Social planning organizations in Canada

The general purpose of social planning organizations is to help build and strengthen community.

Social planning organizations may undertake a variety of activities, including:

• Conducting social research
• Policy analysis and development
• Planning, convening and collaborating
• Social enterprise and social innovation
• Community mobilization, and
• Advocacy

Their work focuses around social issues affecting individuals and families, including:

• Diversity
• Immigrant/refugee and newcomer services
• Affordable housing
• Social determinants of health
• poverty and social exclusion
• "The working poor" and living wage
• Social determinants of health in poverty
• Social inequality
• GIS mapping and social indicator work

Social planning organizations face numerous challenges in their work:

• High complexity of social issues
• Government-Related Challenges
  • Implications of federal, provincial and municipal budget measures
  • Reshaping of the social policy agenda
  • Shifting role of the state in social policy (e.g. federal/provincial responsibilities, focus on the "fiscal imbalance," etc.)
  • Changing relationships with all levels of government
  • Changing provincial government priorities (greater challenges to put poverty on the agenda)
  • Impact of service downloading from government to private, non-government and non-profit organizations.
• Demographic Challenges
  • Growing immigrant and visible minority populations
  • Diverse types of communities (urban, rural, northern, remote, reserves)
  • Growing ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity
• Economic and Infrastructure Challenges
  • Shifting regional economies (e.g. urbanization)
  • Changing social infrastructure needs
  • Increasing economic disparity (Income inequality metrics)

Informal networking between SPOs has taken place to varying degrees since 1976. In the beginning, the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) took a leadership role in bringing the local/regional councils together around social policy issues. Since the 1980s, individuals social planning organizations have taken a greater role in organizing SPO conferences and collaborating on social issues.

Due to the high number of social planning organizations in Ontario, communication and collaboration between SPOs in that province are more frequent than in other provinces across Canada. The Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO) has often facilitated discussions between Ontario-based organizations.

• Canadian Council on Social Development
• Canadian Council on Social Development – Canadian Political Parties and Political Interest Groups – Web Archive created by the University of Toronto Libraries
• CCSD list of Canadian Social Planning Councils
• Inclusive Cities Canada
• Falling Fortunes Canada

• http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2006/spn/spo_meeting_may2006.pdf
• http://www.inclusivecities.ca/index.html