October 30th, 2007

The social economy at work: Delegates to a conference in Victoria hear of academic's role in changing the lives of impoverished Brazilian waste collectors
A UVic assistant professor is playing a bit part in changing the world's economic forces through garbage. Of course, Jutta Gutberlet objects to the word "garbage" used in the context of her work. She's co-ordinator of a $1-million project in Brazil aimed at improving networks among 400 people who informally pick up waste, separate it, and then resell it. The material is a "valuable resource," particularly to those Brazilians eking out a living from selling it. Gutberlet believes her work, sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency, could have local applications.

Women bring international tastes to the business world: Local and international business women offer advice, resources
The Marine Institute was alive with crafts and delicacies from all over the world this past Saturday, Oct. 20, with the first conference and workshop in St. John’s for multicultural women who want to start their own businesses. The event, put off by the Multicultural Women’s Organization of Newfoundland (MWONL), mainly focused on methods for marketing crafts and food, along with some general business skills. Other resource providers at the conference include Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship Memorial, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Women in Business Initiative, Metro Business Opportunities, the Newfoundland Association of Community Business Development Corporations, and the Newfoundland Organization of Women Entrepreneurs.

The Bank of the South: An Alternative to IMF and World Bank Dominance
In July, 2004, the IMF and World Bank commemorated the 60th anniversary of their founding at Bretton Woods, NH to provide a financial framework of assistance for the postwar world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan. With breathtaking hypocrisy, an October, 2004 Development Committee Communique stated: "As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Institutions....we recommit ourselves to supporting efforts by developing countries to pursue sustainable growth, sound macroeconomic policies, debt sustainability, open trade, job creation, poverty reduction and good governance." Phew. In fact, for 63 hellish years, both these institutions achieved mirror opposite results on everything the above comment states. From inception, their mission was to integrate developing nations into the Global North-dominated world economy and use debt repayment as the way to transfer wealth from poor countries to powerful bankers in rich ones.

First Nations communities benefit from program print this article
Development officers from four Cape Breton First Nations communities are among those to graduate from a three-year professional certification program in community economic development. The Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) held a ceremony for 20 members of the Atlantic Aboriginal Economic Developers Network in Kamloops, B.C., Thursday. The CANDO designation provides certification as either professional aboriginal economic developer or technician aboriginal economic developer and indicates achievement of a performance standard that isrecognized throughout the country. “We took training for the past three years, a week at a time,” noted Tracy Menge, one of the graduates and director of economic development with Eskasoni, First Nation. “The training was interesting because it brought in all the community experiences too ... you learned a lot that way, rather than just in the classroom or doing it yourself. You got to draw on the experience of all the other communities as well.”