An informal network of non-profit

community organization Community organization or Community Based Organization refers to organization aimed at making desired improvements to a community's social health, well-being, and overall functioning. Community organization occurs in geographically, psychosocially, ...

s across Canada. The work of social planning organizations (also referred to as "Social Planning Councils") focuses on a range of community development and social justice issues.

Purpose

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 Community mobilization is an attempt to bring both human and non-human resources together to undertake developmental activities in order to achieve sustainable development. Process Community mobilization is a process through which action is s ...

, and *

Advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

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

Immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

and newcomer services * Affordable housing *

Social determinants of health The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. They are the health promoting factors found in one's living and working conditions (such as the d ...

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

and social exclusion *"The working poor" and living wage *

Social determinants of health in poverty The social determinants of health in poverty describe the factors that affect impoverished populations' health and health inequality. Inequalities in health stem from the conditions of people's lives, including living conditions, work environment ...

* Social inequality *

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

mapping and social indicator work

Challenges

Social planning organizations face numerous challenges in their work: *High complexity of social issues *Government-Related Challenges **Implications of

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

and municipal

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

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

government priorities (greater challenges to put poverty on the agenda) **Impact of service downloading from government to private,

non-government A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active i ...

and non-profit organizations. *Demographic Challenges **Growing immigrant and visible minority populations **Diverse types of communities ( urban, rural, northern, remote, reserves) **Growing ethnic,

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

and linguistic diversity * Economic and

Infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

Challenges **Shifting regional economies (e.g. urbanization) **Changing social infrastructure needs **Increasing

economic disparity There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...

( Income inequality metrics)

History

Informal networking between SPOs has taken place to varying degrees since 1976. In the beginning, th
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. Th
Social Planning Network of Ontario
(SPNO) has often facilitated discussions between Ontario-based organizations.

National SPO collaborations

Falling Fortunes
(2006–2008)

A two-year national project (January 2006 through March 2008) aimed at identifying strategies to improve the income and wages, including the living wage, of young families and their children. Partners:
Community Services Council, Newfoundland and LabradorFamily Service Association of TorontoSocial Planning Council of WinnipegFirst Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition

(2003)

A multi-year cross-Canada civic initiative with the purpose of enhancing social inclusion across Canada. The goals of Inclusive Cities Canada (ICC) are to strengthen the capacity of cities to create and sustain inclusive communities for the mutual benefit of all people, and to ensure that community voices of diversity are recognized as core Canadian ones. Partners:
Social Planning & Research Council of British ColumbiaEdmonton Social Planning CouncilCommunity Development Halton

Human Development Council of Saint JohnFederation of Canadian Municipalities

List of social planning organizations

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

*Social Planning Coalition of the Northwest Territories

British Columbia

Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria
Victoria
Social Planning & Research Council of British Columbia
*United Way Research Services - United Way of the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

* Mission Association for Social Planning
Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan
*

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

Social Planning Council - this is not in BC, it is in Australia
Social Planning Council of Williams Lake and Area

Williams Lake
BC

Alberta

Edmonton Social Planning Council

Saskatchewan

* Regina Council on Social Development

Manitoba

Winnipeg Social Planning Council

Ontario

Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO)

Amherstburg Community Services

Lakeshore Community Services

Community Social Planning Council Kingsville – Leamington

Community Development Council Durham

Community Development Council of Quinte

Community Development Halton
*

Social Planning Toronto Social Planning Toronto is a non-profit community organization, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that works to improve equity, social justice and quality of life for residents through community capacity building, community education and advo ...