In her book Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth illustrates how today’s economic tools use a narrow and dogmatic theoretical framework, which do not reflect the multi-dimensional challenges of the 21stcentury. The teaching and development of economics has lost sight of its goal. The founders of economics, back in ancient Greece described economics as the practice of managing the resources of the home. Over time, the goal has been appropriated to concern …Read More

Leaders from across the non-profit sector have been addressing the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector (CSSB) in recent days around the complexities faces by the public benefit sector in Canada. The CSSB was established in January 2018 with the goal of studying the impact of laws, regulations and government policies on charities and non-profits.  The Committee sits regularly on Monday’s on weeks when the Senate is sitting and …Read More

Canada’s first ever National Food Policy is set to be released this year.  To mark the moment Food Secure Canada is organizing its largest food movement event to date in Montreal.   From November 1 – 4thjoin the Eco-Ethonomics Team and Canada’s most passionate policy makers, leaders, activists and innovators who are working to build a Healthy, Just and Sustainable Local Food System in Canada!    Food Secure Canada’s National …Read More

On September 27, 2018, The Mowat Centre released “Peering into the Future:  Reimaging Governance in the Non-Profit Sector”.  This timely report lays out some important thoughts on the current state of governance structures in the non-profit sector, provides some examples of alternative governance models, and lays out some key questions to consider as the sector looks for new governance models that will allow for a new definition of governance to …Read More

At Eco-Ethonomics (EE) we believe that good governance is strategic governance.  We believe that governance is an important tool to help public-benefit organizations align how an organization operates with what it wants to achieve.  Strategic governance is more than reviewing financial statements and ensuring appropriate policies are in place, it’s about understanding the balance between organizational interests and an organization’s mission, the changing landscape in which an organization operates and, …Read More

For thousands of people across Canada eating dinner around a kitchen table every night is a tradition, for many others however, furniture is a luxury that is just out of reach. Furniture Bank is a Social Enterprise and charity that helps connect people in need with the dignity and stability of a furnished home. An innovator in the upcycling movement, Furniture Bank refurbishes donated pieces of furniture into gorgeous boutique …Read More

When this article started to circulate in the EE office, it definitely caught our attention.  It seems many of us have been of the opinion that SMART goals were, well… dumb. For those of you not up on your acronyms, SMART (at least when it comes to goal setting) means, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.  SMART goals are prolific; and are a core element of most goal setting exercises, regardless of individual role, level or industry.  Now new research …Read More

A year ago a steering committee was appointed by the Federal Government with the goal of co-creating a national Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy. Canada consistently tops international rankings for happiness and liveability, but we have challenges of our own to overcome – poverty, indigenous injustice, homelessness, climate change, to name but a few. Complex issues demand innovative thinkers and luckily, we are a nation of those too. The …Read More

A recent partner of Eco-Ethonomics, Tapestry Community Capital, has become particularly well known through their partnership with the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI). The CSI is the place in the city where innovators and those driven by social missions congregate to expound ideas and bring real change to their communities. CSI’s success is largely tied to the inspiring spaces that they occupy, which were purchased and brought to life with the power …Read More

The motto at Vancity Community Investment Bank? Finance Change, Change Finance. That might be hard to swallow coming from a bank, but that’s exactly what makes Vancity Community Bank both revolutionary and necessary. Their goal is to change what Canadians and society at large have come to expect from banks. No easy feat, but things worth doing rarely are. Vancity believes if they can change the way people view finance, then we can …Read More