The 2011 Newsletter is now available, with updates and reports about SERNNoCa projects over the years.
Download it here.
PUBLIC LAUNCH OF POLICY REPORT
Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge
MAY 26TH, 2011
Yellowknife City Hall (Council Chambers)
9:00am
NICK FALVO and ARLENE HACHÉ presented findings of a multi-year research study looking at homelessness in Yellowknife.
There is a considerable amount of visible homelessness in Yellowknife (NWT), yet very little third-party analysis of the situation. This report begins by briefly discussing who is homeless in Yellowknife and then outlines program responses, including emergency shelters and various models of housing. An overview is then provided of major funding initiatives from the federal and territorial governments, as well as various forms of homelessness assistance provided by the City of Yellowknife. The report concludes by making policy recommendations with respect to the need for increased accountability, shelter standards, more housing options for the homeless, and a public health response to alcohol and drug use.
10:30am
PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING
- J. MICHAEL MILTENBERGER (invited)
Minister Responsible for Homelessness - WENDY BISARO
MLA for Frame Lake - AMANDA MALLON
Co-Chair, Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition - DR. DAVID PONTIN
ER Physician, Stanton Territorial Hospital
Download the Report
Download Summary
Download Plain Language Summary
In 2011, the Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada will be convening its annual Northern Summit on the Social Economy from November 22-24, 2011 at Northern United Place in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Over the past four years, the Summit has provided participants from all over the North with a forum to share research information, engage in public discussions, and broach a variety of topics relevant to the needs of local social economy organizations. Past gatherings have been held in Inuvik, Iqaluit, Whitehorse, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
This summit will also be the last opportunity for SERNNoCA to convene its pan-Northern network as it winds down its activities in early 2012.
Further details about registration and the agenda will be published on this NWT nodal website in the coming months.
From CJCD Mix 100 News
April 12, 2011
Yellowknife, N.W.T. – While the GNWT is asking residents to celebrate National Volunteer Week, some academics are criticizing governments on making it more difficult for people in the voluntary sector to do their jobs.
A research associate at Carleton’s Centre for Community Innovation, Jerald Sabin, has studied Yellowknife’s non-profit sector and released a report, showing a lack of support for some of its services. [more]
3ci Research Associate and Carleton graduate Jerald Sabin has released a report on the state of the voluntary and nonprofit sector in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The report formed part of the community-led initiative started in June 2009 to examine the state of Yellowknife’s social economy, assess its current structure and organization, and explore its evolving relationships with Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the City of Yellowknife. It argues that both federal and territorial governments have failed to provide an adequate public support system for the northern social economy, creating a universe of lost opportunity in a territory where the cost of social provision remains high and the needs distinctive. The report is being released in partnership with the Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada.
Please click here to view the report, Yellowknife’s Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector: A Portrait of a Northern Social Economy
High Ideals and Noble Intentions – now available!
The relationships between governments and the voluntary sector in Canada are long-standing and complex. Beginning with an historical overview of developments in voluntary sector-government relations from 1600 to 1930, High Ideals and Noble Intentions goes on to explore more recent events and to bring present day policy and practice into focus.
Peter R. Elson examines critical historical events in the relationship between the federal government and the voluntary sector which continue to exert their influence. He demonstrates through in-depth case studies that these events are critical to understanding contemporary voluntary sector-government relations. Elson explores the impact of the regulation of charities based on amendments to the 1930 Income War Tax Act; the shift from citizen-based program funding to service-based contract funding in the mid-1990s; and advocacy regulation changes in the 1980s. Elson’s case is strengthened by an important and timely comparison between voluntary sector and central government relations in Canada and England. This historically informed comparative analysis provides the basis for practical recommendations meant to improve the future of voluntary sector-government relations across Canada.
The Recession and Beyond: Taking Stock of evolving Government-Nonprofit relationships
Public Policy and Third Sector Initiative, Queen’s University in collaboration with Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER)
16 November, 2011
For its tenth anniversary, the Public Policy and Third Sector Initiative is working with the Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) in order to hold its annual conference in conjunction with the Association for Research on Nonprofit and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). We want to take advantage of the presence of international renown scholars in the field of voluntary sector research to explore the impact that the economic downturn has had on the state of government-nonprofit relations.
