city building : Innovation + Job News

Though many of us still think of libraries as a place to pick up the latest fiction or catch up on back copies of favourite magazines, there's a substantial amount of programming that is oriented to very practical, day-to-day aspects of life in the city.

One example: resources available to small businesses, ranging from meeting space to specialized business databases. Libraries are increasingly becoming community hubs in Toronto, places where workshops and other events can be as important as what's on the shelves.

A part of all this: the library's entrepreneur-in-residence program, which is now entering its second year. This year's entrepreneur in residence is Jean Chow, a business coach with decades of small business experience. She'll be officially launching the program with an on-stage Q&A at the Toronto Reference Library on Wednesday, October 2; a second event—a drop-in session for entrepreneurs seeking advice—takes place a week later, on October 9.

It isn't just public events though. Chow will be offering other support as well. "Part of the [program's] mandate," she explains, "is to have a look at newly submitted business ideas, and…select 20 of them to give one-on-one consultations on how entrepreneurs can start their business." Effectively, Chow will be providing a free session of business coaching to each of the 20 applicants whose ideas she thinks are most promising. (If you're interested in taking part, you have until October 16 to submit your application.)

We asked Chow what she'd be looking for in the proposals, and what would make an applicant stand out.

"Number one," she says, "what i'm looking for is uniqueness and how well you know your customer. You know not only what you're selling, but who you're selling to." She wants ideas she hasn't heard before, and ones that are well-timed given current trends. After that, Chow goes on, what matters is the applicants themselves—whether they have any entrepreneurial experience (even with a family member who might have exposed them to the mindset a new business owner needs) and whether they are deeply passionate about their idea.

But what's most important to Chow is that people come out, and give a workshop or an application a try. "The library programs are free and they're good for any level of business learning," she emphasizes, and taking steps to learn more is the essential first step.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Jean Chow, Entrepreneur in Residence, Toronto Public Library

With the emergence of social enterprise, and the increasing visibility of many social, and especially environmental, issues, many more investors are becoming interested in using private capital to not only generate revenue, but also tackle some of our greatest problems. Helping to match investors with the enterprises that might achieve these goals: Social Venture Connection (SVX), an online platform that's just been launched by MaRS with the help of the Province and several private partners.

Billed by the Ontario government as the first such system in North America, SVX is a registered dealer with the Ontario Securities Commission. At launch, 12 ventures (including both non-profit and for-profit enterprises) were registered, ranging from an organic farm supply company to ZooShare, which is piloting a biogas plant at the Toronto Zoo. Their goal is to attract what are dubbed "impact investors," ones who have "a focus on achieving positive social and/or environmental outcomes and modest to market-rate financial returns," according to SVX's website. 

It's the first step towards a larger goal of creating a full-fledged regulated market, one that functions much like any mainstream exchange but with an explicit focus on social impacts.

Because SVX vets the enterprises that apply to be listed, and also provides some support services to the ones that make the cut, the idea—or at least the hope—is that those enterprises that do get selected will have an easier time attracting investors. SVX is also actively working to identity potential investors, ones who are known to have an interest in the social implications of the ventures they support.

To be eligible for consideration, ventures must have been incorporated in Ontario for at least two years, and have revenues between $50,000 and $25 million a year.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment

Toronto's got no shortage of well-intentioned people who care enough about various issues to devote their days to launching non-profits, charities, social enterprises, and businesses with social or environmental missions. Not everyone who starts such a venture knows quite how to make it succeed, however, which is why we're seeing more and more incubators and accelerators targeting this sector in particular.

The latest entrant: Cause School, a project that was just launched by Julia Howell in conjunction with communications firm Corktown Seed Company. The idea is to provide a sort of bootcamp for a new venture, Howell explains—just one to start off with, as all the time and support involved are being donated.

Cause School has recruited 12 "faculty" members with expertise in a variety of fields. The founder(s) of the winning project will spend two hours with each one, learning about everything from funding and networking to community engagement. After that, Corktown will provide branding and marketing support, helping the project polish its identity.

