Social enterprises are businesses that possess a clear social, cultural or environmental purpose and that generate a significant portion of their revenue through the sale of goods or service.^[1]  They can be nonprofit or commercial.  In the latter case, they are typically certified as a social enterprise by a third party, such as B-Corp Canada or Buy Social Canada.  The social enterprise model is not new.  Conventionally associated with thrift stores and museum shops, some nonprofits have been operating social enterprises for half a century or more.  Vecova (formerly the VRRI), for example, was operating a gas station, bottle depot, shops, and various trades and manufacturing programs, all employing and building the vocational skills of persons with disabilities.^[2] In an early example of social procurement, in 1996 Vecova was awarded the baggage cart retrieval contract at the Calgary International Airport (YYC).  Vecova more recently has embarked on an ambitious $122 million capital campaign to develop its Centre for All Abilities.^[3]

There is not a lot of information in Canada specifically relating to the social enterprises and their role in enhancing access to employment, skill development and entrepreneurship. However, the Queen’s University’s School of Rehabilitation Therapy recently started a community-partnered research Initiative for Social Enterprise & Disability, which “brings together entrepreneurs, researchers, disability organizations, policy makers, students and other stakeholders to advance innovative and evidence-informed social entrepreneurship for people with disabilities and other sources of employment disadvantage.”^[4]

Another Canadian study looking at the role of social enterprise with respect to mental health observed that “models of social enterprise have generally helped alleviate mental health inequities by addressing social problems through innovative interventions that improve social value… Social enterprise may address these changes by mobilizing local resources to support marginalized populations while involving communities in helping to remove barriers that hinder social well-being. These approaches also promote self-sufficiency and efficiency, as they will generally redistribute profits back into the community.”^[5]  A social enterprise approach can increase access to community services, while challenging mental health stigma, offering a positive and safe non–clinical environment, and engaging with the public directly by utilizing a storefront model.

Many enterprises employ people with disabilities as the primary or contributing reason they can call themselves “social”:  Buy Social Canada, Canada’s resource for social procurement, lists 38 social enterprises across Canada that specifically employ and support people with disabilities.^[6] This is an underestimate though, as most social enterprises are not Buy Social Canada-certified.

Some social enterprises operate as commercial, for-profit enterprises. Meticulon, founded in Calgary, is a highly customizable web-based platform made for people with autism and certain other disabilities to develop personal, career, and educational skills.  Milk Jar Candles is another Calgary-based commercial enterprise employing people living with disabilities which also supports disability-serving organizations with a portion of gross profit.  The Cleaning Solution is a Vancouver-based commercial cleaning company dedicated to providing supportive, quality employment to people living with mental illness.

Other social enterprises are nonprofit, sometimes run by charitable organizations. Lil E Coffee Café is a non-profit Calgary-based enterprise that employs people with intellectual disabilities. It is opening its second location in the new National accessArts Centre, which will be a $12 million learning, gallery, and performance space.^[7]  Riverbank General Store & Cafe in Mill River Nova Scotia is a social enterprise operated by Queens Association for Supported Living – a charitable organization that promotes the social and economic inclusion of people with diverse abilities. The Riverbank provides meaningful work-skills training and employment. Options Printing is a Mississauga-based print shop and office service provider, wholly owned and operated by a charity, employing and training people with intellectual disabilities.

SPOTLIGHT: B-Corp Enterprises