Perhaps an old concept for many of us, this article in the Harvard Business Review, "Shared Values" by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer may be a defining moment in the transformation of thinking about capitalism.

The social innovators in the world know and understand that that the economy versus environment paradigm is dead. We inherently embrace that within a 'collective interest' framework exists the 'self-interest' needed to sustain a living. We see the potential of making a living by doing good. We also know that the very best social innovations emerge out of community, aka... knowing ones customer.

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Community bonds, public lands, RRSP's, tax incentives and preferential mortgages - this is what will strengthen social enterprise in Ontario. CSI is looking for some quick and easy wins to move social enterprise forward. What do you think?

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MaRS has recently launched a White Paper on Legislative Innovation that is proposing that Ontario create a new legal form to hold activities that would be undertaken by what we would call a social enterprise or perhaps a social purpose business. They are using the term Community Enterprise. This is builds on Stacey Corriveau and Richard Bridge's piece on Legislative Innovation for Canada.

These are both important contributions to a conversation that continues to emerge in this country. However, before we come up with a new legal form, I think that it is worth looking at the forces at play that would make one want to put so much time into this space. I guess that there is a part of me that would love to see all of this energy actually put into creating social enterprises. Perhaps this is an enabling condition. I guess that this is the question.

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In the lead up to the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise, we have been seeking people's perspective on what they think Canada needs to enable a thriving social enterprise sector.

Over the next few weeks, we will be blogging about the six pillars to support social enterprise in Canada. All of this feedback will be integrated in our wiki but we also welcome your thoughts through our blog.

We start the mini series with a bit of background about what social enterprise is and what it can achieve.

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The Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise is fast approaching and we hope that many of you will be able to join us on Nov 18-20. In preparation and for those that are unable to attend, we want to invite you to have your input into the crafting of a National Policy Agenda for Social Enterprise. 

If you are interested in shaping a national policy platform for Social Enterprise in Canada, you are invited to go to The Social Enterprise Wiki.

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Cross-Posting from Tonya Surman's blog on May 15, 2009

Since opening in 2004, the Centre for Social Innovation has focused on catalyzing, supporting and inspiring social innovation. There is no doubt in my mind that social enterprise and social finance fall squarely within this realm.

Social enterprise is about blending social, environmental and business outcomes. It is about independence. It is about resilience. It is about having a voice. And, most importantly, it is about achieving a social mission. Social enterprise is not a panacea; it is a powerful and practical tool to enable the nonprofit sector to be more effective and less trapped by funding constraints.

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