What's most important is that applicants demonstrate that they have an initiative that's ready to go, Howell says. It could be a new venture or a project launched by an existing group, and that group can take any form (social enterprise, registered charity, etc.).

Cause School is looking for something "that isn't already being done," she goes on, and "it could be anything: it could be a cultural initiative, it could be an environmental project, it could be in social justice."

What will matter in selecting the winning project is that the applicants have "the basic framework to make [their project] happen"—that they have reliable people involved, perhaps have completed some market testing, and have other fundamentals already in place. It's a crash course for those needing to fine-tune, in other words, rather than a place for people who aren't sure how to begin.

If you're interested you can apply via a simple online form; the deadline is October 14. A shortlisted group will then be invited to make more detailed pitches in person.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Julia Howell, Founder, Cause School

Kathleen Wynne has announced the details of a new program that aims to attract new investment to Ontario, and specifically, to highlight development opportunities in municipalities across the province.

Called the Investment Ready: Certified Site Program, the goal is effectively to create a roster of pre-screened sites in each municipality that are available for development, to help potential investors hone in on venues that might make good homes for their ventures.

"We want to cut red tape to attract investment across the province," the premier said in a speech to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario earlier this month, when introducing the program. "It shows companies around the world the places in your municipalities that are ready to be developed, giving them increased certainty about environmental concerns, utility lines and servicing access. In practical terms, it means businesses can quickly make more informed decisions, and help expansion projects get underway sooner. "

Candidate sites will go through a certification process—applications should be available by the end of the calendar year—and if they are successfully certified will be entered into several databases that the provincial government will be promoting. (The government will also help defray some of the costs of participating, though the particulars of that aspect of the program haven't yet been released.)

The eligible properties must be of a certain minimum size (four hectares), zoned for industrial use, and meet other criteria with respect to the utilities and services that are in place on site.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Office of the Premier

Toronto has theatre festivals, art festivals, music festivals, food festivals, comedy festivals, vegetarian food festivals--festivals for just about every cultural interest, it seems. But we don't have a science festival, or at least we didn't until now. That will change next month, when the University of Toronto launches what it hopes will become an annual event: the Toronto Science Festival.

Just like all the other festivals we're familiar with, the goal in large part is to demystify, to attract curious members of the public who aren't experts or deeply involved in a certain community, but want to learn more.

"The idea," says Michael Reid, public outreach coordinator for UofT's Dunlap Institute, "was to try and engage people in science in a new way. We run a lot of events that attract a sort of standard audiences--public lectures, tours of our observatory--those tend to attract a crowd of people who are already quite scientifically literate."

The intention with the Toronto Science Festival is to help the public engage with science in some nontraditional ways, to offer scientific programming in new formats, and to use those unexpected formats to help people understand some of the latest innovations and research developments coming out of UofT and other key institutions. (Reid describes it as being something like Luminato, but for all kinds of scientific engagement.)

"Very generally, I don't see a lot of science on the broader cultural landscape," Reid goes on. "There isn't to my knowledge any kind of major science knowledge event that's directed at everybody." Which is why, perhaps, TSF's first year will include such unconventional events as a jazz performance by a climate scientist whose lyrics discuss physics, and a biologically-inspired dance performance by a classical Indian company.

The festival is co-sponsored by the Dunlap Institute and by UofT Science Engagement, a new office created in the past year by the university to try to foster public engagement with science and innovation.

The 2013 Toronto Science Festival will run from September 27–29 at locations across the St. George campus.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Michael Reid, Public Outreach Co-ordinator, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

When the question of how to ensure workers are compensated reasonably for their work arises, one standard that is often invoked is the minimum wage: the notion that governments should protect workers from exploitation by ensuring they are paid a rate than covers their basic needs. (Whether or not current minimum wages accomplish that goal is a separate question.)

More recently though, a new kind of question has emerged, namely one about equity within a company--not just establishing a minimum threshold for every worker, but assessing the difference between how much the lowest and highest earners within a company make. Especially in the wake of movements like Occupy, the idea that senior executives make twenty or thirty or a hundred times more than their junior employees strikes many as unfair, unhealthy for corporate cultures, and damaging to the well-being of the economy overall.