Governments around the world stand at a crossroads. Faced with an enormous financial burden and new social challenges on the horizon, governments are looking for new institutional solutions that will enable them to do more with less. Economic downturns have the power to transform policy debates. In many countries, the voluntary sector has become a key pillar in new administrative reforms. Indeed, most governments recognize that the voluntary sector is a critical part of their ability to develop and maintain economic strength and social wellbeing within communities. Yet the kind of supports the sector ultimately receives varies across settings. This year’s conference theme will provide an opportunity to take stock of this rapidly changing policy world and provide perspective on how different countries have been responding to the economic challenges.
If you are interested in participating, please submit a title, an abstract of 250 words to Rachel Laforest : laforest@queensu.ca by 31 March 2011.
Proposals are particularly encouraged from academics, policy makers and practitioners in european countries. Some funds will be available to support speaker participation in this conference.
All proposals will be subject to peer review and notification of acceptance will be provided by 15 April 2011.
We would like to inform you that the 2011 INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY will take place from the 17TH TO 20TH OCTOBER 2011 at the Palais des Congrès in MONTRÉAL, Québec (Canada). The central theme of this international meeting will be the need for a dialogue between government and civil society in order to develop public policies for the social economy.
Quebec is proud to host this event, which will highlight the strength of the social and solidarity economy throughout the world, the diversity of its experiences and the innovative character of its enterprises, as well as the numerous partnerships that have been built between public organizations and civil society.
This event is organized by the Chantier de l’économie sociale, in partnership with the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal. It will bring together the key players of the social and solidarity economy (organizations and support networks, researchers, NGOs, government representatives, civil society organizations and social movements) from over 40 countries in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia.
The program of the Forum will be available online in February 2011, at which point the registration process will also be opened. For a more detailed description of the contents of the Forum, please refer to the description attached or visit the Forum website: www.fiess2011.org/en/
If you are interested in this event, and would like to be kept informed of future developments surrounding it, we invite you to contact us directly at forum.international2011@chantier.qc.ca
Sincerely,
Le Chantier de l’économie sociale
The 2010 Northern Summit on the Social Economy is being held from November 2 to 4, 2010 in Whitehorse, Yukon at the Old Fire Hall.
Over the past 4 years, the Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada has been working to create partnerships with organizations, university and college researchers and students to engage in exciting research collaborations to examine the social economy in Canada’s North. As part of these activities we will be hosting a Northern Summit on the Social Economy in order to share research information and hear from social economy organizations. Building sustainable, vibrant communities is the result of careful planning with information and resources that supports their development. We will look at how the social economy currently addresses the pressing social and economic issues facing our communities and how it might be applied further in a northern context. We hope you will be able to join us for this 2 day Summit that will feature information sharing by the researchers and those who work daily in the sector. There is no charge for participants but advanced registration is required in order to attend.
Registration deadline is October 15. Please visit the summit website for more information.
The values, principles and practices that make co-operatives different from other types of businesses – and the difference co-operatives make to the lives of Canadians – will be the focus of this year’s Co-op Week celebrations, which will take place from October 17-23, 2010.
The theme of Co-op Week 2010, Experience the Co-operative Difference, celebrates the advantages of the co-operative business model in Canada and around the world. These include:
- Ownership: Co-ops are democratic organizations owned by their members, who participate in their co-op on the basis of one member, one vote.
- Values: Co-ops are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.
- Purpose: Co-ops exist to create value for their members; they’re not about making big profits for shareholders.
- Service: Most co-ops are locally controlled and operated and provide services not just to their members, but also to the communities they live in.
- Principles: Co-ops abide by seven internationally-recognized principles: voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; member economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training and information; co-operation among co-operatives; and concern for community.
As in past years, International Credit Union Day, October 21, will take place during Co-op Week. This year’s ICU Day theme, developed by an international committee led by the World Council of Credit Unions, is Local. Trusted. Serving You: Experience the Credit Union Difference.
Visit the Coop Week Website.
