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This Process is Personal

Community change is personal.  It is, at its very core, about changing citizens and communities for the better.  However, we often depersonalize this process.  We talk about services, programs, statistics and organizations in a way that removes the face of citizens.  Perhaps this makes the process easier.  It also removes the urgency of the issue.  If we don’t reflect on the daily impact that citizens are facing in our communities, we can spend endless time in conversation about the problem.   

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How Can Data Transform the Sector?

Recently, there was a gathering in Toronto focused on how the voluntary or community benefits sector engages with data to advance and even transform community outcomes. This was the second stop on a world tour by the Data on Purpose group from Stanford University.

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Historical Moment for Unanimously Endorsed Neighbourhood Strategy

It's official. The City Council of Kitchener, Ontario unanimously endorsed an inspiring new neighbourhood strategy that allows residents to take the lead.

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Sharpening One’s Saw in Rural Communities

As interest in collective impact grows, the question of how this work can look in rural communities continues to arise.

Rural communities face unique challenges when considering collective impact. With sparse organizational infrastructure and minimal philanthropic dollars, rural collective impact practitioners are asking: What does a backbone organization – or even a backbone function – look like when there are few local organizations, and even fewer private or public sector funds available to support the work?

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It is a Total Team Effort

Vibrant Communities was pleased to recently present a webinar with Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, host of our 2016 Cities Reducing Poverty summit, and Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who will host this year’s summit from April 4-6. Their conversation was facilitated by Brock Carlton, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. If you didn’t get the chance to join that webinar, we’ve pulled out some excerpts from the conversation for you below. Time annotations are included so you can click through the webinar recording to hear more (full recording available below).

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Mandatory Winter Tires and Poverty

Yes, perhaps an odd title for a posting. I was on my way back home from meeting downtown with Alberta Government colleagues who also work in the poverty reduction arena and I heard this call-in show about winter tires, and more to the point, about whether or not winter tires should be mandatory.

They are mandatory in Quebec now, but even in some provinces without a mandatory requirement, more than 80% of drivers have winter tires. Not so in Alberta, where the percentage is just over 50%. I'm not sure about other low percentage-provinces, but here is what went through my mind.

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