Enter Wagemark, a new international standard for this metric. The Wagemark Foundation just launched specifically to promote this standard, one which it suggests should be an 8:1 ratio:  that is, in any company, the top earner should make no more than eight times as much as the lowest earner.

Peter MacLeod, executive director of the Wagemark Foundation, is also the co-founder of MASS LBP, a consultation firm that focuses on increasing public engagement. Explaining the relationship he sees between these projects, MacLeod told us that "at MASS, we're really interested and concerned in issues like trust and confidence in public institution and well being of members of society... how people can be better involved in policy-making, and work with institutions that they will then hopefully be more inclined to trust." However, he goes on, "this only gets you so far if the economic picture is concerning. Inequality is just unhealthy...it affects everything from crime rates to maternal health to mental health.'

Though the greatest wage disparities are found in the largest corporations, Wagemark is in its first stages aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses. MacLeod says that it's important to note that it isn't just a company's size that helps determine the disparities among the wages its workers earn--geography and culture matter as well.

In countries with the lowest overall wage disparities, such as Japan or Scandinavian nations, there are cultural influences (such as an emphasis on the values of modesty or the common good) that "have influenced contemporary compensation structures."

Wagemark's goal in beginning with smaller companies is "to begin to create that as a cultural norm in North America and [western] Europe"--to start shifting our expectations, and then have those expectations begin to percolate up into larger corporate structures.

We asked MacLeod whether it was mere coincidence that a new standard like Wagemark would emerge here. "If there is fertile ground in this country," he replied, "it's because we have a huge middle class that hasn't recovered…and has huge anxiety that we're being sorted out into different groups and income brackets...and I think that's out of step with Canadian values. I hope that Wagemark speaks to Canadian values."

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Peter MacLeod, Executive Director, Wagemark Foundation

Toronto is stocked with an increasing array of incubators, accelerators, mentorship programs, and commercialization programs. But how do you know if you're ready to apply and participate in those full-fledged programs? One way to find out: try out an idea in a low-risk environment, and garner reaction before you get too far along.

Would-be entrepreneurs will have the chance to do just that at Startup Weekend, coming to Toronto August 9-11. Startup Weekends run in cities across the world, organized by a non-profit of the same name, and the goal is simple: help someone launch a startup in just 54 hours.

This upcoming Toronto installment has a theme: education.

"The startup weekends are a movement of entrepreneurs across the world who want to get together and practice the startup process in a really compressed timeframe," explains MaRS education specialist Joseph Wilson, one of the event's co-organizers. "The EDU angle on it is that there's so much interest in the education entrepreneurship space that specific verticals of startup weekends [became appealing]."

Startup Weekend EDU will be the first sector-specific weekend in Toronto, and the first education-themed weekend in Canada. "Toronto and Ontario are very good relatively speaking in education," Wilson continues, "and this has informed the entrepreneurship scene in the city. In the last few years we've seen an explosion of ed tech companies...and there are even more in the water, which we're hoping to draw out with something like this."

The weekend is open to people with a wide variety of skill sets, ranging from developers to designers to educators. The weekend is structured progressively: at the outset anyone can pitch an idea, and then based on the strength of various pitches, teams form around the most promising and work through them throughout the weekend.

"You can't build a product" in a weekend, of course, Wilson concedes. But what you can do, "is push yourself to push out a prototype or a quick beta, to test the concept, to quickly test the idea in the most practical way possible." It's a form of crowdsourcing, in a way, except not to raise money but to establish an idea's viability.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Joseph Wilson, co-organizer, Startup Weekend EDU

Though Toronto prides itself on being a welcoming place for immigrants--half of us come from elsewhere, after all--a new study shows that the long-term employment prospects for immigrants are often bleaker than for those born here.

The study, An Immigrant All Over Again? Recession, Plant Closures and (Older) Racialized Immigrant Workers, comes out of the Centre for Labour Management Relations at Ryerson University, and examined what happened when more than 2,000 Toronto-area workers--a large majority of whom were racialized immigrants--suddenly lost their jobs when auto-parts manufacturer Progressive Moulded Products shut down a local factory in 2008.

