Buy Social Canada November Newsletter
Here's the latest in social enterprise and social procurement news
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CleanStart BC shows the power of working with social enterprises in their monthly impact reports |
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CleanStart BC, a Buy Social Canada certified social enterprise specializing in junk removal, sanitization and pest control, has recently begun to share monthly impact metrics with their clients. These graphics, like the above from September 2021, tell a compelling story through personal anecdotes and data to show what happens when you do business with them.
"Our Social Impact Report illustrates to existing and potential customers what our team already knows about our staff. It tells the story of how we, similarly to other social enterprises, operate in creative and non-traditional ways." - Charlotte Lethwaite, Chief Operating Officer
Learn more about the great work being done by CleanStart BC, or explore our directory of certified social enterprises to find more great businesses providing wrap-around supports and positive social impact!
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April 2022 cohort added for Social Procurement Professional Certificate |
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"The course specialists were a great resource with a lot of experience and knowledge. It was great to have a variety of industry, private, and public involved to understand the different perspectives. This is a concise overview of building blocks required to implement social procurement." - Course participant
Demand has been high for the Social Procurement Professional Certificate program, so we've added another cohort in April 2022.
Here are the details on upcoming cohorts:
February 2022 (limited space remaining)
Wednesdays February 2, 9, 16 and 23
10am – 12pm PT / 1 – 3p ET
April 2022 (just added!)
Thursdays April 7, 14, 21, 28
10am – 12pm PT / 1 – 3pm ET
$495 per participant.
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Social Procurement Quick Quotes |
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“Before this session I didn’t understand the potential for impact and all of the different opportunities to incorporate social procurement.”
— BCSPI Training participant
"Your social value criteria to hire local youth and Indigenous apprenticeships actually saved us on some labour costs, we didn’t need to bring those same workers in from further afield, so no travel and hotel expenses were required."
— Social procurement contractor in rural community
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Two BCSPI Purchasing Power speaker series events this month |
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Are you interested in learning more about social procurement and how it can benefit the wellbeing of local communities?
Purchasing Power, a six-part speaker hosted by the British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative, features several leaders who are putting the principles of a social value marketplace into action, and explores how local governments and institutions can use purchasing power to address the issues that matter to your community.
Join us at two free lunch and learn events from 12-1pm PT this month:
Wednesday November 10, 2021
with Amy Robinson (LOCO BC) and Alisha Masongsong (City of Vancouver)
Wednesday November 24, 2021
with Heather O'Hara (BC Farmers Markets) and Jennifer Reynolds (Nourish)
Register now for these and other upcoming events in the new year.
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"An Introduction to Social Procurement" webinar with AB Seed
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In this interactive webinar, Buy Social Canada and AB Seed will introduce the what, why and how of social procurement to help you increase the reach and impact of your existing purchasing.
This will be an opportunity to engage with AB Seed to connect and work with socially responsible businesses in rural Alberta and explore how social procurement can help these businesses play a more important role in our society. As an institutional or government purchaser, you can harness the power of your purchasing to create impact. Purchasing is more than an economic transaction, it’s an opportunity to transform communities.
Takes place on:
Monday, December 6, 2021
8:00 - 9:30am PT/ 9:00 - 10:30am MT
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Save the date: Buy Social Canada Symposium March 29, 2022 |
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The Buy Social Canada Symposium will take place on Tuesday March 29, 2022.
We’re planning an engaging and celebratory agenda and we need your help! At the Symposium, we’ll scan all of the emerging social procurement policy and actions across corporates, governments, institutions and non-profits — across all regions in Canada. Can you let us know which issues and topics need attention, whose story we should share, and what topics you want to dive deeper into? We'd love to hear your ideas.
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Government of Canada supports purchasing for best value |
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"As the largest public buyer of goods and services, the Government of Canada can use its purchasing power for the greater good. We are using our purchasing power to contribute to socio-economic benefits for Canadians, increase competition in our procurements and foster innovation in Canada." - Public Services and Procurement Canada
It is clear purchasing for best value, not merely lowest price, is the way forward for the Federal government under their new procurement guidelines.
The recent webinar from the Federal government, ‘What the Policy Suite Reset and New Directives Mean for Procurement, Materiel Management and Real Property Specialists,’ looked at the new procurement guidelines that Treasury Board approved in May and recently published online. The webinar covers guidelines that bring in social, green and economic considerations for purchase of goods and services and real property.
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Buy Social Canada as part of BCSPI team makes presentation to Whistler Council |
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"How can we use the money we’re already spending to achieve the goals we already have?”
This is part of what Tori Williamson, Buy Social Canada's Director of Education and Communications, and the Training and Education Coordinator for the BC Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI), was asking the Whistler Council of the Whole to consider in her presentation on the impacts of social procurement and the benefits of BCSPI membership.
Read more about Tori's presentation and BCSPI in this article from Pique News Magazine.
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A few words from the floor of the Alberta Legislature from MLA Jeremy Nixon |
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"As Alberta’s economy recovers, we also need to consider the importance of social recovery so that all Albertans can share in the prosperity of this boom. Social or benefit-driven procurement can be an effective tool in doing just that by implementing more intentional and strategic procurement practices. Alberta’s government spends billions purchasing goods and services.
"The current procurement system is set up to achieve the best purchasing price. However, an alternative to this practice is benefit-driven procurement. This policy aims to achieve best value. It looks at how we spend rather than spending more. It increases the government’s budget efficiency and effectiveness by leveraging current spending to achieve targeted social and economic goals. This could benefit us greatly."
- Mr. Jeremy Nixon, MLA for Calgary-Klein
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City of Ottawa takes steps to increase social procurement |
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On October 13, Ottawa City Council approved a report from Supply Services that will make it easier for City staff to do business with qualified social enterprises.
Michael Murr, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Enterprise Development, says "this is an important step forward for social procurement at city hall. It also helps to build momentum locally with other anchor institutions."
"The City of Ottawa spends approximately $1 billion dollars per year on a wide variety of goods, services and construction, making it an anchor institution with significant influence in the local economy. With the approval, the Procurement By-law will be updated to specifically include 'sustainability' in the definition of best value (along with performance and cost) and there will now be a sole-source rationale for social enterprises owned by non-profit organizations or charities."
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Social Procurement discussed in Edmonton |
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In case you missed it, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region hosted an in-depth conversation on using social procurement to build stronger, equitable communities, and tackling myths that might hold us back — and Buy Social Canada got a great shoutout at the beginning.
Speakers are: Brooks Hanewich from End Poverty Edmonton, Roger Lockwood from the City of Edmonton, and Jason Deboski from Delnor.
Watch the webinar and learn more here.
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#GiftSocial this Holiday Season |
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#GiftSocial and give gifts that create community capital this year!
We know it may be early to start thinking about holiday shopping, but when you do, consider buying from a certified social enterprise to give a gift to more than just your loved ones.
Watch the above video to learn more about the impact your purchase can have, and peruse our directory for gift ideas.
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The Family Centre of Northern Alberta
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Services the Centre provides include: education services, counselling, employee and family services (as a member of FSEAP), and interpretation services.
100% of the profits from this enterprise go toward supporting mental health and community-based programming.
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BudgieBox is a social enterprise that ships thoughtful, ethical and high quality gift boxes across Canada while supporting small businesses and other social enterprises whose products are included.
BudgieBox is committed to achieve social, cultural or environmental goals through the sale of goods and services.
At least 51% of BudgieBox's profits go back into social causes.
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503-535 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC V6E 3L2
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