Making Waves Magazine: Home Page

Canadian Centre for Community Renewal

Rigorous analysis of economic development practice and policy, project and organizational profiles, networking opportunities - since 1991, making waves has been offering the straight goods on what CED and social economy practitioners in Canada are thinking and doing.

But change is in the wind! Upheaval in climate, food supply, and the price of energy are placing demands on communities that call for us to take a new approach to communications - a stronger mix of media to serve a greater range of readers with a still higher quality of journalism. So Making Waves will come to a close in 2009 ... and something new will take its place, and then some.

Sound scary? Relax! This will be fun.

In the meantime, scroll down this page to tour the table of contents of the current issue of the magazine. You can also request a trial issue. Click here to write an article for making waves, and click here to advertise.

MAKING WAVES, SUMMER 2009: CONTENTS

An End and A Beginning

After nearly 20 years, Making Waves magazine is coming to an end. Starting in 2010 we will offer instead a more internet-based suite of communications that allows subscribers to wade, paddle, or plunge into experiences and strategies of community resilience in a time of global turbulence. Surf's up! Read it now.

Regenerating Regional Food Systems

Almost all local food strategies focus on the demand for local food. Mistake! A huge investment has to happen on the supply side - on regional infrastructures for processing and distributing local food in high volumes, year round. Small farmers have to profit by such a system. Just don't expect them to finance it, too. Read it now.

Building Local Assets

Canada's community investment sector continues to grow and diversify. A survey by the Canadian Community Investment Network Co-operative reveals that in 2008 nearly 500 organizations provided at least $1.4 billion in financial products and services to underserved populations and organizations. Read it now.

Marketing Social Enterprise

Conventional marketing is about the superior quality of a product or service. Cause marketing is about how "good" customers are entitled to feel after they make the "right" purchase decision. It's a trap. Inner City Renovations (Winnipeg) and Potluck Catering (Vancouver) tell how they fell into it headlong - and how they climbed back out again. Read it now.

Social Enterprise, Unlimited

The United Kingdom has its Community Interest Companies; the United States is working on its Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies. What's our problem? Lacking legal recognition, Canada's social enterprises often go to great lengths just to avoid attention. Imagine if they too could devote all their energy to their real work! Happily, a move is now afoot to help Canadian law catch up with that of our friends and neighbours. Read it now.

TRIAL ISSUES

Like to assess Making Waves for yourself? We would be happy to mail you a print copy at no charge. Please send your request via e-mail, including a complete street address, and your trial issue will arrive shortly.