City of Winnipeg to be Canada’s Social Enterprise

Employment Leader

Loney to Add 1,000 Social Enterprise Jobs in First Term

Released Sept 8, 2022

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Shaun Loney announced today that when elected mayor, he will leverage the City of Winnipeg’s Sustainable Procurement Action Plan to add at least 1,000 new jobs for Winnipeggers with barriers to employment.    

As part of the City of Winnipeg’s procurement process, the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan seeks to achieve ‘best value’ for taxpayers by amplifying the positive impacts of civic spending. This includes considering the positive environmental, ethical, social and Indigneous impacts by procuring civic goods and services from social enterprises. 

This aligns directly with Loney’s experience reducing policing and justice system costs by creating meaningful jobs for former gang members and others persons with significant barriers to employment.

Loney made his announcement at a building on Mountain Avenue currently being renovated by Purpose Construction. Joey Fagnon, Manager at Purpose Construction, joined Shaun at the press conference. 

 “Shaun is known internationally for creating jobs for people who have been left behind.  Winnipeg is ideally positioned and with his leadership we can really lean into the benefits that social enterprises have to offer.” 

Purpose Construction is among five social enterprises that Loney co-founded in Winnipeg – all making a difference by hiring people with barriers to employment.  Loney has also mentored and co-founded social enterprises in other cities such as Saskatoon, Brandon, Barrie, Sudbury, Toronto and St. John’s, Newfoundland. All of these ventures are non-profits.  

David Newman, former PC MLA and Cabinet Minister joined Loney at the press conference saying, “Shaun has the experience that Winnipeg needs now. I’m excited about what social enterprise can do for Winnipeg, to provide meaningful jobs as a positive alternative to criminal behaviour or social assistance.”

For his groundbreaking work as a social entrepreneur, Loney was awarded an international Ashoka Fellowship – the first in the Canadian Prairies. He is also a recipient of Ernst and Young’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year.   

“Winnipeg’s defining issue is our ability to connect the people who most need the work to the work that most needs to be done,” said Loney.    

Loney noted that through his homelessness and police financing reform strategies, emergency service providers would share financial savings with social enterprises as workloads are reduced over what they would  otherwise be. These revenues would be used to provide other supports, such as affordable housing, addictions treatment and mental health services for those entering the labour market in addition to training, parenting classes and financial literacy.

Loney’s Civic Social Enterprise Strategy:

  1. Use work created by his already announced Winnipeg Tree Trust to hire women who receive services from nonprofits; 

  2. Leverage the new City of Winnipeg Sustainable Procurement Action Plan to value social enterprises and contractors in the normal tendering process that are successful at training and hiring people such as new Canadians, Indigenous job seekers, people with disabilities and those who have previously been involved with Winnipeg police;

  3. Take advantage of incentives currently being offered by other levels of government to install solar, electric charging infrastructure, insulation and other green energy measures pairing this work with companies that will hire people with barriers to employment; and

  4. Work with the Government of Manitoba to see more ‘Producer Responsibility Organizations’ set up to recycle more plastics, textiles and appliances and link this work to create more jobs for people with barriers to employment.  

David LePage, Managing Partner of Buy Social Canada based in Vancouver said that “Winnipeg is so well positioned to show the rest of the country the path forward, especially with Shaun in the Mayor’s Chair.”  He noted that social procurement isn’t about spending more, it’s about getting more value.”

Jessica Floresco, General Manager of Mother Earth Recycling said that the City of Winnipeg doesn’t have to look far to see what’s possible. Due to a partnership with the City, Mother Earth Recycling has recycled thousands of mattresses and created dozens of jobs. “The model works. We just need way more of it” said Jessica. 

Backgrounder:

  • The City of Winnipeg spends about $400M annually on goods and services.

  • Winnipeg City Council joined other large cities in Canada by passing the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan in July 2022. This policy enables the City to value the social impact that vendors offer the City in their tendering decisions.

  • Social enterprises are businesses with a strong social purpose. In Winnipeg, these businesses are often non-profit organizations that use market tools to expand their impact. Much of Loney’s career has focused on social enterprises that hire people with significant barriers to employment.

  • Shaun has authored five books, four of them are about social enterprises. An Army of Problem Solvers has sold over 10,000 copies. His latest book, The Beautiful Bailout describes how governments can modernize their relationship with non-profits and how foundations can leverage their investments to expand their social and environmental impact.   

  • Shaun has conducted workshops and been a keynote speaker in over 100 communities across the country and internationally.  

  • Shaun has travelled to Scotland twice researching how the Scottish and local governments have created an ecosystem where 5,600 social enterprises are in operation resulting in positive social and economic impacts.