Thanks to the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) for your kind words on our role to support this milestone:

Learn more about this exciting development in Winnipeg.

The City of Calgary continues on their Benefit Driven Procurement (BDP, also referred to as social procurement) journey, after they began implementation in 2019.

In a report to their Advisory Task Force, the City shared some recent data that is showing great results.

Explore the program's impact.

Register early to save your space in Buy Social Canada's upcoming fall training courses, and take advantage of new early bird and Buy Social Canada Certified Social Enterprise discounts.

Get all the details and deadlines here.

We look forward to learning with you soon.

Join us on October 18, 2022 for the Buy Social Canada Symposium Broad New Horizons.

We welcome you to gather with us virtually to grow and celebrate the evolving social value marketplace. We will share best practices and learn from industry leaders who are using social procurement and social enterprise to shape inclusive and thriving communities.

Save the date with this calendar download. Stay tuned for more details and tickets coming soon!

As a locally owned and operated business working across the Lower Mainland of BC, Novex Delivery Solutions has a long history of recognizing the importance of being a truly sustainable organization, with a triple bottom line that includes social, economic and environmental targets.

We are pleased to be working with Novex to build on team learning and understanding of social procurement and providing matching opportunities for social procurement with social enterprises in their region.

We hosted an engaging webinar on July 21, exploring new research and perceptions of Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) as a tool to support workforce diversity, apprenticeships, and social value outcomes.

Watch the recording to learn:

Community collaboration and input led to sizeable investments from the Federal Government to support social innovation and social finance ecosystem growth.

Our Managing Partner, David LePage, was invited to join a national ESDC Social Innovation and Social Finance Advisory Committee which shared a report in 2019 with several recommendations, including access to capital and markets, capacity building and knowledge sharing. As a result of this work, we have seen two significant Federal Government commitments: the Social Finance Fund with $755 million, and the Investment Readiness Fund (IRP) with $50 million over two years.

Buy Social Canada is very pleased to be one of the 26 organizations funded through the IRP. The IRP funds support our efforts to accelerate engagement with social purchasers and support social value suppliers and social enterprises to increase their market opportunities. With this funding, we have established the Seal the Deal Fund, which complements our training and support for social value suppliers.

Read this case study about how the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) used social procurement to procure curbside recycling collection carts - and what they learned.

Local governments and public institutions want to buy from businesses who are aligned with their values and can contribute to community well-being and resiliency. This information sheet helps suppliers respond to purchasing opportunities that include social and environmental criteria.

Sign up for the BCSPI newsletter to stay informed about social procurement resources and events.

There has been an update in the Trade Agreement case law regarding the inclusion of ‘local labour’ in RFx language and requirements based on recent findings in Saskatchewan. We have revised our local briefing note to reflect this new analysis. The case under review shows how not to include local labour requirements in a competitive bid.

If you have questions about this case or would like support to implement community benefits appropriately in bids, please contact tori@buysocialcanada.com.

The social procurement program continues to gain momentum across campus at York University.

York now has social procurement language and deliverables on 25 current and upcoming projects, and has so far seen a wide range of impacts including:

The University's Social Procurement Vendor Portal is approaching 20 members, and they are starting to get reports of folks using the portal to purchase. York continues to promote the portal to purchasing organizations.

Connect with Brent Brodie (bbrodie@yorku.ca) if you are interested in joining or using the portal as a purchasing institution, and stay tuned for upcoming training courses and social procurement toolkits York is developing to support purchasers and suppliers.

Are you a social enterprise, diverse-owned business or social purpose organization who needs financial support to take advantage of a contract opportunity? We have established the Seal the Deal Fund to support with legal or consulting fees, equipment or other capital purchases, and other needs.

These non-repayable grants are meant to support enterprises to directly connect or conclude a supplier relationship with a social procurement opportunity.

Learn more and apply today.

“I always get at least one super valuable tip when I attend a Buy Social Canada roundtable event. This week’s nugget was your invitation to apply for Seal The Deal funding. Thank you! I have just clicked the submit button.”

Join us at an upcoming engagement session. We host regional roundtables in Vancouver or Toronto, and a national Buy Social Canada Community of Practice.

We got to share and celebrate the important work of employment social enterprises with Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould.

In the room: EMBERS Staffing Solutions, Megaphone Magazine, Binners' Project, Clean Start Property Services, Potluck Catering, and Exchange Inner City.

It was a privilege to share stories with the Minister and emphasize why we need more organizations, including all branches of the Federal Government, to buy from and support social enterprises to increase their impact.

Smashing Good Piñatas is a social enterprise in Toronto which employs adults with developmental disabilities who make handmade custom piñatas. The initiative supports artists to overcome workplace barriers and enhances confidence, social connections, and workplace skills.

We're happy to welcome three new enterprises working in partnership with their founder, the Partners for Employment Centre, in Ontario.

Green Spin Vert is a thrift store in Hearst, Ontario, with the goal to provide community support and promote reusing and recycling. Resto-Centre Etudiant Notre-Place is a restaurant in Hearst, Ontario that employs young people and offers catering services. Youth Employment Services hires youth to provide landscaping services in the community. Offerings include: yard maintenance & lawn mowing, snow removal, recycling pick up service.

FoodShare, based in Toronto, sells food boxes with fresh produce and other items to generate unrestricted revenue to support their food justice work in the community.

Do Good Donuts is a donut shop and café in Toronto. They are an employment social enterprise that trains youth 18-28 with intellectual disabilities for mainstream food service jobs within their communities.