Researchers tracked the employees in the years that followed, following their experiences in the labour market, with retraining programs, in temp agencies, and elsewhere. They note, especially, that since those workers had been coming out of a long-term stable employment situation, they "might have been considered successfully 'settled' and 'integrated'."

Unfortunately, the report goes on, "participants' struggles to find the appropriate training and stable re-employment in the years after the [plant's] closure suggest that, for many immigrant workers, their immigrant status never disappears."

Among the study's key findings:

• Only one third of the workers studied have found secure full-time employment since the plant shut down.
• Men have had an easier time finding re-employment of any kind.
• While half the study's participants completed career retraining, only one quarter of that group found work in their new field.
• While 42 per cent of the study's participants found new work via temp agencies, many found those agencies to be "exploitative and discriminatory."
• Almost 70 per cent of workers surveyed "believe discrimination has been a barrier…in getting work."

The study has put together a series of detailed recommendations emerging out of its research, ranging from increased regulation of temp agencies to the suggestion that settlement services "should not be restricted solely for newcomers… Services should be extended to all users based on needs instead of being determined by the length of their stay in Canada."

Writer: Hamutal Dotan

In the world of books, major publishing house Penguin is hiring a digital and social media coordinator to both maintain their websites and work on engagement campaigns. Also the literary sector, the Ontario Arts Council is looking for a literature officer to help manage their grants programs. The post is for a five-year term.

Hart House, the cultural hub at the University of Toronto's downtown campus, is looking for an education and production coordinator for a 10-month contract to provide support to their theatre programming. Finally, the Canadian Opera Company is seeking an assistant music librarian. It requires a strong background in music and familiarity with standard office computer programs.

UNITY, a charity that works to empower youth through artistic self-expression, has three posts available. They are hiring a program coordinator, a festival & volunteer coordinator, and a managing director, operations. Contracts, qualifications, and salaries vary per posting. 

If you're interested in urban agriculture, non-profit Cultivate Toronto is looking for a community relationship manager. The organization focuses on creating food gardens in people's front and back yards, and the position involves developing and maintaining relationships with program participants.

In technology jobs, the Ontario Public Service is on the hunt for a senior interactive developer with significant experience working with open source technologies and platforms.

And finally, in leadership positions, the Jane Goodall Institute is looking for a new CEO. The position requires experience both in conservation and in financial management, and they are hoping to find a billingual candidate. Among environmental groups, think tank Pembina is looking for a single candidate to split their time between two functions: director of development for the Pembina Institute, and exective director for the associated Pembina Foundation.

Know of any innovative job opportunities? Let us know!

As befits the season, there are many seasonal job posting right now, especially in the areas of gardening, urban agriculture, and the environment.

Evergreen, based out of the Brick Works, is hiring an urban agriculture program assistant for the summer. Applicants must be under 30 years of age and returning to full-time post-secondary studies in the fall, and will work both on the green spaces at the Brick Works and in delivering programs across the Toronto region.

Green Thumb Growing Kids, a charity that helps urban children learn about how to grow, cook, and enjoy fresh food, is also hiring summer students: they are looking for two garden program leaders to help maintain school gardens and develop children's garden programs. Applicants can be younger in this case—the age range is 15-30—but must be returning to some kind of full-time study in the fall.

Also in this area, Central Toronto Community Health Centres is looking for a garden and program support worker to run weekly programs, maintain a community kitchen, and provide other assistance as needed. This too is a program for students under 30 returning to studies at the end of the summer. Another community organization, the Agincourt Community Services Association, is on the hunt for some similar help: they are trying to find two urban agriculture facilitators for the summer to promote youth engagement in gardening and healthy eating.

Finally in this sector, the Toronto Botanical Garden is seeking a teaching assistant for their children's programs. The assistant will be working with children aged 3-11 enrolled in the Gardens' summer camp programs, as well as help with maintaining the teaching gardens.

Also for students, but in another area of environmental work: TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative, which focuses on energy conservation, has a summer opening for a communications and research assistant to help with their ongoing outreach and marketing efforts.

