions support members to learn about and apply social procurement best practices to their current context.
SP101 is the first step and introduction; SP201 explores implementation opportunities; and SP301 is specific to social procurement within the construction context.
Members receive over $700 in training value per staff member as part of their BCSPI annual membership fee. This is a high-value opportunity to train several staff and take full advantage of BCSPI expertise!
Upcoming sessions:
SP101: Introduction Social Procurement
September 12, 2024
SP201: Implementation of Social Procurement
October 17, 2024
SP301: Implementation of Social Procurement in Construction Projects
November 27, 2024
Not yet a member? BC public sector organizations can contact Em Chapman to learn more about joining BCSPI.
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CLASP event shares learnings about supplier verification best practices | |
Our recent Community Learning to Advance Social Procurement (CLASP) event was a fascinating discussion with guest speakers Philip Ducharme of Canadian Council for Indigenous Business and Hanifa Kassam of AnchorTO, about the complexities of diverse supplier self-attestation, verification and certification. With nearly 40 members joining, we had some lively networking and learning conversations following the panel discussion.
Join us for a future CLASP event:
Enhance your skills and knowledge to buy and sell with impact wherever you’re at in your journey at an upcoming Community Learning to Advance Social Procurement (CLASP) event.
These exclusive events are high-value, high-return expert learning sessions where social purchasers can share and learn from one another in a community. Events are open to Buy Social Canada Social Purchasing Partners, Engage Members, consulting clients and BCSPI members.
Contact Niamh O'Sullivan to get a link to the recording if you missed the last event.
Our next CLASP event will take place on August 27, with the topic "Boost your social procurement impact, social enterprise purchasing stories from across Canada."
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Celebrating the life and legacy of David LePage | |
Thank you to everyone who joined us online and in person for David LePage's Celebration of Life last month. It was a special gathering of more than 100 family, friends, and collaborators from David's life.
The resounding theme of the stories shared about David was his generosity and commitment as a mentor and advisor to so many in the social enterprise and social procurement sector. Hearing from people who stayed in regular contact with David and whose careers and businesses have been guided by him reinforced what a giant he was in this sector - not just in Canada, but around the world.
We also heard a commitment from speakers to be more like David: generous and kind, and steadfastly working toward a marketplace revolution. We can all be more like David.
Donations in David's memory can be made to the Social Enterprise Policy Fund to help continue his lifelong passion for building a more equitable society.
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Tomorrow: Introduction to Community Bonds webinar with Tapestry Community Capital | |
Social purpose organizations (in particular non-profits, charities and cooperatives) need flexible and creative financing tools to help deliver impact to their communities. Among these tools is community finance and in particular, community bonds.
Join Buy Social Canada and Tapestry Community Capital to explore how community bonds can enable community ownership of assets. A community bond issuer will also share their current experience of issuing bonds.
July 10, 2024
10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET
Online via Zoom
Tapestry Community Capital, a Buy Social Canada Community Champion, specializes in the use of community bonds and has supported not-for-profits to unlock over $100M in impact investments to fund 62 projects. Community finance is one piece of the social value marketplace, and this session will cover what community bonds are and how they work.
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Certified Social Enterprise Infiniguard featured for their business success and work with at-risk youth | |
A recent article highlighted the important work and business journey of Certified Social Enterprise Infiniguard, a security company in Toronto.
“Growing up and living in Regent Park, I witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by people in marginalized communities, with the lack of viable employment opportunities and the prevalence of drug-related and gang-related activities,” says executive director Khogali. “I knew that with the right training and support, many individuals from marginalized backgrounds could succeed in the security industry.”
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Interpreter Services Toronto
Interpreter Services Toronto (IST) is an employment social enterprise of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic.
With 300 interpreters and more than 170 languages, IST provides professional interpretation and translation services to health, legal, business, government and other organizations in Greater Toronto.
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910-1050 West Pender St
Vancouver, BC V6E 3S7
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