Social Innovation & Social Finance Strategy

Consultation has concluded

The Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group of experts and leading social innovators, with the Government of Canada, is co-creating a strategy to improve and strengthen our communities and regions through social innovation and social finance.

To better inform the development of the Strategy, the Steering Group has launched an online consultation to hear about new and innovative ideas in communities and regions across Canada.

We want to enable and support communities and organizations to advance new and innovative approaches to persistent social problems.

The overall goal is to improve the lives of the most vulnerable Canadians, and help our communities and regions thrive and flourish in an inclusive and sustainable way. This means helping all Canadians access good jobs and homes, healthy food and strong social connections.

If you’re interested in learning more about this engagement, we invite you to read the Consultation Document.

We invite you to provide a written or visual submission of your ideas by email, using following email address: social_innovation_sociale@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.


The Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group of experts and leading social innovators, with the Government of Canada, is co-creating a strategy to improve and strengthen our communities and regions through social innovation and social finance.

To better inform the development of the Strategy, the Steering Group has launched an online consultation to hear about new and innovative ideas in communities and regions across Canada.

We want to enable and support communities and organizations to advance new and innovative approaches to persistent social problems.

The overall goal is to improve the lives of the most vulnerable Canadians, and help our communities and regions thrive and flourish in an inclusive and sustainable way. This means helping all Canadians access good jobs and homes, healthy food and strong social connections.

If you’re interested in learning more about this engagement, we invite you to read the Consultation Document.

We invite you to provide a written or visual submission of your ideas by email, using following email address: social_innovation_sociale@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.


Tell your story

To help shape our strategy, we want to hear your stories about innovative practices taking place in communities and regions across Canada.

Have you seen or done something new, innovative or creative in your community or workplace to address a social problem? Have you seen any improvements that you think are worth sharing?

Share yours!

                          

Please avoid using peoples’ names and the names of other organizations, in order to respect federal privacy laws. In these cases, please use more general names such as “my boss,” “our local food bank,” “our school” and so on.

We encourage you to submit a document, photo or video, to share your ideas, success stories or anything else you feel might be helpful.

Selected stories may be posted on this site, or used in other Government of Canada communications activities.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  • Innovation in concrete without cement used

    by Parth_helios, almost 7 years ago

    We all know that world is passing through tremendous change. We are improving our services and trying new things. We damaged our world enough that now we need proper solution not just by stop use of fossil ancestor's liquid and solid gold but to re-use the waste that had been created us from last two centuries. The best way is to start using waste material like flyash with 💯% replacement for cement. 

    I know that is not going possible for like another just 100 years. Big business tycoons who are holding all the strings of money attached which includes government... Continue reading

  • Illuminating the Youth Truth

    by vtcec3, almost 7 years ago

    In our small rural town of 13,000 people, we've noticed a shift over the last decade. One that has uncovered many issues many of us were oppressed by - namely racism, sexism, and essentially, the lack of education on important topical and communal issues. We've always had a problem trying to encourage more of the community members to include youth citizens to participate and provide insight. We are namely a colonial town - one that has many divisions and barriers like socioeconomic status and the racism towards Indigenous peoples (who make up about 40% of our area). This alone separates... Continue reading

  • The top contributor to global warming? How we can solve the ethical and environmental impact of eating meat.

    by Daniel , almost 7 years ago

    Hi everyone,

    My team and I been working on a project with top investors, researchers, serial entrepreneurs and universities across Canada and the USA to develop lab-grown/cultured meat.

    Here is some fact about eating meat http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

    Listen to this podcast to learn more about what we're working on http://www.richroll.com/podcast/bruce-friedrich/

    Global warming is one of the biggest challenges we face. We need the Canadian government to acknowledge the impact of animal agriculture by charging a carbon/sin tax for the impact it has on our earth. Currently, we have subsidies in place that cost taxpayers money everytime meat or dairy is consumed. 

    ... Continue reading

  • Curb Unemployment

    by Paloma, almost 7 years ago

    My idea for improving social innovation would be to have more employment supports programs for youth and visible minorities.

  • FoodLocker - an app developed by high school students, for high school students.

    by Aliya Frendo, almost 7 years ago

    My name is Aliya Frendo and I'm part of a group of five girls in Ottawa who have developed a mobile app called FoodLocker. Our app gets healthy food to students at our school, Lisgar Collegiate Institute, who might not be able to afford it otherwise. To use the program, a student downloads the app, orders a "food box" that suits their needs, and has that food delivered to an unused school locker. They are given the locker combination and can pick up the food whenever it suits them - without anyone noticing that they're getting help. The whole process... Continue reading

  • Enabling Social Finance into Canadian Co-operatives

    by Eden Yesh, almost 7 years ago

    The Opportunity

    The demand for investing locally is increasing which is wonderful. The longer a dollar can circulate within a community, the greater its economic and social impacts.However, opportunities for Canadians to invest into local businesses are few and most traditional investment brokers do not offer clientele any options to invest their money at home.

    Therefore, Canadians are obliged to invest capital into far-off stock markets and large corporations, being disconnected from the social, environmental and cultural impacts of their investments. An unintended consequence is that Canadian's money is creating significant jobs and wealth elsewhere... Continue reading

  • Refurbishing Personal Computers to Build Capacity in Communities

    by franciscorota, about 7 years ago

    As important services and activities such as government support, college and trade school programming and modern job search increasingly move online, so a basic personal computer, licensed software and internet access becomes more essential to accessing opportunities to improve an individual’s economic prospects. We welcomed the recent declarations that broadband access was a basic need for all Canadians earlier this year. However, the prevailing costs of basic IT equipment and internet access required to administer and deliver programming for a community organization can represent a significant proportion of that organization’s operating budget. reBOOT Canada has provided quality, warrantied products and ... Continue reading

  • We are working to increase social procurement in our organization and our community

    by courtneymo, about 7 years ago

    Spending can improve social and environmental outcomes. Our charitable mission in Calgary is to support community economic development and so we look to see if our spending is either helping or hindering our mission. We aim to buy from the entrepreneurs that graduate from our programs, from social enterprises in our community, from co-operatives, and other business that demonstrates positive social, environmental, and economic returns. We celebrate the purchasing decision that drives impact and work with staff to understand that cheaper does not always mean better. This is a tool that we share with staff and other organizations in Calgary... Continue reading

  • Community Impact Investment

    by redowning, about 7 years ago

    We have set up a Community Investment Cooperative here on Vancouver Island to provide a vehicle for local people to invest in community impact on social, economic and environmental conditions in their own backyards.  We will be investing in affordable rental housing, renewable energy, waste recovery and recycling, and sustainable community economic development.  We now have a Coalition of community investment funds across BC to strengthen this work, inspired by initiatives like community economic development investment funds in Nova Scotia.  There are big challenges for this kind of work so that the Federal Social Finance and Social Innovation initiative can... Continue reading

  • A Book and Cafe : Transforming Community through Youth Skills Development

    by Brent Pudsey, about 7 years ago

    In    Winnipeg,    there is  a  social  enterprise ,  known  as    Sam's  Place.   It is  a   cafe ,   theater/ meeting  centre , with  a used bookstore.    Youth  are trained in,  food preparation ,    customer  service  and  working  a  cash register.   Individuals ,    organizations and  groups,  utilize the space for meetings,  musical  and theatrical  performances ,   lectures,   readings and discussions.   Patrons , browse   books and   support  community economic   development  in      Winnipeg, in  Manitoba  , around    Canada  and the world.

    This past summer, I  helped out  as  a  volunteer with the summer  reading program , assisting with  one to one  reading with children... Continue reading