Moving on to the cultural sector, FACTOR, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings, is hiring a full-time project coordinator to manage an artists' client base. Also looking for a project coordinator is ArtReach Toronto, which focuses on engaging youth who typically have a hard time accessing arts programming. It's a six-month, part-time contract, and the coordinator's primary responsibility will be to develop a series of cultural career workshops.

One last, and particularly noteworthy opportunity: Diaspora Dialogues, which supports diversity in the creation of new literature in Canada, is seeking a new artistic director. The position is part time, and the successful candidate will play the lead role in shaping the overall direction programming takes in future.

Do you know of a great job opportunity? Let us know by emailing [email protected]. 

Entrepreneurs who have a business idea that aims to make the world a better place--who are pursuing environmental, social, and cultural goals in their work--now have a new source of seed funding in Ontario.

The province, in conjunction with Toronto's Centre for Social Innovation and several private sector partners, has just launched what is being billed as Canada's first microloan program geared specifically to social entrepreneurs. The Ontario Catapult Microloan Fund--consisting of $600,000 that will be distributed to applicants in $5,000 to $25,000 increments--was officially unveiled on May 24.

"Everyone complains about access to capital," says Tonya Surman, CEO of the Centre for Social Innovation, who first brought the proposal to the province, "and I just got sick of it."

To try and improve matters, Surman proposed what she hopes will become an "evergreen" fund. The money for the fund comes from TD Bank, Microsoft Canada, Alterna Savings, KPMG and Social Capital Partners, and since it will be repaid by the recipients over time, the goal is to have the microloan program continue on an ongoing basis.

Surman says it's important for entrepreneurs to focus on the viability of their ideas, to test them in the marketplace and be sure they are offering something for which there is a real demand. That's why the fund is "not investing in early early early stage, we're investing in early stage" enterprises, she explains.

The fund is for social enterprises that are far enough along to have some sort of established cash flow but have hit their capacity limits and can "benefit from a cash infusion to facilitate the next stage of growth." More concretely, she goes on, that means people. "Really it's about job creation…I imagine 80 per cent of the money will be invested in [new positions]."

Applications will be accepted starting in mid-June. More information is available on Catapult's website.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Tonya Surman, CEO, Centre for Social Innovation

The most interesting opportunities we've spotted this week:

Harbourfront Centre is looking for an integrated communications specialist. It's a fulltime contract position for someone to develop marketing and media plans--both strategy and implementation.

Also in the cultural sector is ArtsSmarts, which helps organize classroom-based arts education programs. They are on the hunt for a project coordinator to help with several programs. It's an early (but not entry) level position, and the post is a nine-month contract.

Finally in this area, WorkInCulture, which supports career development in the cultural sector (in fact, it's the source of those previous two job listings) is seeking a marketing and communications manager; the position is permanent and fulltime.

MaRS Discovery District has a video production unit, which creates event and promotional videos for MaRS and its clients. They need a production/post-production manager to oversee this work and provide strategic advice as necessary. Meanwhile, the Mozilla Foundation is hiring a web developer with at least two years of experience.

For those with an interest in the environment, the Georgian Bay Land Trust needs a new executive director. The position is based in Toronto, but does require frequent travel to Georgian Bay. The charity is hoping to find someone with five to ten years experience, preferably in a non-profit.

In the social services sector, the Jane/Finch Community Centre is looking for a program manager for their Women Moving Forward initiative, a poverty-reduction program for mothers in their twenties. The centre is also looking for a mobilie community financial worker. This position is for someone who works from a variety of locations in the community providing financial management education.

Finally, the Ministry of Transportation is looking for a communications lead to oversee stakeholder and public engagement for the PanAm Games. It's a senior, temporary position that will run for up to two years.

Are you hiring or do you know of a great job opportunity? Let us know!

The most interesting and innovative opportunities we've spotted this week:

There are a good number of interesting openings in media right now. Canadian Journalists for Free Expression are hiring a digital development coordinator to work on IFEX, a network of organizations that promotes free expresion as a human right. Also, a new Canadian affairs and cultural magazine called Depict is launching soon. It will consist entirely of visual elements -- infographics and "visual storytelling" -- and they are looking for both a creative director and a graphic designer.

