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Billionaire Blindspot: How official data understates the severity of Canadian wealth inequality
Statistics Canada's official wealth survey significantly underestimates wealth inequality. Canada’s wealth concentration is not as extreme as in the United States, but closer than official data suggest. This misleading portrait undermines Canadians’ ability to have an evidence-informed conversation about how to address growing wealth concentration and the threats it represents for economic resilience and democratic stability.
Inclusive search fund concept paper
Search funds allow entrepreneurs without capital to buy small businesses. However, only an exclusive club can access the financing to do so and are often forced to re-sell their businesses. We’ve put a twist on the search-fund model to make it more inclusive and long-term.
Building an employee ownership economy
New research continues to demonstrate that employee ownership fosters economic resilience. As in previous economic crises, employee-owned companies were better at retaining employees and at maintaining hours and salaries throughout the pandemic. In a post-pandemic economic environment, the demonstrated benefits of increased employee retention and alignment by employee-owned companies will be even more important to support economic growth.
Business-in-a-box concept paper
Small, independent businesses are the backbone of our economy. Unfortunately, they’ve become harder to start and struggle to compete with large chains. We’ve been inspired by owner-owned cooperatives that help small businesses thrive.
Rate drop rebate: final evaluation report
The story of the Rate Drop Rebate pilot, including key milestones, successes, dilemmas, insights and lessons learned. The Rate Drop Rebate was a unique partnership that brought SCP together with financial institutions, publicly funded employment service providers and the Government to reduce unfair barriers to employment and help grow the province’s small and mid-sized businesses.
Partnership council on employment oportunities for people with disabilities
The Partnership Council champions the hiring of people with disabilities and provides strategic advice to the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure to enhance employment opportunities for Ontarians with disabilities.
Working together: Implementing a demand-led employment and training system
Canada’s approach to training and development needs reform. Billions of dollars are spent annually on job training and skills development, with limited evidence of lasting benefits. Most problematic, employers’ talent needs (i.e., actual skills demand) are not formally embedded in the process of determining how or where money is spent, leaving a fundamental disconnect between demand for skills and the investments being made by governments.
A Fine Balance: What Inner City Renovations taught us about managing social and economic objectives inside business models
What are reasonable profitability targets for a social enterprise start-up with a mission to create employment for disadvantaged populations? How does external financing play a role in the execution of the social mission and how does a social mission as a key part of the business model impact the ability to reach profitability targets? SCP showcases one of our early investments and highlights key learnings about the inherent mission tensions in these business models.
Social return on investment report: TurnAround Couriers
SCP reports on six years of TurnAround Couriers, a social-purpose business dedicated to helping at-risk youth in the Greater Toronto Area overcome social and economic obstacles by providing them with a chance to get ahead.