26
May 2017Behind the numbers: Ontario Budget 2017
Now that the dust has settled and the Budget bill is just finishing its trek through the legislative process, it’s time to look beyond the numbers and ask, what does Ontario Budget 2017 mean for the nonprofit sector? This is the first balanced Budget since the 2008-09 downturn and a Budget with the 2018 election clearly in its sights. As ONN noted it its budget...
Read More
19
May 2017The long or short road to retirement
In our June 2016 blog, we highlighted how the pensions file at ONN grew out of our decent work agenda and why nonprofit workers deserve to retire with a pension plan. In the nonprofit sector, a lot of people do not have a workplace pension plan but wish they did, while others do not know where to begin on retirement planning, especially workers at the...
Read More
17
May 2017Highlights from GO Open Data Conference 2017
Over 150 people gathered in London, Ontario for the Go Open Data 2017 conference May 5 & 6. This was a cross-section of folks from government, the private sector, academia, and the nonprofit sector who all share a common interest in open data. Together, we shared a full day of learning and discussion about the potential and challenges that open data presents. Here are a few of...
Read More
21
Apr 2017Community benefits policy must be at the core of Ontario’s infrastructure investment strategy
Social procurement expands our understanding of “value for money,” beyond the lowest cost to include the broader costs and benefits of our collective purchasing power. That sometimes means “fair trade” or “sweatshop free labour,” but it can go much further. Like buying from companies that hire and promote marginalized workers or take measures beyond regulatory requirements to reduce their carbon impact. This is not just...
Read More
12
Apr 2017We can all be allies for creating decent work
With the final recommendations of the Changing Workplaces Review coming this spring and potential changes to Ontario’s employment and labour laws, the launch of the Better Way Alliance is bringing attention to employers who are championing decent work practices such as fair wages, stable employment and paid sick days. The Better Way Alliance is made up of over 20 small businesses and nonprofits in Ontario,...
Read More
09
Apr 2017A call to action on youth employment
Thank you to Imagine Canada for permission to repost this article. This article is a joint effort by Rachel Gouin of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada; Joelle Lewis of Big Brothers Big Sisters; Jesse Clarke of Pathways to Education; Bernadette Johnson of Imagine Canada; and Justin Ho, Chair of the Youth Employment in the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector Working Group. Broadly speaking, it is...
Read More
05
Apr 2017The big unveil: A strategic plan to strengthen the Ontario nonprofit sector
This year, ONN celebrates the 10 year anniversary of our grassroots beginning. With a research fellow, the indomitable Lynn Eakin, a visionary steering committee, an inspiring place to call home at the Centre for Social Innovation, and a founding issue (the good ol’ Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporation Act or “ONCA”), we had set the stage for a new way of organizing: a networked approach to public...
Read More
15
Mar 2017The value of followship
What would you think if I told you that you should become a Follower? From childhood, we are taught the value of leadership. We are encouraged to develop our skills in leadership, from the classroom to the workplace. Often, the benefits of leadership are tied to ideas of individual success. I will lead. I will take charge. I will be successful. What we can often...
Read More
02
Mar 2017Managing the Year-End Buying Crunch
Tell us if you’ve heard this one before: “The good news is that we have additional funding. The bad news is that we have to spend it by the end of March!” Ahh, the end of the budget year can create any number of challenges, but none generate mixed feelings like the last minute discovery of extra funds. Whether created by an unexpected source of...
Read More
09
Feb 2017The groundwork for leadership across generations
Have we been here before? Last year, inequality, challenges to democracy, and labour force reform weighed on the minds of many nonprofit workers. Past generations were no strangers to similar problems, albeit under different conditions. Some of us may take comfort in seeing patterns in history to help understand how and why we repeat, recycle, or renew them. We would be remiss if we did...
Read More