Continuing with the media opportunities, Global News is looking for a project manager with at least 3-5 years of experience to handle several digital projects. And finally, a very significant opening at the CBC: they are on the lookout for a new managing editor of cbcnews.ca--a senior position for someone with at least five years of related experience.

Moving on to the environmental sector, the Toronto Atmospheric Fund was established by the municipal government to provide support to new initiatives that combat climate change. They are currently seeking a summer intern for a 12-week project. The position is paid and candidates should have completed some graduate level work in public policy or environmental studies.

Real Food for Real Kids provides healthy catering for child care centres and camps, with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients. They are looking for an assistant kitchen manager.

In medical research, the Ontario Brain Institute is hiring for three six-month internships: one in industry relations, one in community outreach, and one in finance and governance. All the positions are paid, and applications are due by the end of this week.

And finally, Toronto-based financial software company FreshBooks is hiring for several positions, including a MySQL developer and a product manager.

Are you hiring or do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Email Yonge Street's innovation and jobs editor Hamutal Dotan to let her know. 

Last week the provincial government unveiled its draft budget for the year. A key highlight of that budget: $295 million over two years dedicated to boost youth employment and support initiatives in youth innovation and entrepreneurship.

The budget, which still needs to be passed in the Legislature, includes money for four separate initiatives:

An Ontario Youth Employment Fund, which comprises the bulk of the money: $195 million over two years. The province is proposing to offer incentives to employers to hire young people. Those incentives might include anything from wage subsidies for young workers as they receive training to help with purchasing tools and equipment when jobs require those. It's estimated this will create opportunities for up to 25,000 young Ontarians.

A Youth Entrepreneurship Fund to help support young entrepreneurs as they try to get new enterprises off the ground. This fund is for $45 million over two years, and is projected to created opportunities for 6,000 residents. Among the initiatives included here are mentorship help (matching young entrepreneurs with more experienced businesspeople who can coach them through launch); seed-stage financing (through small loans and grants, and administered through accelerator hubs); and high school outreach specifically for high school students with entrepreneurial interests.

A Youth Innovation Fund, which includes $10 million over two years to support commercialization specifically for post-doctoral fellows working in relevant industrial research areas. This fund also includes another $20 million for on-campus accelerators, including Ryerson's Digital Media Zone and U of T's Impact Centre.

A Business-Labour Connectivity and Training Fund: $25 million over two years, this fund would support pilot programs that help business identify and develop young talent.

The minority Liberal government will need the backing of the NDP in order to pass this budget. Supporting youth employment is part of the New Democrats' platform as well, and they aren't expected to challenge this portion of the budget as negotiations proceed.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan

The most interesting of the job opportunities we've come across this week:

News broke this week that Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president of English-language services at the CBC, was leaving that position to spearhead Twitter's first Canadian office. She's not the only person they're hiring: the social media company is currently on the lookout for an account executive and an account manager.

Also in tech openings, digital ad agency Dare Toronto is looking for a front end web developer with 4-5 years experience. Another firm, Usability Matters, is on the hunt for a graphic designer.

The Women's Healthy Environment Network works on promoting environmental health. They are looking for a volunteer, part-time executive director to lead their board.

In the cultural sector, the Ontario Public Service is looking for a senior program consultant to work in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and specifically to work on major events and festivals. Canada Arts Connect is seeking a managing editor for their magazine about Canadian cultural news. It's a part-time position--about 10-15 hours per week. And the Toronto International Film Festival continues its spate of seasonal hiring: they are now on the hunt for a senior marketing coordinator for a contract that runs from May through early October.

CivicAction, the non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to city-building in the GTA, is seeking a project manager to manage the development of new programs directed at youth facing challenges in finding employment. The post is for a nine month contract.

Also in urban initiatives, non-profit developer Artscape is looking for a development associate to help with three of their major annual fundraising events.

Finally, the Toronto Society of Architects is hiring an executive administrator with some scheduling flexibility (ranging from 20-40 hours per week) to oversee their day-to-day operations.

Are you hiring or do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Email Yonge Street's innovation and jobs editor Hamutal Dotan to let her know.